Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Figures and tables
- Discussion points and case studies
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Table of statutes
- Introduction
- Part I Frameworks
- Part II Key Issues
- 6 Planning and the natural environment
- 7 The metropolis
- 8 Planning for rural landscapes
- 9 Planning for regions
- 10 Planning for diverse communities
- 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
- 12 Community participation in planning
- 13 Urban design
- 14 Planning for heritage conservation and management
- 15 Transport planning
- 16 Healthy planning
- Conclusion: planning Australia into the future
- Index
- References
13 - Urban design
from Part II - Key Issues
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Figures and tables
- Discussion points and case studies
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Table of statutes
- Introduction
- Part I Frameworks
- Part II Key Issues
- 6 Planning and the natural environment
- 7 The metropolis
- 8 Planning for rural landscapes
- 9 Planning for regions
- 10 Planning for diverse communities
- 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
- 12 Community participation in planning
- 13 Urban design
- 14 Planning for heritage conservation and management
- 15 Transport planning
- 16 Healthy planning
- Conclusion: planning Australia into the future
- Index
- References
Summary
Key terms: urban; urban design; New Urbanism; public domain; public realm; private domain; aesthetics; amenity; mass; space; genius loci; legibility; permeability; human scale; growth centres; waterfronts.
This chapter is about the practice and development of urban design in Australia. After defining terminology, I plot the evolution of urban design in Australia. The chapter then sets out the qualities of a ‘successful’ place, before discussing some exemplars of urban design. I conclude with challenges for urban design in Australia through the 21st century. My message is communicated through both the text and accompanying illustrations.
Defining urban design
The response to the question ‘what is urban design?’ might seem simple and straightforward. The term ‘urban’ means all elements that constitute a city: its roads, buildings, parks, paths, public spaces and transport systems; its people, activities and culture. ‘Design’ is a broad topic. In an urban context, it is the creative application of thought and invention to the identification of a solution to a particular requirement or demand. Accordingly, urban design can be defined as an intervention in the urban environment that seeks to produce, or invoke, outcomes for urban spaces and places that ultimately impact upon human experience and use of towns and cities. Such experiences and use may be positive or negative, thus giving rise to the notions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ urban design. Further useful definitions of urban design are provided in Discussion point 13.1.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Planning AustraliaAn Overview of Urban and Regional Planning, pp. 294 - 330Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012
References
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