You may be your authority's Design Champion, or you may chair or sit on the planning committee. Or maybe you have responsibility for public realm and streetworks? Or parks, or housing or education? Or you might want to learn about urban design to help you in your role as ward Councillor.

Whatever role you hold the main design skills we think you may find useful are:

• articulating design requirements and offer leadership
• reading plans and drawings and assess development proposals
• understanding the importance of good design to meeting many key policy objectives
• negotiating, communicating and understanding design issues.
• advising fellow Councillors, staff and constituents on key design issues for your area

We suggest you start by looking at the following sections:

Foundation of urban design:

• Structure of places
• Places that work
  
• Shaping places
  
• Policy and law
  

In addition we suggest:

If you are a design champion:

• Shaping places
  
• Plans, drawings and images
• Assessing design quality
  

If you are involved in planning or housing:

• Planning policy and tools
• Plans, drawings and images
• Assessing design quality
  

If you are public realm or streets based :

• Streets as places
  

Then add any other sections you think might be useful

While you are looking at these courses we suggest you try to think about how the content relates to your role as Councillor. If you have queries or ideas you would like to share please post them on the forums.