Summary

C re a tin g su c c e ssfu l a n d su sta in a b le p la c e s will

d e p e n d o n a sh ift in a ttitu d e s, e x p e c ta tio n s a n d
p ra c tic e s a b o u t th e d e sig n o f c itie s, to wn s,
villa g e s a n d th e c o u n trysid e . We n e e d :
D ecision m akers w ho understand the role of design
in delivering sustainable developm ent (page 9).
D evelopers, landow ners, investors and public bodies
w ho recognise the com m ercial and econom ic value
of good design (page 18).
Effective collaboration betw een disciplines, professionals,
local com m unities and others in the planning and urban
design process (page 27).
D evelopm ent plans w ith effective design policies, and
urban design fram ew orks, developm ent briefs and m aster
plans to provide planning and design guidance (page 34).
D evelopers subm itting design statem ents w ith planning
applications that explain the design principles on w hich
the developm ent proposal is based (page 41).
A high level of aw areness and urban design skills in local
authorities, including planners and councillors w ho are
com m itted to raising design standards and understand
the im pact of their decisions (page 47).
A stronger design elem ent in built environm ent
professional education (page 48).
B etter design education in continuous
professional developm ent program m es (page 49).
G reater com m itm ent to higher standards of
design am ong public bodies (page 49).
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designing
city town
A Policy Statement for Scotland
urban design the collaborative process of shaping the
setting for life in cities, tow ns, villages and ruralareas
village rural
Making it work together
places
Contents
Introduction
Social, economic and environmental goals
Scotlands urban and rural traditions
The qualities of successful places
Design in the landscape
Forgotten places
The fourth dimension
The value of good design
The price of poor design
Setting a framework for design
Collaboration
Opportunities for achieving urban design qualities
Planning for good design
The development plan
Planning and design guidance
Using the toolkit
Development control
Design skills
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
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41
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confident,
competitive
compassionate
Scotland
&
Crown Cop yright 2 0 0 1
ISBN: 0 7 5 5 9 0 0 3 7 5
Foreword
NPPG1 (Revised 2000) The Planning
Systemem phasises the im portance
of design considerations in reaching
planning decisions. W e have published
Planning Advice N otes on subjects such
as the Siting and D esign of H ousing in
the C ountryside, Sm all Tow ns and Tow n
C entre Im provem ent. B ut w hat w e did
not have until now w as a general
statem ent setting out the Executives
aspirations for design and the role of
the planning system in delivering these.
This docum ent fills that gap. It w as
w ritten by R obert C ow an, an urban
designer and author. A Steering G roup
including Scottish Executive officials and
outside interests steered the w ork.
R epresented on the G roup w ere the
U rban D esign Alliance (w hich em braces
the R oyal Tow n Planning Institute in
Scotland, the R oyal Institution of
C hartered Surveyors in Scotland and
the R oyal Incorporation of Architects in
Scotland), planning and architecture
schools, local authority officials,
architects, landscape architects and
transport planners. The aim of the
docum ent is to dem ystify urban design
and to dem onstrate how the value of
design can contribute to the quality
of our lives. G ood design is an integral
part of a confident, com petitive and
com passionate Scotland.
This statem ent sits alongside the
policy on architecture, w hich w as
launched in O ctober 2001, and it is
a m aterial consideration in decisions
in planning applications and appeals.
It w ill also provide the basis for a series
of Planning Advice N otes dealing w ith
m ore detailed aspects of design.
Together I hope that these
will provide the foundations for
tomorrows conservation areas.
Lewis Macdonald, MSP
D eputy M inister for Transport and Planning
The Point Conference Centre, Edinburgh
In N ovem ber 2000 m y predecessor as
Planning M inister, Sam G albraith, asked
the question W here are the conservation
areas of tom orrow ?There are no single
or sim ple solutions to raising the standard
of developm ent in urban and rural
Scotland but w e have to m ake a start.
first
The first policy statement on designing places in Scotland
3
T h is, th e first p o lic y sta te m e n t
o n d e sig n in g p la c e s in S c o tla n d ,
m a rk s th e S c o ttish E x e c u tive s
d e te rm in a tio n to ra ise sta n d a rd s
o f u rb a n a n d ru ra l d e ve lo p m e n t.
Introduction
Designing Places sets out the policy context for im portant areas of
planning policy, design guidance, professional practice, and education
and training. It is aim ed at everyone w ho plays a part in shaping the built
environm ent, w hether as politicians, developers, planners, designers,
opinion-form ers or anyone else w hose attitudes have a direct or indirect
influence on w hat gets built. The statem ents them es w ill be developed
in further docum ents w ith m ore detailed operational guidance.
city town
village rural
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1
1: Science Centre, Glasgow
2: Scottish Parliament Development Site, Edinburgh
G ood design has alw ays been valued
by those w ho appreciate architecture.
Today its value is recognised also as
a practical m eans of achieving a w ide
range of social, econom ic and
environm ental goals, m aking places
that w ill be successful and sustainable.
At one end of the scale, sensitive siting
and design of single houses in the
countryside can help support and
revitalise rural com m unities w ithout
underm ining the areas distinctive
qualities. At the other end, Scotlands
cities challenge us to find form s of
sustainable developm ent that w ill
renew urban life.
