3 Key Urban Design Qualities - The Seven Cs continued
Creativity
Quality urban design encourages creative and innovative approaches. Creativity adds richness and diversity, and turns a functional place into a memorable place. Creativity facilitates new ways of thinking, and willingness to think through problems afresh, to experiment and rewrite rules, to harness new technology, and to visualise new futures. Creative urban design supports a dynamic urban cultural life and fosters strong urban identities.
Quality urban design:
- emphasises innovative and imaginative solutions
- combines processes and design responses that enhance the experience we have of urban environments
- incorporates art and artists in the design process at an early stage to contribute to creative approaches
- values public art that is integrated into a building, space or place
- builds a strong and distinctive local identity
- utilises new technology
- incorporates different cultural perspectives.
Photo:
Avondale Fun Day, Auckland. Photo courtesy of Auckland City Council.
Photo:
Lord of the Rings - Premier Opening, Wellington. Photo courtesy of
Wellington City Council.
Custodianship
Quality urban design reduces the environmental impacts of our towns and cities through environmentally sustainable and responsive design solutions. Custodianship recognises the lifetime costs of buildings and infrastructure, and aims to hand on places to the next generation in as good or better condition. Stewardship of our towns includes the concept of kaitiakitanga. It creates enjoyable, safe public spaces, a quality environment that is cared for, and a sense of ownership and responsibility in all residents and visitors.
Quality urban design:
- protects landscapes, ecological systems and cultural heritage values
- manages the use of resources carefully, through environmentally responsive and sustainable design solutions
- manages land wisely
- utilises 'green' technology in the design and construction of buildings and infrastructure
- incorporates renewable energy sources and passive solar gain
- creates buildings, spaces, places and transport networks that are safer, with less crime and fear of crime
- avoids or mitigates the effects of natural and man-made hazards
- considers the ongoing care and maintenance of buildings, spaces, places and networks
- uses design to improve the environmental performance of infrastructure
- considers the impact of design on people's health.
Photo:
Community planting at Whenua Rangatira, Auckland. Photo
courtesy of Auckland City Council.
Photo:
Mountainview School, Manakau City.
Collaboration
Towns and cities are designed incrementally as we make decisions on individual projects. Quality urban design requires good communication and co-ordinated actions from all decision-makers: central government, local government, professionals, transport operators, developers and users. To improve our urban design capability we need integrated training, adequately funded research and shared examples of best practice.
Quality urban design:
- supports a common vision that can be achieved over time
- depends on leadership at many levels
- uses a collaborative approach to design that acknowledges the contributions of many different disciplines and perspectives
- involves communities in meaningful decision-making processes
- acknowledges and celebrates examples of good practice
- recognises the importance of training in urban design and research at national, regional and local levels.
Photo:
Out for a walk. Photo courtesy of Auckland City Council.
Photo:
Newmarket Futures Workshop, Auckland. Photo courtesy of Auckland
City Council.
