THINKING ABOUT IT: Time To Take The ‘Urban’ Out of Urban Design?

The world's best thinkers on the urban future
Posted October 3, 2016 by Sebastian Miller
Source: Sustainable Cities Collective 

Just liked what Sebastien has to say, your MesaZona blogger has been struggling to wrap his head around this:
For a while now I’ve had an issue with both the term and the definition of ‘urban design’.  What exactly is it?  Compare it to architecture or planning, which are professions that are easy to define and identify, even to a child’s mind.  At its most simple level, architects design buildings, while planners design cities.  We understand those roles because they have boundaries and actions that give them a clear identity.  But not so for urban design.  

We can all identify a well-designed space when we see it, but what part of this is due to good contemporary design?  Did it come about due to robust planning policies that encouraged a vibrant mix of uses?  Was it due to the active participation of community groups?  For most projects, it is probably of all the above… and then some more.  What we understand to be urban design involves a broad spectrum of disciplines, such as landscape architects, planners, architects, engineers, etc.  In addition, there is the involvement of the public, government agencies, and developers.  It’s clearly a ‘team effort’ to produce good urban design interventions. 

There is a misnomer that urban design is limited to city environments or suburban schemes.  However, the principles of urban design can and do operate in rural or natural settings.   As we strive for sustainable cities and look at issues such as green space preservation, food production, flood mitigation, it is obvious that there is no urban exclusivity or defined boundary in the process of urban design. Everything is connected. 
There is nothing new in what is being presented in these descriptions.  The theories and practices have been in circulation for many years, all of which are used regularly by professionals and academics worldwide. 
However, urban design should not be restricted to any one type of gentrification project, road improvement scheme, park design, forest trail, stormwater drainage scheme, or housing estate. 
It demands that all designers within the built environment operate in a broader manner and take into account holistic design principles.  David Adams and Steve Tiesdell sum this up in their book ‘Shaping Places’, where they state that there is a responsibility for urban designers to persuade and educate other disciplines of the impacts that individual decisions have on urban quality.  
If taken up by the industry, a uniform terminology such as I propose would apply equally to designers, engineers, policy makers, developers, and municipalities to give a clearer idea of what we are all trying to achieve.  As development continues at ever increasing rates and densities, it’s time that we break down professional boundaries that prevent us from creating and managing the most successful places possible.

Author Sebastian Miller