4
Social, economic and environmental goals
Every day countless decisions are m ade
that have the potential to m ake a piece
of a city, tow n or village a little m ore
lively, w elcom ing and pleasant, or a little
m ore hostile, unpleasant or unsafe; or
to enhance or erode the character of
som e corner of rural Scotland. These
are design decisions, even though they
m ay w ell not be taken by designers.
The real trail of responsibility m ay lead
back to people w ho w rite policy, set
standards, draft briefs, select
consultants, issue design guidance
and decide w hether to give a proposal
planning perm ission. Alternatively the
trail m ay begin w ith a developer or client
w ho places little value on good design.
The design of places plays a large part
in determ ining w hat im pact w e have on
the land and other scarce resources.
D ecisions about design determ ine how
m uch energy w e w ill use, how efficient
transport system s w ill be, and w hat
people and econom ic activities w ill
flourish in a particular place.
In recent years w e have learned a great
deal, often through painful experience,
about design principles and how to
apply them . O pportunities for design to
m ake successful places are taken, or
m issed, every day.
5
opportunities
for design to make successful places are taken, or missed, every day
town village
1: Gaelic College, Skye, Highland
2: Festival Square, Edinburgh
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2
Scotlands enorm ously rich tradition
of urban design goes back to the
m edieval period, for exam ple at
St Andrew s. M any of Scotlands
sm aller tow ns and villages w ere built
as new tow ns or extended in planned
settlem ents. Landow ners created
m any planned rural settlem ents in a
drive for im provem ent. The N ew Tow n
of Edinburgh is probably Europes best
exam ple of neoclassical tow n planning.
Scotlands tenem ent tradition is proving
unexpectedly robust and todays
designers are finding new w ays of
interpreting it. The best of these
patterns of developm ent are seen
today as m odels of successful
design for the 21st century.
6
Scotlands urban and rural traditions
rural city
In the developm ent of 20th century
tow n and regional planning, no one
w as m ore influential than Patrick
G eddes. Scotland pioneered regional
planning w ith the 1946 C lyde Valley
plan, setting out a new strategy for
tackling the appalling legacy of Victorian
slum s. The program m e of new tow ns
w as one result.
Scotlands confidence in m aking
its urban future has been shaken,
as elsew here, by instances w here
som e of the hopes of 20th century
planning and architecture turned out
to have been m isplaced. W e have
learned by bitter experience the
financial and hum an cost of building
against the grain of the natural
landscape and the patterns of
hum an life.
After three difficult decades, w e are
becom ing m ore confident that w e
understand w hat m akes successful
places. The conservation of historic
buildings w as the starting point. It is
now accepted that the best of w hat
has been handed dow n to us should
be protected. The rise of the
conservation m ovem ent has involved a
rediscovery of w hat m akes places w ork.
7
1: St Andrew Square, Edinburgh
2: Marchmont, Edinburgh
3: Sundrum, South Ayrshire
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3
1
The m ost successful places, the ones that flourish socially and
econom ically, tend to have certain qualities in com m on. First, they
have a distinct identity. Second, their spaces are safe and pleasant.
Third, they are easy to m ove around, especially on foot. Fourth, visitors
feel a sense of w elcom e.
Places that have been successful for a long tim e, or that are likely
to continue to be successful, m ay w ell have another quality, w hich
m ay not be im m ediately apparent they adapt easily to changing
circum stances. Finally, places that are successful in the long term ,
and w hich contribute to the w ider quality of life, w ill prove to m ake
good use of scarce resources. They are sustainable.
Sustainability the m easure of the likely im pact of developm ent on
the social, econom ic and environm ental conditions of people in the
future and in other places m ust run as a com m on thread through
all our thinking about design. Thinking about sustainability focuses
in particular on prom oting greener lifestyles, energy efficiency, m ixed
uses, biodiversity, transport and w ater quality.
9
The qualities of successful places
town village
1 &2: Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh
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2
sustainability
The measure of the likely impact of development on the social, economic and environmental conditions of people in the future and in other places
Those six qualities identity, safe and
pleasant spaces, ease of m ovem ent,
a sense of w elcom e, adaptability and
good use of resources are at the
heart of good design for urban and
rural developm ent.
There is one other quality that m any
successful places have. B eauty, like
the other six, should also be one of
the objectives of urban design. It is
less easy to plan for directly, but w e
m ay not need to. In a place that has
the six qualities, beauty m ay w ell be
the natural product of the patterns
of hum an life and the skills of
talented designers.
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city town
Throughout Scotland there are beautiful
cities, tow ns and villages that w ere
created w ith the help of civic leaders
w ith vision, landow ners w ith a stake
in the long term future, and developers,
architects and designers of talent and
genius. Today their legacy is being
eroded and too little of value is
being put in their place.
C ircum stances are m ore difficult than ever.
G lobalisation stam ps its undifferentiated
im age on the w orld. Traditional tow n
based industries have largely
disappeared as technology increasingly
frees us from ties of place. The individual
freedom s of the private car have not
been w on w ithout a cost to the quality
of the places w here w e live.
W hat w e build can be im portant to our
sense of identity at all scales, from local
to regional and national. In the w ords of
the Scottish Executives fram ew ork
docum ent on The Development of a
Policy on Architecture for Scotland:
The architecture and buildings of our
tow ns, cities and rural settlem ents are
a repository of our com m on culture and
heritage, they provide continuity and a
unique sense of history and tradition
The challenge for our architecture today
is to fuse w hat is still vital in local
tradition w ith the best in our increasingly
global civilisation, to m arry them in new
w ays that m eet our m odern needs and
aspirations.
