Table Of ContentURBAN DESIGN:
METHOD AND TECHNIQUES
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URBAN DESIGN:
METHOD AND TECHNIQUES
Cliff Moughtin, Rafael Cuesta,
Christine Sarris and Paola Signoretta
OXFORD AUCKLAND BOSTON JOHANNESBURG MELBOURNE NEW DELHI
Architectural Press
An imprint of Butterworth-Heinemann
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP
225 Wildwood Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801-2041
A division of Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd
A member of the Reed Elsevier plc group
First published 1999
© Cliff Moughtin, Rafael Cuesta, Christine Sarris and Paola Signoretta 1999
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in
any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by
electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some
other use of this publication) without the written permission of the
copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the
Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London,
England W1P 9HE. Applications for the copyright holder’s written
permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed
to the publishers
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Urban design: method and techniques
1. City planning
I. Moughtin, J. C.
711.4
ISBN 0 7506 4102 9
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Urban design: method and techniques/Cliff Moughtin .. [et al.].
p. cm.
ISBN 0 7506 4102 9
1. City planning. I. Moughtin, Cliff.
NA9031.U69 99–24321
711'.4–dc21 CIP
Composition by Scribe Design, Gillingham, Kent
Printed in Great Britain
CONTENTS
Preface ........................................................................................................... vii
Notes on the authors .................................................................................... ix
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... x
1 Definitions ............................................................................................... 1
2 Negotiating the programme ................................................................... 15
3 Survey techniques ................................................................................... 27
4 Analysis .................................................................................................... 67
5 Generating alternatives ........................................................................... 87
6 Project evaluation ................................................................................... 139
7 Presentation ............................................................................................. 151
8 Project management ................................................................................. 171
9 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 185
Figure sources ................................................................................................ 189
Index ............................................................................................................. 191
v
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PREFACE
The subject matter of this book is an introduction design method capable of delivering both develop-
to the method of urban design. It is the fourth book ment and environmental protection.
in this series on urban design and builds upon the My interest in urban design began in the mid-
ideas in the first three. The first volume, Urban 1950s but it was not until the early 1980s that I
Design: Street and Square, outlined the meaning of started serious work on these four volumes. During
and role played by the main elements of urban the last sixteen years my ideas about the subject
design discussing, in particular, the form and have changed radically. The most significant change
function of street and square. The second volume, was brought about by a growing awareness of the
Urban Design: Ornament and Decoration, dealt in damage being inflicted upon the global environment
detail with the ways in which the elements of the by thoughtless development. Much of the develop-
public domain are embellished. It outlined the ment was for the betterment of an already affluent
general principles for the decoration of: floor plane, West and many of the ill effects of development
or pavement; the façades of street and square; were and still are being felt by the poor of the
roofline; roofscape; skyline; and street corners. It underdeveloped world. It seemed to me that any
also examined the arrangement of three-dimensional discussion of urban design which did not address
city ornaments, such as sculpture and fountains, environmental concerns was highly superficial,
which are placed in public places. The third particularly at a time of increasing pollution,
volume, Urban Design: Green Dimensions, relates growing fears of the greenhouse effect and the
the main components of urban design to a general consequences of climate change. Urban Design:
theory of urban structuring, paying particular atten- Green Dimensions was my first attempt to address
tion to the city and its form, the urban quarter or environmental issues directly, though one percep-
district and the street block or insulae. The third tive critic considered its conclusions to be a little
volume examined the logic and imperative of tentative or guarded. This current volume fully
sustainable development and then formulated prin- accepts the environmental crisis which the planet
ciples of urban design based upon this particular faces. It therefore attempts to develop an urban
environmental code. This volume assumes the case design method which has sustainability and environ-
for sustainable development is proven; it explores a mental protection at the centre of its philosophy.
