3 - Key Urban Design Qualities - The Six Cs
The Protocol identifies six essential design qualities that create quality urban design: the six Cs. They are: Context, Character, Choice, Connections, Custodianship and Collaboration. These are a combination of design processes and outcomes.
The six Cs:
- provide a checklist of factors which contribute to quality urban design
- explain these concepts in simple language providing a common basis for discussing urban issues and objectives
- provide core concepts to use in urban design projects and policies
- can be adapted for use in towns and cities throughout New Zealand.
Context
Towns and cities are more than the sum of their parts. Quality urban design is about seeing buildings, places and spaces not as isolated elements but as part of the whole town or city. For example, a building is connected to its street, the street to its neighbourhood, the neighbourhood to its city, and the city to its region.
Quality urban design:
- recognises the big picture and anticipates the long-term impacts of changes
- considers urban landscapes, streets, spaces, places, buildings and infrastructure and their relationship to each other
- examines each project in relation to its surroundings to create a development that fits in with and enhances its surroundings
- understands the social, cultural and economic context as well as physical elements and relationships
- recognises and celebrates the cultural identity of a space or place built up over time
- ensures incremental development contributes to an agreed and coherent overall result that enhances the whole town or city.
1. The Civic Square in Wellington is the cultural hub of the city and a central focus for public performances, festivals and celebrations. A mix of uses surround the square including offices, the Town Hall, public library, city gallery, childcare centres and cafés.
2. This streetscape in Hastings reflects a scale and detailing appropriate to its surroundings highlighting the ability to successfully combine infrastructure with water and lighting features.
Character
Quality urban design reflects and enhances the distinctive character of our natural environment, heritage and Kiwi culture. Character is dynamic and evolving, not static. Reinforcing character ensures new buildings and spaces are unique to their location and add value to our towns and cities by increasing tourism, investment, identity and community pride.
Quality urban design:
- reflects the character of each town, city and neighbourhood
- protects and manages historic urban landscapes, buildings, spaces and places
- creates locally appropriate and inspiring architecture, spaces and places
- reflects and celebrates our unique Kiwi culture
- strengthens the positive physical characteristics that make each place distinctive
- incorporates art and artists in the design process at an early stage to ensure creativity.
1. Design can accentuate urban form and establish a strong sense of place. This scene in Waitara clearly reflects its coastal heritage.
2. This building in Ponsonby Auckland responds positively to its prominent corner site.
Choice
Quality urban design is about planning for diversity and offering people choice within our urban areas. Diversity of urban form, densities, building types, public spaces, transport modes and activities increases choices for people as well as making a more attractive urban form. Flexibility and adaptability provides for unforeseen uses and creates resilient and robust towns and cities.
Quality urban design:
- ensures urban environments provide opportunities for all people including the disadvantaged
- manages the diversity and density of different activities to create compatible urban form, building types, spaces and uses
- supports flexible and adaptable buildings, places, spaces and transport networks which will remain useful over the long-term for changing lifestyles and urban futures
- encourages mixed-use developments and neighbourhoods
- allows people to choose different sustainable lifestyle options, locations, modes of transport, types of buildings and forms of tenure
- ensures accessibility to public spaces by all people including those with disabilities.
1. A variety of activities blend with public spaces along the Tauranga waterfront creating active building edges.
2. The Chancery in Auckland demonstrates many good urban design qualities including quality public space, mixed use and a diverse urban form.
Connections
Good connections enhance choice, strengthen transport networks, support social cohesion and make places lively and safe. Quality urban design is about recognising the importance of how all forms of infrastructure, including roads, railways, cycle tracks, paths, pipes, and power and communication networks connect. Towns and cities with good connectivity between activities and with careful placement of facilities reduce travel distances and times and environmental impacts. Where physical layouts and activity patterns are easily understood, residents and visitors can move around easily.
Quality urban design:
- creates pathways and links between centres, landmarks and neighbourhoods
- integrates different modes of transport
- anticipates travel demands and provides a sustainable choice of transport modes
- improves accessibility to public services and facilities
- treats streets and other thoroughfares as positive spaces and places with multiple purposes
- provides many opportunities for social and cultural interaction
- facilitates efficient movement of goods, services and people
- links public and private open space and green networks
- provides for more physically active urban environments.
1. A quality public transport interchange in Wellington also provides opportunities for social interaction.
2. This alley in Vulcan Lane, Auckland provides a vibrant and attractive street for pedestrians.
Custodianship
Quality urban design reduces the environmental impacts of our towns and cities through environmentally sustainable and responsive urban design solutions. Stewardship of our towns and cities ensures enjoyable, safe public spaces and a quality environment that creates a sense of ownership and responsibility in all residents and visitors.
Quality urban design:
- protects natural landscapes, ecological systems and cultural heritage within urban areas
- manages the use of resources carefully through environmentally responsive and sustainable design solutions
- creates buildings, spaces, places and transport networks that are safer, with less fear of crime
- 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.
1. The addition of a well designed pedestrian connection linking between suburbs in Waitakere City has been combined with rehabilitation of the stream environment.
2. The recently opened Landcare Research Building in Auckland applies sustainable design and engineering principles to create a truly sustainable building.
Collaboration
Our towns and cities are designed incrementally as people make decisions on individual projects. Quality urban design requires good communication, real dialogue and a shared vision and understanding among all those making decisions: central government, local government, professionals, transport operators, developers and occupants. 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
- supports leadership at many levels
- uses a collaborative approach to design at all levels, involving different disciplines and perspectives
- involves communities
- promotes, acknowledges and celebrates best practice examples
- recognises the importance of training and research at national, regional and local levels to increase the professional capacity of organisations.
1. Quality urban design recognises the different needs and viewpoints of all members of the community.
2. Quality urban design incorporates viewpoints from the community and different disciplines.
Quality urban design is about seeing buildings, places and spaces not as isolated elements but as part of the whole town or city.