11
1: City Centre, Dundee
2: Inveraray, Argyll and Bute
3: Irvine, North Ayrshire
4: Scottish Executive Architectural Policy Documents
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3
1
4
M uch successful developm ent is rooted in the landscape: in the
shape of the land, its m aterials, its character, its appearance and
its ecologies. All these are the result of natural and cultural
processes. Traditionally the landscape and the m aterials that can
be w on from it have shaped the patterns of building, helping to
m ake places locally or regionally distinctive.
Design in the landscape
1: Isle of Barra, Western Isles
2: Ben Nevis, Highland
3: Peebles, Scottish Borders
4: Townscape, Edinburgh
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2
3
D evelopm ent designed to m ake the
m ost of its setting in the landscape is
likely to avoid todays com m on failing
of looking and feeling as though it
could be anyw here. U nderstanding
the landscape is the basis for know ing
such essentials as w hat plant species
w ill flourish, how drainage system s can
w ork successfully and how buildings
can best be sited. Places that are
distinctive and designed w ith a real
understanding of the natural w orld
are likely to be enjoyed, cared for
and valued.
Scotlands w ell loved places show
how the landscape can inspire in very
different w ays in different settings: from
cities w hose grandeur is enhanced by
dram atic natural settings to the sm allest
village nestling in a hillside.
Landscape design can create places
in harm ony w ith natural processes of
change. Landscape architects are
particularly conscious that design is
a m atter of directing a process of
continuous change and that success
depends on carefully m anaging w hat
has been created.
In the countryside, inappropriate
developm ents, how ever sm all, can have
large im pacts. Sensitive location and
design is needed to avoid urban spraw l,
ribbon developm ent, new buildings on
obtrusive sites, incongruous m aterials
and house styles m ore characteristic
of suburban than rural areas. To protect
the countryside w e need to find
opportunities for infill developm ent, for
converting and rehabilitating existing
buildings, and for planning buildings in
groups rather than on their ow n.
13
The physical form of a developm ent can
enhance or detract from the qualities of
a place, and support or underm ine the
intended uses. In every part of a city,
tow n or village w here there is scope for
change and that is alm ost everyw here
there w ill be a w ealth of opportunities
for achieving good design.
Too often, though, the opportunities
are w asted. Som etim es the necessary
fram ew ork of planning and design policy
and guidance is m issing. Som etim es the
designer m ay not be up to the job.
Too m any buildings and spaces are
designed by som eone w ith no design
training.
O ften opportunities are w asted because
no one had any expectation that here
w as a place w here any qualities m ight
be achieved. It w as w ritten off as just
a m ass m arket housing developm ent,
an industrial estate, a leisure park,
a corner of suburbia, a superm arkets
delivery yard, a gyratory road round
the shopping centre, or the scrubby
bit of land w here the tow n peters out.
Significant parts of our cities, tow ns
and villages consist of just those sorts
of forgotten places.
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Forgotten places
rural city
town
village
1: Dalry, Edinburgh
2: Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire
2
1
framework
Sometimes the necessary framework of planning and design policy and guidance is missing
U rban design is often said to be a
m atter of w orking in three dim ensions,
com pared to the tw o dim ensions of
land use or policy planning. In fact
urban design should be four
dim ensional, the fourth dim ension
being tim e. M aster plans generally show
an end state, even w hen continuous
change is m uch m ore likely.
W e need to design and plan in the
expectation that social, econom ic and
technological conditions w ill change.
A developm ent brief, for exam ple,
should be a basis for dialogue
betw een planners and developers
rather than a prescriptive substitute
for it. Arrangem ents for long term
m anagem ent and m aintenance is
as im portant as the actual design.
16
The fourth dimension
town
1: Culross, Fife
2: Falkland, Fife
3: Willowbrae, Edinburgh
4: Central Edinburgh
3
4 2
1
There should be scope for review ing
developm ents to assess how w ell the
planning process w orked. C ouncillors
should visit representative exam ples so
that they understand the consequences
of the councils policies and their ow n
decisions. Planning and design
guidance should itself be review ed
periodically to ensure that it rem ains
effective.
M uch of w hat m akes or m ars cities,
tow ns, villages and the countryside
does not just consist of buildings,
but is the consequence of the
continuous application of, for exam ple,
highw ay standards (specifying the
details of road design, signage, safety
m easures and traffic calm ing) and
planning standards (specifying such
m atters as parking and the distance
betw een buildings). U sually these are
im posed for reasons far rem oved from
any considerations of design. O ften,
w ithout anyone noticing, places are
shaped by the innum erable decisions
that together can create the
overw helm ing im pression that no
one cares.
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rural city
village
management
Arrangements for management, aftercare and maintenance may be as important as the actual design
A w ell thought out design process,
for exam ple, w ith urban design
fram ew orks and developm ent briefs, can
provide a clear basis for com m unication
and negotiation. D evelopers benefit
from a good degree of certainty about
w hat is expected, avoiding delay and
saving abortive w ork and unnecessary
expense. The design process can
resolve conflicts that m ight otherw ise
em erge, m essily and expensively, at
a later stage.
G ood design adds value to the
investm ent that any developm ent
schem e represents.
