DESIGN CODES HBF ANNUAL DESIGN CONFERENCE CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS HALL, MAY 12 2004 David Lunts, Director, Urban Policy, ODPM Urban Coding A cure for SLOAP? (Space Left Over After Planning) An event produced by Papers sponsored by
Urban Coding A Cure For SLOAP? ( Space Left Over After Planning ) David Lunts Director Urban Policy ODPM Design for Homes 12 May 2004 Urban Coding What Are We Talking About? A code is an operating system to deliver high quality, responsive urban environments A code is different from design guidance And more than a masterplan It is a set of rules for layout and building, designed to offer certainty and quality A code is a binding agreement (but may be flexible) Derived from intense engagement, exploration and collaboration 2
David Lunts: Urban Coding - A cure for SLOPE? (Space Left Over After Planning) Sir Christopher Wren s Plan for London - 1667 Details of types of buildings relating to types of street, Act for Rebuilding the City of London (1667) 3
Part of Craig Plan for Edinburgh. In addition to the planned overall layout, formal aspects of individual buildings was prescribed. 4
'To keep pigs out of the parlour (1927 Supreme Court decision on zoning) 5
But not like this We already code like this 6
Revival of interest in urban design, place making and coding Hulme, Manchester 1991-7
West Silvertown Urban Village, LDDC 1992 Crown Street, New Gorbals, 1992 8
Poundbury, Dorchester 1990 9
Complexity = Risk (usually for the developer) Seaside & The New Urbanism 1980s Seaside 10
Orenco Station, Portland 11
Upton, Northampton, English Partnerships, 2003 Importance of charrette Technical rigour Buy-in from key stakeholders Binding agreements Coding won t rectify a poor plan What matters is the quality of the process and the integrity of the team (or rubbish in, rubbish out ) 12
Why the Government Interest? Lots more homes (Sustainable Communities & Barker) Faster planning De-risking development Increasing densities/place-making Community engagement Large scale projects It is not just about housing. It s about driving forward the urban renaissance and defining a new vision of what we mean by sustainable communities 13
Coding should consider Territory contextual, not standardised Typology building types, streets, and spaces to form coherent urban form Tectonics building craft, materials etc. What is Coding? Shared rules and language for urban design and public realm About physical form and urban composition Building responsive places not projects An alternative to traditional functional zoning and coding Place specific & a product of engagement Prescriptive, not proscriptive ( this is what you have to do ) 14
A code is not the same as An aesthetic judgement A pattern book A pre-determined outcome A masterplan Standardisation It s nothing new. From Vitruvius to English Partnerships The basis of accomplished city design We still do it - but it s not coding for place making Can be loose fit or tight fit Can be good or bad 15
The new urban coding project Testing coding in different development contexts Range of sites and conditions Quick results Links to planning reform Links to Egan/Skills development Interested in design, adoption, implementation Design Coding Advisory Group ODPM Project Group Research Team Design Coding Enabling Panel Facilitators - CABE and EP Pilot Projects Enabling Support Team Pilot Projects First wave of 6 pilots Monitoring, Evaluation and Review THE FUTURE - PLANNING POLICY CONSIDERATION/SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 16
Design Coding Pilot Programme Newcastle Rotherham Cirencester Aldershot Ashford Hastings Pilot Projects Size 400-4,500 dwellings Land Ownership Private Developer Private / Public Public Planning context Pathfinder Growth Area Millennium Com. Windfall / deposit plan Local Planning Authority Borough City District 17
How will we help? Up to 12 pilots to test variety of circumstances and sites Technical expertise through enabling panel Lessons for policy development Sharing good practice and learning Leaving a positive legacy Uniformity and blandness? Borneo, Sporenberg, Amsterdam 18
Art is the well doing of what needs doing William Lethaby 19