Enabling a resilient future: exploring the leadership and governance of urban design

Transcription

1 Enabling a resilient future: exploring the leadership and governance of urban design ulster.ac.uk Mura Quigley BSc (Hons) PGDip MSc PhD Student & Teaching Fellow Ulster University

2 Presentation Outline Identify the problems with current urban design practice that my research aims to address; Discuss concepts of resilience that help progress our understanding of the relationship between people and place; Show emerging findings of my research that explores urban design processes in different parts of the UK;

3 The problem with urban design For most this century, urban design in terms of both its practice and description has thus been dominated by qualitative substantive issues, by an emphasis on solutions, with a strong focus on visual factors, but definitely not by a strong discussion of how good designs might be generated (Batty et al., 1998) (Cowan, 2007)

4 still it is important Future uncertainties as a result of increasing globalisation and urbanisation (Hambleton, 2011) Adaptation should be the rule, not the exception (Folke, 2006) Places are complex and interconnected (Alexander, 1965) Need to understand places holistically in order to facilitate change and adaptation (Alexander, 1965; Meerow et al., 2016) Meerow et al., 2016

5 Source: PFBC, 2009 Source: Civic Arts/Kuhne, 2006 Spatial and procedural aspects of urban design Process? Political Economy? Or Product? Or Physical Aesthetic? (George, 1997; Carmona, 2014; Jacobs, 1961; Lynch, 1984, Gehl, 2010; Moughtin, 2003; Madanipour, 1997)

6 Social-Ecological Resilience Social/Institutional Sphere Social Learning Environmental Sphere Spatial Planning Land Use Planning Management practices Street Neighbourhood City Social Learning Adapted from Lloyd et al., 2012

7 Integration of resilience thinking in urban design Design Develop Manage Space in use Adapted from Carmona, 2014 and Gunderson, 2001

8 Integration of resilience thinking in urban design Design Develop Manage Space in use Adapted from Carmona, 2014 and Gunderson, 2001

9 Spatial and procedural link in urban design The typical relationship between a designer and the designed object The relationship between the urban designer and the designed object Source: George, 1997

10 Spatial and procedural link in urban design The typical relationship between a designer and the designed object The relationship between the urban designer and the designed object Source: George, 1997

11 Understanding Procedural Urban Design Components of urban design decision-making process Tools Methods Principles Decision-Making Environment Spatial Types

12 Understanding Procedural Urban Design Tools Policies Programmes Regulations George, 1997 Methods Jones, 1980 Principles Carmona, 2009; PFBE, 2007; DETR, 2000; Downs, 2007; Larco, 2016 Mixed Use Fine Grain Human Scale Sense of Place Diversity Natural Resource Management Permeability Walkability Compact Form Connectivity and Movement Sustain Land Value Greening et al. Spatial Type Comprehensive All-of-a-piece Lang, 2005 Infrastructural Piece-by-piece

13 SPATIAL PROCEDURAL Level 1 - The Culture of Urban Design How urban design has developed across the devolved UK INTERVIEW : National Design Perspective (9) Level 2 The Formal Rules of the Game Exploring the institutional environment, polity, judiciary, bureaucratic system that influences the design decision-making process INTERVIEW: National Design Policy (3) INTERVIEW: Regional Design Policy (2) INTERVIEW: Local Design Policy (6) Level 3 - The Informal Play of the Game Interrogating the urban design decision-making process in each of the six case studies from unique stakeholder perspectives. INTERVIEW: Political (6) INTERVIEW: Managerial (6) INTERVIEW: Professional (6) INTERVIEW: Community/End User (6) Level 4 The Outcomes Assessing adaptive capacity of design decisions URBAN FUTURES ANALYSIS: - Published/Adopted Masterplan - Outline Planning Application/EIA - Interviews Adapted from Williamson (2000); Hambleton (2011); and Lombardi (2012)

14 Testing adaptability of urban design decisions Outcomes focused Allows for a contextual analysis Acknowledges multiple potential futures (Rogers et al., 2012) Advantage of using early in the design process to highlight where certain design decisions may make a place more vulnerable in the face of change. Step 1: Identify a sustainable urban design solution Step 2: Define the solution s intended benefit Step 3: Identify the necessary conditions Step 4: Assess the necessary conditions against four policy futures Step 5: Measure adaptability of the solution Lombardi et al., 2012

15 Urban design case studies Analysis of urban design processes across the devolved UK

16 Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan About Craigmillar, Edinburgh Mixed-Use Regeneration 11.2 ha, 200m Urban Regeneration Company (PARC) Tools Urban Design Framework (00/04/13) Town Centre Masterplan (08/14) Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative (2008) Methods Glass Box Urban Design (Jones, 1980) Sustainable Urban Design Principles Mixed Use Sustainable Transportation & Walkability Increased Density Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDs) Spatial Type All-of-a-piece urban design (Lang, 2005) Local authority landowner and developer