G ood design creates places that w ork.
People w ill use and value such places,
supporting regeneration and bringing
long term econom ic benefits. W ell
designed places attract custom ers
and their w orkplaces keep their staff.
G ood design can reduce the long
term costs of energy, m aintenance,
m anagem ent and security.
W ell designed places establish and
m aintain a distinct identity, to the
benefit of users and investors.
W ell designed places are easy to get
to and m ove around. The thought
put into connecting them into their
surroundings pays off.
G ood design is a key to achieving
social, econom ic and environm ental
goals of public policy, as laid dow n
by central and local governm ent.
It can bridge the gap betw een
aspirations and reality.
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The value of good design
G ood design is a m eans of achieving
aim s and adding value:
1 &2: George Street, Edinburgh
3: Hunter Square, Edinburgh
3
1
2
poorly designed
Often development is poorly designed because those who commissioned or built it failed to see how design could serve their own best interests
21
Ineptly designed developm ent continues
to be built. Som etim es the reason is
that the costs of a poorly designed
developm ent falls on people other
than those w ho com m issioned,
designed or built it.
The price of poor design is paid by
people w ho find their fam iliar routes
blocked, w ho w alk in the shadow s of
blank w alls, w hose choices are lim ited
by spaces that m ake them feel unsafe
and unw elcom e, and w hose enjoym ent
of the countryside is spoiled. The price
is paid by people w ho find them selves
living in new ly built suburban housing
w hose designers gave no thought to
the quality and distinctiveness of the
place they w ere m aking. It is paid
by people w hose surroundings are
degraded by the consequences of
unsustainable building practices,
and by those w ho w ill end up paying
a buildings long term energy,
m aintenance and m anagem ent
costs. It is paid by those w ho live
in a place w hose decline has been
m ade m ore painful by its buildings
and spaces proving hard to adapt.
O ften, though, developm ent is
poorly designed because those w ho
com m issioned or built it failed to see
how design could serve their ow n best
interests.
The price of poor design
1: Whitfield, Dundee
2: Sighthill, Edinburgh
3: Scottish Borders
2
3
1
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A fram ew ork for design can w ork at any scale from a sm all building, at
one end of the scale, to preparing an urban design fram ew ork or m aster
plan for an entire area, at the other. There are a num ber of distinct
stages: 1. appraise the local context; 2. review w hatever policy, guidance
and regulations apply; 3. conceive a vision for the place; 4. find out w hat
is likely to be feasible; 5. draw up a set of planning and design principles;
and 6. agree on the developm ent process.
Those six stages m ight be anything from the paragraph headings for a
sim ple design statem ent to the chapter headings of a m ajor planning
and design guidance docum ent. H ow fully the relevant questions w ill be
answ ered w ill depend on the scale and sensitivity of the site or area.
Setting a framework for design
vision
A framework for design can work at any scale
1: Homes for the Future 1, Glasgow
2: Homes for the Future 2, Glasgow
3: Back Wynd, Aberdeen
3
1
2
1. Context appraisal
Wh a t d o we u n d e rsta n d a b o u t th e
p la c e a n d its se ttin g ?
C ontext appraisalis at the heart of
designing places. A successful balance
betw een the inevitably conflicting
interests of various uses and users can
be achieved only through understanding
the place and its people. Local context
can be appraised in term s of the six
design qualities identity, safe and
pleasant spaces, ease of m ovem ent,
a sense of w elcom e, adaptability and
good use of resources.
2. Policy review
Wh a t p o lic ie s, g u id a n c e a n d
re g u la tio n s a p p ly to th is a re a
o r site ?
The policy question cannot be ignored,
if only because a developm ent proposal
contrary to policy is likely to be refused
planning perm ission. Exploring how
policy can be interpreted in relation to
a specific site or area should be a
collaboration betw een applicants,
planners and others, each of w hom
have an interest in understanding each
other, reaching agreem ent, and avoiding
unnecessarily entrenched attitudes
and delay.
3. Vision statement
Wh a t so rt o f p la c e d o we wa n t th is to
b e c o m e ?
The vision question is too often ignored,
som etim es because the designers are
thinking about buildings rather than
places, som etim es because no one
has thought that there is any alternative
than to respond blindly to the pressure
of events.
24
Design framework
4. Feasibility appraisal
Wh a t u se o r u se s a re re a listic a n d
a c h ie va b le in vie w o f le g a l, e c o n o m ic
a n d m a rk e t c o n d itio n s?
This question does not im ply that the
m arket w ill support only m ore of the
sam e sort of developm ent as has been
built in the past. G ood design should
have a positive effect on w hat is
possible to achieve.
5. Planning and design principles
O n wh a t p la n n in g a n d d e sig n
p rin c ip le s sh o u ld d e ve lo p m e n t b e
b a se d ?
Planning and design principles are a
m eans of thinking about and discussing
the basic ideas on w hich a design is or
w ill be based, w ithout getting involved
unnecessarily in the detail of the design.
6. The development process
Wh a t p ro c e sse s sh o u ld b e fo llo we d
in d e ve lo p in g th e p la c e ?
The issues covered and the level
of detail w ill depend on the particular
kind of planning tool: for exam ple,
w hether it is an initial developm ent
brief or a m aster plan. The processes
of public participation and stakeholder
collaboration m ust be carefully planned.
