Journal
A question of place
Is urban design really understood, or has everybody just learned a new language?
LC: No, it’s not, though we certainly don’t lack buzz-words and jargon. Good urban design is an essential part of the placemaking toolkit, which includes economic and social dimensions.
CB: Very few people (developers, architects, planners) are urban design literate. Few even know the language. The momentum of the ‘we have always done it this way’ supertanker is immense and it is massively difficult for any one organisation or individual to create something really good.
JS: The language is often tripped out in rote fashion without understanding of the meaning. The new design and access statements that are a requirement for all planning applications as from next month will be a real test here. My worry is that poor designs will be justified using the ‘right’ words and ‘assessed’ by people who don’t know what the words mean. The existence of the statement rather than the intrinsic quality of the scheme will be the measure of acceptability in planning terms. Discuss this article
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