There are so many things to consider when designing a city- but when considering urban design specifically, here are what I believe to be the top 10 indicators of a well-designed place (in no particular order):
1 A Space Becomes a Place– the concept of placemaking is absolutely essential in creating good urban design. To go from being just any physical location to a place people feel connected to takes design that considers human scale, culture, and the needs of that specific community as far as use, location, design, and scale.
2 Built on the Past– every city has a history, and a great urban design will incorporate that into new plans. Building on the existing not only saves materials, but helps to create a richer experience rather than a completely new settlement with no character of its own.
3 Connected to the Landscape– it is incredibly important to consider the local ecology of a site before designing it- local watersheds, plant life, and potential impacts the development will have on the land are all vital in creating a good design.
4 Expect the Unexpected– a good design has definition and character, but doesn’t eliminate the possibility of changes in use or additions to the design in later years.
5 Mix and Match– multiple uses in a small area keep “eyes on the street”, as Jane Jacobs would say, keeping streets safer as people use them for different things throughout the day. Mixed-use designs also bring in a wider variety of people, keep places interesting, and continue to thrive even if some uses slow down in the coming years.
6 Cohesion, Not Uniformity– what many Americans love about old European cities are all the stone in old London or whitewashed plaster in Greece- but when we’ve tried to copy that in our suburbs, they just look monotonous. A careful but not demanding palette and material list keeps a design looking cohesive but not over designed and dull.
7 Economically Viable– though its a boring concept, its important to consider the budget you can work with in creating a design. If you create something too extravagant, the entire plan won’t be built, which could really backfire upon the entire design and the livability of the new development.
8 Equitable and Inclusive– designing for one socioeconomic class, whether in housing or retail, will create more socioeconomic disparity than already exists, a boring street life, and an area that outsiders don’t feel welcome in. A good design includes people of all walks of life.
9 Environmentally Conscious– using sustainable materials, considering the weather patterns, and building with green technology are all important factors in design, especially when considering the many problems with climate change and energy usage of today.
10 Focus on the People, Not the Car– for too many years, planners and designers focused on the highway and the car, placing it in importance above the individual person. Wide sidewalks, vegetated medians, street trees, and bulb-outs are all ways of making the pedestrian feel comfortable and slow cars down. If you want your design to have decent street life, be financially stable, and connect to people of all kinds, you need to put the pedestrian first.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jane's Walk Phoenix, Chris Caldwell. Chris Caldwell said: RT @JanesWalkPhx: Top 10 Indicators of Good Urban Design: http://ow.ly/2S24B #urbanism […]
Reblogged on humanscalecities.tumblr.com:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/urban+design/page/2/1355500937
and http://international.ateneonaider.com/noticias/2010/11/01/top-10-indicators-good-urban-design
This is quite interesting. All of these design concepts relate to sustainable processes which will at least help us preserve somethings for our future generations.
Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a twenty five foot drop, just so she can be
a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has
83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!
There is definately a lot to learn about this topic.
I really like all of the points you’ve made.
Hello i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere, when i read this paragraph i thought i could also make comment
due to this sensible article.
Fastidious response in return of this matter with genuine
arguments and explaining all regarding that.
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your weblog.
Do you ever rrun into any internet browser compatibility issues?
A handful of my blog readers have complainsd about my site not wotking correctly in Explorer but looks
great inn Safari. Do you have any suggestions too
help fix this issue?
Reblogged this on reviewanew and commented:
A handy checklist worth revisiting:
Just as Mom said, put safety first. City’s that have experienced recent catastrophes are still putting esthetics and cohesion before safety. This should always be bad practice
Each city has its own history that evolves from the old ones to the newest design that could result in either a new concept or techniques. There might be some or a total change of the urban community, but in general, this is the beginning of a good urban design.
[…] from a now inactive website devoted to design, A Dash of Design tackled the subject by listing the Top Ten Indicators of Good Urban Design. You can read their entire list there, but they emphasize that a “space becomes a […]
[…] Sources: A DASH OF DESIGN, Top 10 Indicators of Good Urban Design, 2010. Disponible sur https://adashofdesign.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/good-urban-design/ BE DESIGNER, Qu’est-ce qu’est le design d’espace et quelles sont ses […]