O ther possible issues include site
disposal,developm ent phasing and
m anagem ent.
25
1: Buchanan Street, Glasgow
1
The planning process w ill support
good design only if the issues are
m ade com prehensible to a range of
people w ith little or no design training.
That includes m any of the councillors
and council officers w ho operate the
planning system locally, the people
they deal w ith, such as developers
and their agents, people w ho m ake
their living draw ing plans, com m unity
organisations, interest groups and
m any m ore.
Planners and urban designers have
developed a specialised language for
discussing their subject. They talk about
nodes, perm eability, im ageability, natural
surveillance and hierarchies of spaces.
This language excludes m any of the
people w ho should be involved in the
process of planning for design.
Local authorities, partnerships and
developers too often provide an
opportunity for the public to becom e
involved at too late a stage, in a w ay
that m akes little sense in relation to the
tim ing and substance of the
developm ent process. The result is likely
to be unnecessary frustration and delay
for everyone.
The process of preparing planning
and design guidance can provide
an effective m eans of involving people
earlier and in a m eaningful w ay.
A program m e of public participation
and collaboration needs to be carefully
planned, ensuring that the tim ing is
right and that the necessary skills
and resources are m ade available.
27
Collaboration
support
The planning process will support good design
1: The Hays, Craigmillar, Edinburgh
1
There is a potential for prom oting good design every tim e anyone does anything
that w ill, in som e w ay, shape the physical form of developm ent: setting a budget,
laying dow n standards, w riting a policy or a brief, draw ing up a plan, instructing
a designer or builder, or designing a building or a space. Appropriate physical form
goes hand-in-hand w ith an appropriate use. In every local context the potential
for good design w ill be different.
29
Opportunities for achieving design quality
1: Coalhill, Leith, Edinburgh
2: Spectrum Building, Glasgow
rural
city
2
1
Opportunities for creating
a sense of identity
D istinctive landscapes, natural features,
buildings, streets, street patterns,
spaces, skylines, building form s,
practices and m aterials that should
inspire patterns of new building.
Opportunities for creating
safe and pleasant spaces
Places w here a street w ould be livelier
and feel safer if a building had w indow s,
doors or active uses on to the street,
rather than presenting a blank faade;
places w here footpaths and open
spaces w ould feel safer if buildings
overlooked them ; places w ith potential
for living over shops to provide inhabited
room s overlooking streets and to
encourage evening activity; places
w here the distinction betw een public
or private space can be m ade clearer;
places w here a gap in an otherw ise
continuous line of building frontages
along a street detracts from the streets
quality, and could be either filled or
m ade into a usable, attractive space
for pedestrians; and opportunities
to create a sense of enclosure by
enclosing streets, squares, parks and
other spaces by buildings and or trees
of a scale that feels right.
Opportunities for creating
easier movement
O pportunities to ensure that the density
of developm ent is highest w here access
to public transport is best; opportunities
to site bus stops m ore conveniently
and to m ake them safer and better lit;
opportunities to m ake railw ay stations
accessible by foot from all directions;
roads or footpaths that need to be
better connected into w ell used routes,
so that the presence of m ore people
m akes them feel safer; public spaces
that need to be better linked into a route
that is w ell used by people on foot;
opportunities to encourage cycling; and
places that pedestrians go to and from
w hich need to be connected by m ore
direct routes.
30
town city
Opportunities for creating
a sense of welcome
Places w here new landm arks could
create or im prove view s and help
people find their w ay around; places
w here view s need to be opened up;
opportunities to m ark places that act
as gatew ays to particular areas;
places w here better lighting is needed
to im prove safety, help people find their
w ay around, highlight landm arks,
show off attractive buildings or disguise
eyesores; opportunities for creating
distinctive w orks or art and craft; and
places w here better signs are needed.
Opportunities for making
a place adaptable
O pportunities to ensure that new
developm ent or other im provem ents
support a m ix of com patible uses and
tenures, helping to m ake the place one
w here people live, w ork and play, rather
than having a single use and being dead
after hours; and opportunities to m ake
buildings and areas adaptable to a
variety of future uses, by ensuring that
they are not tightly designed to a
particular use.
Opportunities for making
good use of resources
O pportunities for new and existing
buildings to m inim ise their use of energy
through the w ay they face the sun, how
they are sheltered from the w ind by the
slope of the land, trees and other
buildings, and how they are constructed;
buildings, sites or areas that are
underused; building m aterials that are
available from local and or sustainable
sources; natural features that are
im portant to conserve and em phasise;
places w here a park or green space
needs to be created or im proved; and
opportunities to im prove habitats and
support w ildlife, attracting and protecting
living things.
31
1: Irvine, North Ayrshire
2: Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
3: City Centre, Dundee
4: Falkland, Fife
5: Grassmarket, Edinburgh
6: Ecohouse, Ullapool, Highland
1 2 3 4 5 6
Som etim es opportunities for achieving
good design are m issed w ith dram atic
results. D ull, big-box buildings turn
their backs on their surroundings.
Lifeless streets and spaces cast each
passer-by in the role of intruder. O ver-
engineered roads proclaim the car
as king. R ural and urban sites alike
are transform ed into shapeless and
unsustainable suburbia and land
is needlessly w asted.
In other cases the m issed opportunity
is just one barely noticeable episode in
the gradual erosion of the qualities that
once m ade a place good to live in,
w ork or visit.