v i i
U R B A N D E S I G N : M E T H O D A N D T E C H N I Q U E S
Urban design is a legitimate concern for archi- design method, being limited by length and by the
tects, planners and landscape architects. It is, there- interest and expertise of the authors. Individual
fore, reasonable that the subject matter of urban techniques are not explored in depth since each
design should inform the curricula of those disci- technique could be, and in many cases has been,
plines. Urban design, however, is itself a nascent the subject matter of a specific book. Nevertheless,
discipline. That is, it is potentially the core subject a number of techniques are illustrated by example
area for University undergraduate degree courses or case study. Where techniques are discussed they
leading to a qualification in that subject. For urban are located within the structure of the design
design to achieve respectability as a discipline it process. This book, therefore, aims to develop a
requires its own body of theoretical literature logical framework for a process which includes
supported by research, its own history and method problem definition, survey, analysis, concept genera-
together with a wide range of techniques. Urban tion, evaluation and implementation. It is this frame-
design has a large and distinguished body of work which is presented here as a discourse
theoretical works starting with the work of the towards the development of an urban design
subject's founding father, Camillo Sitte (1901). The method.
first three volumes in this series on urban design I have worked with three young practising
aim to join that growing body of theoretical litera- environmental designers in the development and
ture. The extent of the literature in this subject can preparation of this manuscript. It is their expertise
be gauged by the bibliographies at the end of each in the fields of aesthetic control, design brief formu-
of the three earlier volumes. This volume, however, lation, environmental impact studies and project
does not include a bibliography, relying instead on management which provides the practical
references at the end of each chapter. There are background so important for a study of method and
books which can reasonably be defined as History technique. Where possible, techniques have been
of Urban Design, though many are an extension of illustrated by case studies, some of which draw on
the treatment of an allied subject such as architec- the experience of one of the authors. This book
ture or city planning. Few books on history take the should be regarded as a practical guide, one which
evolution of the design of urban public space as the the authors themselves would have found useful as
main theme of the text, treating other matters such students or in the early years of their professional
as city morphology or building design as subsidiary. careers. The book has been organized so that each
Nevertheless, it could be argued that there is, chapter can stand alone and can be read for
indeed, a body of literature on the history of urban purposes of reference. Each chapter provides
design. Similar arguments cannot be raised with guidance which, hitherto, students and practitioners
regard to a literature of urban design method. This in this field have had to discover for themselves,
seems to be an almost totally neglected area. This often with some difficulty, since methods and
book aims to introduce the topic to the reader. It is techniques for urban design is a broad topic thinly
by no means an exhaustive treatment of urban spread in published form.
Cliff Moughtin
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NOTES ON THE AUTHORS
Emeritus Professor Cliff Moughtin is a consul- Assessment with the Department of Urban Planning
tant in Urban Design. He holds degrees in at the University of Nottingham.
Architecture and Planning and was awarded the Christine Sarris received her undergraduate
degree of Doctor of Philosophy by The Queen's degree in Earth and Life Studies from the University
University of Belfast. He worked for many years in of Derby and holds an MA in Environmental
developing countries both as an architect and as a Planning from the University of Nottingham. Her
planner. He was Professor of Planning in The specialism is in bringing forward major sites for
Queen's University of Belfast and in the University development, incorporating urban design principles
of Nottingham. He is the author of a number of and accepted development control practices. She is
books, including Hausa Architecture, published by presently a Senior Planner working with Leicester
Ethnographica in 1985 and three other books in the City Council in Environment and Development.
current series on Urban Design, published by Paola Signoretta is currently Research Fellow,
Butterworth-Heinemann's Architectural Press. Sheffield Centre for Geographic Information and
Rafael Cuesta is currently Senior Officer with Spatial Analysis in the University of Sheffield. She
the Programme Management Team of Nottingham was awarded a degree in Town and Country
City Council. He studied Natural Resource Planning by the University of Reggio Calabria,
Management in Norway and holds an MA in Reggio Calabria, Italy. She has also been awarded
Environmental Planning from the University of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the
Nottingham. He previously served as Principal University of Nottingham for her research into
Planner with the Light Rapid Transit Team of Sustainable Development in Marginal Regions of the
Nottinghamshire County Council and for some years European Union. Her specialism is in project and
was Special Lecturer in Environmental Impact plan evaluation.
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