By Design

urban design in the planning system towards better practice

Highlighting the need for better urban design and providing sound, practical advice to help implement the government`s commitment to good design.

By Design

This guide has been published to promote higher standards in urban design and provide sound, practical advice to help implement the Government`s commitment to good design, as set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 1 General Policy and Principles. It encourages those who influence and shape development decisions to think more deeply and sensitively about the living environments being created.

The three central messages of the guide are:

• Good design is important everywhere, not least in helping to bring rundown, neglected places back to life.
• While the planning system has a key role to play in delivering better design, the creation of successful places depends on the skills of designers and the vision and commitment of those who employ them.
• No two places are identical and there is no such thing as a blueprint for good design. Good design always arises from a thorough and caring understanding of place and context.

The guide is relevant to all aspects of the built environment, including the design of buildings and spaces, landscapes and transport systems. It has implications for planning and development at every scale: in villages as well as cities and for a street and its neighbourhood as well as regional planning strategies.

• The need for better urban design
• Thinking about urban design
• Urban design and the planning toolkit
• Raising standards in urban design
• Appendices

Published on 30 April 2000