M aking the m ost of the opportunities is
not a sim ple m atter of checking them off
a list, although that can be a good w ay
to start and a Placecheck is a useful
w ay of asking the first questions.
There are alw ays conflicting interests
and lim ited resources. Liveliness and
tranquillity, for exam ple, can both be
valued qualities, but a choice m ay need
to be m ade about w hich to aim for in a
specific place. Teenagers and elderly
people are likely to have different view s
on the m atter. Successful design is a
m atter of balancing interests and
opportunities in the w ay that is right for
the particular place.
W hat is a good solution for one person
m ay be less good for another. That is
w hy the process of setting the context
for design should be shaped by public
priorities, and be open and dem ocratic.
At its best, the planning system can
help to m ake this possible.
33
Planning for good design
placecheck
1: Loudoun Hall, South Ayrshire
1
Placecheck is a m ethod, developed by the U rban D esign Alliance, of assessing the qualities of a place, show ing w hat
im provem ents are needed, and focusing people on w orking together to achieve them . Locally based collaborations use a
checklist w hich avoids abstractions that are difficult to assess and jargon that excludes non-specialists. The Placecheck can
becom e an agenda for local action, or the first step in preparing design guidance such as urban design fram ew orks and
developm ent briefs. If necessary, a Placecheck can start sm all: w ith half a dozen people around a table or a sm all group
m eeting on a street corner. A Placecheck can cover a street or part of one, a neighbourhood, a tow n centre, district or a
city. The setting m ight be urban, suburban or a village. The initiative can com e from anyone, in any organisation
or sector. A guide to carry out Placechecks is available on www. p la c e c h e c k . c o m
A developm ent plan sets out the
policies and proposals against w hich
planning applications w ill be assessed.
The plan should be a pow erful m eans
for prom oting developm ent that
achieves the local councils agreed
objectives and of preventing
developm ent likely to frustrate
those objectives.
Som e aspects of a plan m ay be
controversial. They w ill have im plications
for how people live, how the local
econom y perform s, how the
environm ent changes, and how
m uch land and property are w orth.
In particular a plan m ust set out the
councils policies on design and the
physical form of developm ent. The plan
w ill not go into great detail, but it should
explain how its priorities are distinctly
different from those of other places.
Saying that the council is com m itted
to good design, or that developm ent
should respect its context, is not
enough. M any local authorities
have said just that for years,
w ithout significant results.
34
The development plan
Development plans should contain a positive and
sustainable vision of an areas
based on a thorough understanding of how the area functions, the
challenges it is expected to face and community requirements
future
priorities
35
The plan m ust set out the councils
distinctive vision for how its area
w ill develop. It should sum m arise
its appraisals of the m ost im portant
features of the areas character and
identity.
The plan should also set out key
design policies relating to issues
that are particularly im portant locally,
and to specific areas and sites w here
change is expected. It should explain
how the planning process should deal
w ith design, such as by specifying
w here urban design fram ew orks are
needed and in w hat circum stances a
developm ent brief should be prepared.
The plan should specify w hat degree
of detail w ill be expected in planning
and design guidance; in w hat degree
of detail proposals should be presented
at different stages in the planning
application process; and in w hat
circum stances planning application
design statem ents w ill be needed,
for exam ple, in relation to particular
types of developm ent of m ore than
a specified size. It should also specify
w hich areas or sites need guidance
w ith the status of supplem entary
planning guidance and how
guidance should be prepared.
An effective plan w ill set out concisely
the local authoritys priorities in relation
to design, leaving the detail to be
provided in guidance docum ents.
development
The aim is to provide a land use framework within which
can take place with confidence
investment
&
An im portant function of the plan is to provide the basis for m ore detailed
guidance on how its policies should be im plem ented in specific areas and
sites. U nless the plan is supported by w ell conceived supplementary planning
guidance (SPG ), it is likely to have little effect on w hat is actually built.
SPG is additional advice provided by the local authority on a particular topic,
explaining policies in a developm ent plan. SPG includes urban design
fram ew orks, developm ent briefs, m aster plans and design guides. It m ust be
consistent w ith the plan, prepared in consultation w ith the public and form ally
approved by the council. SPG status gives guidance considerable w eight as
a m aterial consideration in the planning process.
36
Planning and design guidance
Such guidance can be prepared by local
authorities, landow ners, developers,
regeneration partnerships, developm ent
agencies, and business and com m unity
organisations, individually or jointly.
Its clarity should benefit all of them .
The best guidance w ill involve all
relevant parties, w hoever is form ally
responsible for it.
The choice of the appropriate type
of guidance w ill depend on its purpose;
on the stage of the planning and
developm ent process in relation to
that particular site or area; and on
the resources and skills available for
preparing it. Those criteria w ill help
determ ine w ho w ill prepare the
guidance; w ho else needs to be
involved; by w hat processes it w ill
be prepared; and w hat form al status
it w ill have.
The best of Scotlands tradition of
m aking successful places w as the
result of a variety of designers or
builders w orking w ith a degree of
freedom w ithin a fram ew ork of rules.
These rules governed such m atters as
the layout of an area, the size of plots,
the height of buildings, building
m aterials and the line of building
frontages. Som etim es the controls w ere
set out by a landow ner w anting to
ensure that the value of the estate w as
not com prom ised by m essy, thoughtless
or substandard developm ent. In other
cases they w ere em bodied in m unicipal
building regulations m otivated by
requirem ents of public health, by
architectural vision and by civic pride.
