Key objectives

The key objectives of urban design and SWM when aiming to make and improve a good place:

improve the quality of life for people by improving the quality of public space
manage and reduce flood risk
improve water quality
improve biodiversity
create solutions that can be simply and effectively maintained and adapted over time.

Principles

A list of principles of good urban design is provided here. This list should be used as the basis for good and successful retrofitting to meet the key objectives outlined above:

Principle 1: What kind of context? What scale of retrofit?

What are the specific characteristics of the existing urban area?

Principle 2: Design for people first

Put people first, and then design with this as the main focus.

Principle 3: No space is useless

All spaces have a purpose. No space is waste space.

Principle 4: Create diversity at the place

Create diversity to increase the quality of all forms of life – human and ecology alike.

Principle 5: Improve connections and cohesion between places

Improve both ecological and pedestrian connectivity and cohesion.

Principle 6: Connect and integrate resource flows

Green and blue spaces can interconnect with each other in a network to provide opportunities for ecosystems to grow and thrive.

Principle 7: Good places are never finished! Design to accommodate change

Design places with the ability to adapt to change (whether demographic, development or climatic change).