17 Testing adaptability of urban design decisions Step 1: Identify a sustainable urban design solution Step 2: Define the solution s intended benefit Step 3: Identify the necessary conditions Step 4: Assess the necessary conditions against the scenario characteristics Step 5: Measure adaptability of the solution Healthy Lifestyles Introduction of shared spaces High quality network of footpaths and cycle paths Permeable urban blocks Local Economy New civic spaces Mixed uses within same urban block Building blocks to form attractive streets Water Use of permeable pavements Social Mix Tenure blind homes Quality of the Public Realm Additional tree planting Anderson, Bell, Christie (2014); Edinburgh City Council (2013)

18 Testing adaptability of urban design decisions Step 1: Identify a sustainable urban design solution Step 2: Define the solution s intended benefit Step 3: Identify the necessary conditions Step 4: Assess the necessary conditions against the scenario characteristics Step 5: Measure adaptability of the solution Healthy Lifestyles Introduction of shared spaces High quality network of footpaths and cycle paths Permeable urban blocks Local Economy New civic spaces Mixed uses within same urban block Building blocks to form attractive streets Water Use of permeable pavements Social Mix Tenure blind homes Quality of the Public Realm Additional tree planting Anderson, Bell, Christie (2014); Edinburgh City Council (2013)

19 Testing adaptability of urban design decisions Step 1: Identify a sustainable urban design solution Step 2: Define the solution s intended benefit Step 3: Identify the necessary conditions Step 4: Assess the necessary conditions against the scenario characteristics Step 5: Measure adaptability of the solution Sustainable Urban Design Solution: Introduction of shared spaces Benefit 1: encourage people to walk by making streets safer Benefit 2: to offer equal priority to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles

20 Testing adaptability of urban design decisions Step 1: Identify a sustainable urban design solution Step 2: Define the solution s intended benefit Step 3: Identify the necessary conditions Step 4: Assess the necessary conditions against the scenario characteristics Step 5: Measure adaptability of the solution Sustainable Urban Design Solution: Introduction of shared spaces Benefit 1: encourage people to walk by making streets safer Necessary Conditions: 1. Routes are retained in future 2. Routes are maintained 3. Destination of routes remains useful and attractive 4. Public interest in walking/cycling 5. Routes are perceived as safe

21 Testing adaptability of urban design decisions Step 1: Identify a sustainable urban design solution Step 2: Define the solution s intended benefit Step 3: Identify the necessary conditions Step 4: Assess the necessary conditions against the scenario characteristics Step 5: Measure adaptability of the solution Introduction of shared spaces to encourage people to walk Necessary Conditions New Sustainability Paradigm Policy Reform Market Forces Fortress World Routes are retained in future?? Routes are maintained?? Destination of routes remains useful and attractive? Public interest in walking/cycling? Routes are perceived as safe??

22 Testing adaptability of urban design decisions Step 1: Identify a sustainable urban design solution Step 2: Define the solution s intended benefit Step 3: Identify the necessary conditions Step 4: Assess the necessary conditions against the scenario characteristics Step 5: Measure adaptability of the solution Adaptability of Identified Sustainable Urban Design Solutions for Craigmillar Town Centre Building blocks forming attractive streets to create vibrant town centre Mixed uses within same urban block to create vibrant town centre New civic spaces to create pedestrian friendly town centre Permeable urban block to maximise pedestrian and cycle connectivity High quality network of footpaths and cycle paths to encourage multi-modal transport and Additional tree planting to define extent of public realm Tenure blind homes to ensure a balanced community Use of permeable paving to attenuate rainwater flows Introduction of shared spaces to encourage people to walk Introduction of shared spaces to offer equal priority to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles conditions highly likely to continue in the future conditions at risk in the future conditions highly unlikely to continue in the future 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

23 Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan Issues Mixed use within the same block to create vibrant town centre Tenure blind homes to create a balanced community

24 Learning from the urban design process Insights from semi-structured interviews Formalised partnership aids transparency; Multiplicity of community/council interests; Use of urban design tools within statutory planning process to maintain high quality design;

25 Learning from the urban design process Stakeholder perspectives on the design process Inter-dependence of different scales of governance Phasing of scheme to ensure public benefit realised Short term financial constraints more likely to prevail since the recession

26 Insights from semi-structured interviews Welsh case studies Governance Design review - should focus on how the design decisions are made; Use of urban design frameworks and design codes; Adopting ideas from other places without testing them first. Leadership Capacity and skills of local authorities and developers to engage in design conversations; Strong relationship between central and local government; Long term financial investment pays off; WSP focus on distinctiveness autonomy to use local architects and skills improves engagement.

27 Insights from semi-structured interviews Scotland Governance Spend time getting the design right from the outset; Minimum standards of consultation do not build community resilience; Consultation should go beyond buy in and value the social capital available in the area; Continual updating of plans feedback loops; Consideration of management implications after project is built; Use of design charrettes transparent process, builds social capital, can see how decisions are made about the physical form of the place (SSCI) Leadership Importance of the local authority s role in advocating for good design and maintaining a consistent approach; Trust between stakeholders different agendas and interests but willing to hear each other out and find resolution Continuous feedback and consultation through (e.g. Parc Board)

28 Thank You! ulster.ac.uk