Those traditional controls m ay no longer
operate, having been replaced by the
planning system . Their legacy, how ever,
convinces us that shaping the setting
for life in cities, tow ns and villages in
the m odern age depends on us devising
fram ew orks of our ow n. A range of
possibilities exists. W e m ust tailor them
to w hatever is appropriate in the
circum stances and at the particular
stage in the design, planning and
developm ent process.
37
Am ong the m ost effective tools for
planning and urban design guidance
are urban design fram ew orks (for areas
of change), developm ent briefs (for
significant sites), m aster plans (for sites
w here a degree of certainty is possible),
design guides (for sensitive areas or on
specific topics) and design codes
(w here a degree of prescription is
appropriate). As people use a variety of
different and inconsistent term s for such
docum ents, it is w ise alw ays to explain
w hat is intended in a particular case.
D ifferent types of guidance are often
closely linked. An urban design
fram ew ork for an area m ay be
elaborated by developm ent briefs or
m aster plans for several specific sites.
A developm ent brief m ay be expanded
into a m aster plan by an organisation,
such as a developer or partnership,
that ow ns the site or controls the
developm ent process. A design code
is likely to be part of, or associated w ith,
a developm ent brief or a m aster plan
w hich sets out the design principles
that the code elaborates.
Urban design frameworks
D etailed thinking about urban design
begins w ith areas w here there is a
particular need to control, guide and
prom ote change. D ocum ents called
urban design fram ew orks show how
planning and design policies should
be im plem ented, and w hat principles
should be follow ed by developers
and their designers.
38
Using the toolkit
39
Development briefs
G uidance on how planning and
design policies should be im plem ented
on a specific site of significant size or
sensitivity is set out in a developm ent
brief (com bining w hat used to be
described as design briefs and planning
briefs). D evelopm ent briefs should be
w idely used, w ith as m uch or little detail
as is appropriate in view of the nature
of the site and the likely uses. Every
developm ent brief w ill set out the m ain
planning and design principles on w hich
developm ent of the site w ill be based.
In som e cases it w ill be appropriate to
go into m ore detail.
Master plans
A m aster plan is a docum ent that
usually com es later in the developm ent
process than either an urban design
fram ew ork or developm ent brief.
A m aster plan explains how a site
or a series of sites w ill be developed,
describing and illustrating the proposed
urban form in three dim ensions.
It should explain how that form w ill
achieve the intended vision for the
place, describing how the proposal
w ill be im plem ented, and setting out
the costs, phasing and tim ing of
developm ent. A m aster plan w ill usually
be prepared by or on behalf of an
organisation that ow ns the site or
controls the developm ent process.
Design guides
A design guide provides guidance on
how developm ent can be carried out
in accordance w ith the developm ent
plan, or som etim es w ith the planning
and design policies of som e other
organisation.A local authority design
guide w ill often relate to a specific topic
such as conservation areas, shopfronts
or house extensions.
master plan
M aster plan is the m ost com m only used
term for design and planning guidance.
M aster plans can give coherence and a
strong sense of place to an unprom ising
brow nfield site
1: Granton, Edinburgh
2: Granton Master Plan, Edinburgh
1
2
N PPG 1 (R evised 2000) m akes it clear that design is a material
consideration in determ ining planning applications. A council m ay
refuse an application, and defend the refusal at appeal, solely on
design grounds.
Planning authorities should provide guidance on the circum stances in
w hich design statements m ust be subm itted w ith planning applications.
These w ill explain the design principles on w hich the developm ent
proposal is based, and how the proposal m eets the requirem ents of
planning policy and guidance.
A landow ner or developer intending to apply for planning perm ission
m ay also subm it a design statem ent to the council at an earlier stage in
the planning process. This gives the council a chance to respond to the
design principles, and either endorse them (giving the developer the
assurance that those principles w ill not be rejected w hen the planning
application is finally subm itted) or reject them (saving the developer the
tim e and cost of abortive design w ork).
41
Development control
design
Design is a material consideration in
determining planning applications
village city
1 &2: Graham Square, Glasgow
1
2
In the developm ent control process
a local authority decides, on a
consistent basis, w hether and w ith w hat
conditions, a proposal for developm ent
should be granted planning perm ission.
D evelopm ent control is a key to a
councils ability to guide and control
the quality of w hat gets built.
Too often planning is reactive and
negative, m erely telling prospective
developers w hat they cannot do. It is
accused of im posing unnecessary costs
and delays on applicants. At its best it
is positive, taking the initiative in helping
developers to draw up proposals that
w ill m eet the requirem ents of policy,
respond to the local context and prove
to be econom ically feasible. D evelopers
understand that they m ust w ork w ithin
the constraints of public policy. W hat
they w ant is help in finding their w ay
through the planning process. They
are looking for as m uch certainty as
possible about w hat w ill be asked of
them , as early as possible in the process.
42
town
The best w ay of creating these
conditions is through a developm ent
plan w ith w ell conceived design policies,
through supplem entary planning
guidance and through a developm ent
control service run by people com m itted
to good design.
Planning authorities have a key role
to play in establishing standards and
raising aspirations. They m ust have
access to the necessary skills of the
urban designer, architect, landscape
architect, conservation officer and
engineer, all of w hom can have a role
in shaping developm ent for the better.
