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THE FUNDAMENTALS

1.1 The importance of urban design 1.2 Key design principles 1.3 How the compendium is organised

Many urban regeneration and development projects require public funding to help subsidise the costs of buildings, infrastructure and open spaces and to make the projects viable. The quality of design is becoming one of the most important criteria in determining whether aproject should be eligible for public funding. How should public funding providers evaluate the quality of design proposals? There is a need for an objective approach in assessing what forms of urban design work well and why. Similarly, project applicants need to know where they stand in submitting proposals.What is expected of them in terms of their investment in project design? The purpose ofthe Urban Design Compendium is to help equip project applicants, funding bodies and interested third parties with guidance on achieving and assessing the quality of urban design in developing and restoring urban areas. It is not an exhaustive text.The Compendium provides an analysis of core design issues through the different stages of the project process, from assessment of overall context todeciding the detail of proposed developments. It is principally about the substance of urban design in creating the product. In other words, how do we change the urban landscape to create places where people want to live, work and socialise, from the street corner to the brand new settlement.The Compendium is not generally intended as a guide on how design relates to the detail of the planning andproject management process. However, we address these issues in the final Chapter by providing extensive cross-references to other guidance which the reader may find helpful. The material within the Compendium reflects good practice both in the UK and overseas, relying on the stream of new and rediscovered approaches to urban design that have emerged over the last decade.The regeneration movement hasbeen at the forefront of producing a new wave of thinking about how design can position development in the market, change perceptions of place and create value.There is also a strong body of research to be drawn upon on what constitutes urban quality.

urban design compendium

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1 the fundamentals

Greenwich Millennium Village is set to demonstrate new forms of city living

TheGovernment has placed increasing emphasis on design and quality in its urban regeneration and development thinking.The publication of the Compendium flows from the work of the Urban Task Force, established by the Government, to consider how we can use a projected 20% increase in the number of households resident in England over the next 20 years as a basis for regenerating our towns and cities. In its1999 final report: Towards an Urban Renaissance - the Task Force calls for design-led regeneration.The revised Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (Housing), published in March 2000 also focuses on issues of design and quality and details how good design and layout can help to make the best use of previously developed land and improve the quality and attractiveness of residential areas. The Compendiumhas been developed to complement the DETR/Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment design guide By Design: Urban Design in the Planning System: Towards Better Practice. This document, which was published in May 2000, is intended as a companion to the PPGs series and aims to guide local authorities and their partners to deliver better urban design through the planning system.The newPlanning Policy Guidance Note 3, Housing, published in March 2000 in particular focuses on issues of design and quality and details how good design and layout can help to make the best use of previously developed land and improve the quality and attractiveness of residential areas. Why English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation? Over the last five years, English Partnerships and the Housing...