This four day course is ideal for practitioners who wish to refresh their design expertise or who are starting out in the process of designing streets.
The Booking Form is available at the bottom of the page.
Dates Day 1: 30 April, 20 September, 28 January 2011 Day 2: 6 May, 4 October, 1 February 2011 Day 3: 7 May, 5 October, 2 February 2011 Day 4: 12 May, 8 October, 9 February 2011 Time: 10am – 5pm Location: Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8AADay 1: Introduction to Urban Design
This day is shared across UDL’s four foundation courses so alongside your professional peers, you will get a chance to meet and work with planners, housing specialists and green space practitioners.
Day 1 will cover the basics of urban design, including design principles, how places are structured, how movement networks function and their relation to land use, density and the character of places.
It will explain the qualities of successful places and the physical elements that help create them. Key design policies and guidance such as By Design, Streetscape Guidance and Better Streets and the roles of different professions and agencies will be introduced.
Topics Covered
- Cool Wall
- Urban Design Principles
- Why Design Matters (short film)
- The Structure of places
- Walkabout
- The Regulations & Guidance
- Assessing Good Design
- Site Visits
- Brief writing exercise
- Discussion & Evaluation
Day 2: Better Streets design principles
The day will look at the why good streets matter and the benefits they can bring. It will explain the design principles set out in the Mayors document Better Streets and look at the importance of understanding the context for any scheme.
The day will help you unravel the legal framework behind streets, risk, liability and safety issues, and will explain what policy and guidance documents like signage regulations, Local Transport Notes, DMRB, Streetscape Guidance, etc actually require.
It will also explain the theory behind deciding on the balance of place/movement status for any street and how this can help you commission and manage projects.
Topics Covered
- Understanding urban structure from urban grain, movement networks, use of resources, scale, landscape, through to density and mix of uses
- How urban structure elements contribute to good urban design
- Objectives of good urban design and qualities of successful places
- Better Streets principles
Day 3: Better Streets – Scheme Levels
This day will work though the 5 stages of interventions set out in the Mayor’s Better Streets document.
The morning will look at how to implement the first three levels of intervention suggested in Better Streets, that is to do a tidy up, declutter and/or rationalisation of street furniture. The session will look at how common questions around regulations, risk, streetscape guidance and perceived best practice could influence your work.
In the afternoon the session will examine levels four and five of Better Streets, re-thinking traffic management options or recreating the space. The session will help you consider when such types of project are justified, good design solutions and how to get them going and deliver them.
Brief writing, objective setting, consultation and assessing proposals will all be touched on. The session will also look at how safety and quality audits and design review can support such schemes.
Topics Covered
- Work through the five stages of Better Streets from tidy up to recreating space
- How to consider road markings and signs and which are definitely needed or discretionary
- Shared space, when it is appropriate, and how each intervention can balance a place and is shared between users
Day 4: Big Design Day
Like the Introduction Day, this session will be shared between planning, housing specialists, green space and streets practitioners. Teams will consider an area, looking at understanding its context, to first set scheme objectives and then develop design ideas combining changes to the street, buildings and open spaces holistically.
Architects call these events charrettes. They squeeze the design process from concept to a drawn proposal into a day to help people learn about the balances, compromises, co-operation and imagination that can help create Better Streets and places.
Presenters
- John Dales (Consultant Director, Urban Initiatives)
- Phil Jones (Managing Director, Phil Jones Associates)
- Colin Davis
- Phil Cook (Director, TMS Consultancy)