External review
Standards of design can be raised
by providing opportunities for
developm ent proposals and design
guidance to be discussed or assessed
by people beyond the im m ediate
planning process. These m ay include
m em bers of the public, local am enity or
action groups, national am enity groups
and national review bodies. In particular
local authorities should seek advice from
the R oyal Fine Arts C om m ission for
Scotland.
43
standards
Planning authorities have a key role to play in establishing standards and raising aspirations
rural city
village
1 &2: Crichton, Dumfries and Galloway
1
2
Local design awards
Local design aw ards for buildings
and places can help to raise
aw areness and expectations.
Design competitions
A design com petition can som etim es
be a good w ay of finding the designer
or the design for an im portant site.
C om petitions w ork w ell only if they
are carefully conceived and m anaged.
A com petition is only as good as the
brief that com petitors are given and
com petitors m ust know the exact
term s on w hich they are com peting.
44
awards
city
Local design awards for buildings and places can help to raise awareness
1: Planning Design Awards 2000, Argyll and Bute
2: Scottish Awards for Quality and Planning
3: Poetry Library, Edinburgh
4: Ramsay Gardens, Edinburgh
1
2
3
4
skills
More intensive effort needs to be made to raise
standards of urban design skills
H igher standards of design depend on the attitudes, know ledge and skills of
everyone involved in the developm ent process. The necessary know ledge and skills
include those associated w ith the built environm ent professions such as planning,
architecture, landscape design, surveying and engineering. They also extend to
project m anagem ent, com m unity developm ent, developm ent finance, transport
planning and m uch m ore.
Preparing an urban design fram ew ork, a developm ent brief or a m aster plan, is likely
to require creative collaboration from a w ide range of people. These w ill include
those w ho interpret policy; assess the local econom y and property m arket; appraise
a site or area in term s of land use, ecology, landscape, ground conditions, social
factors, history, archaeology, urban form and transport; m anage and facilitate a
participative process; draft and illustrate design principles; and program m e the
developm ent process. Those w ho take the lead in this w ork should be those w ho
are skilled in prom oting collaboration am ong professionals and everyone w ho has a
hand in shaping our cities, tow ns and villages.
M ore intensive effort needs to be m ade to raise standards of urban design skills.
47
Design skills
town city village
1: Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh
1
Professional training
There is scope for the quality of
generalist and specialist professional
training to be im proved. Planners,
architects, landscape architects,
engineers and surveyors should be
encouraged to study urban design at
postgraduate level. Som e w ill becom e
professional urban designers. O thers w ill
gain a new perspective on how to
practise their ow n specialism s.
Future generations of built environm ent
professionals w ill need different w ays of
w orking to those of the past. They m ust
have a deep understanding of how
tow ns and cities w ork and how urban
design can cope w ith com plexity.
W orking collaboratively m ust becom e
second nature to them . Som e of them
w ill com e from other backgrounds and
illum inate the subject w ith their ow n
distinctive outlook and experience.
48
It is essential that urban design is
included in the education and training
curriculum for all the built environm ent
professions. C ontinuous professional
developm ent should introduce a w ide
range of professionals to the essentials
of urban design and should provide
others w ith a high level of skills.
Aw areness raising and skills training
should not be confused a one day
course cannot m ake a planner, an
engineer or an architect into an urban
designer.
Im proving skills and raising aw areness
of the value of good design is as
im portant in the private sector as
it is in the public sector.
Local authorities
Local authority officers need to becom e
m ore skilled and m ore aw are of how
design can help fulfil their corporate
aim s. A num ber of councils already
support their staff in taking design
courses. Every planning authority
needs, ideally, to have an urban design
team w ith a range of skills, including
landscape architecture. At the least,
it should have one m em ber of staff
w ith an urban design qualification or
skills. Training should also be provided
for councillors to help them becom e
aw are of the im portance of design
and the im pact of their decisions.
Public bodies
Every public body com m issioning
a new developm ent or otherw ise
influencing the design of places w ill
be expected to dem onstrate how it
has raised standards. It should also
consider nom inating a design
cham pion to focus these efforts.
49
training
It is essential that urban design is included in the education and
training curriculum for all the built environment professions
1: Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow
1
W e need to see a different w orld
em erging, one in w hich: a sense of
quality design is part of childrens
education; professionals are trained
to appreciate the com plexity of places;
the planning system is used creatively
to set fram ew orks for developm ent;
developers know that the effort they
put into com ing up w ith a good design
w ill be appreciated; and w here bad
design is no longer acceptable.
This policy statem ent has outlined
a shift in attitudes, expectations and
practices that is already under w ay.
Everyone involved in developm ent
can play a part in designing places.
50
M u c h d e ve lo p m e n t re su lts in p la c e s
o f wh ic h n o o n e c a n b e p ro u d .
Conclusion
good design
will be appreciated
1: New Parliament Building Visitor
Centre, Edinburgh
1
Acknowledgements
Argyll and Bute Council
Benjamin Tindall Architects
Crichton Development Company Ltd
Gaia Architects
Gillespies
Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop Architects
Highland Council
Keith Hunter Photography
Llewelyn-Davies
New Parliament Building Visitor Centre, Edinburgh
Reiach and Hall Chartered Architects
RMJM Scotland Ltd
Stirling Council