Urban Design

Principles
 Urban Design Principles

Urban design Principles are guidelines that

a city adapts to direct its long-term
strategy.

Good qualities in urban design are

achieved through the application of urban
design principles

• The principles are not rigid and

should be followed slavishly.

• Good design results from considering

the widest range of concerns and
issues - imaginative and creative
resolution of potential conflicts.
 Character
 Vitality (Quality of Public Realm)
 Continuity and enclosure Principles of urban
 Permeability (Ease of Movement) design in making
 Legibility
place for people
 Variety (Diversity)
 Robustness (Adaptability)
• Urban design principles emphasize
the importance of preserving and
enhancing the unique character
and identity of a place.
• This involves respecting and
reflecting the local history, culture,
architecture, and context in the
design of buildings, streets, and
public spaces.
• Character-driven design creates a
sense of place and fosters a strong
connection between people and
their environment.
• Designing for continuity and
enclosure involves creating a
cohesive and connected urban
fabric.
• It includes considerations such as
building heights, setbacks, and the
relationship between buildings and
streets to establish a sense of
enclosure and define public and
private spaces.
• Continuity and enclosure contribute
to walkability, visual interest, and a
sense of safety within the urban
environment.

Continuity and enclosure

• Vitality- Place that are vibrant, safe,
comfortable, varied, fun, and active.
Vitality/
• Place are more active when they have
windows and doors which connect to
the street rather than blank facades.

• Places feel safer with buildings

overlooking them.

• Living spaces above shops will

encourage evening activities on city
streets because the streets are
overlooked and feel safer.

Vitality (Quality of Public Realm)

• The public realm refers to the
shared spaces that are accessible to
all, such as streets, plazas, parks, Vitality/
and sidewalks.
• Urban design principles prioritize
the quality of these spaces,
ensuring they are well-designed,
well-maintained, and inviting.
• This includes considerations such as
comfortable seating, attractive
landscaping, public art, and
amenities that enhance the
experience and encourage social
interaction.

Vitality (Quality of Public Realm)

• Permeability —the ease with which
one can move through and reach
various locations. Such places are
Permeability/
integrated or connected physically
to their surrounding areas.
• People can move around with
greater ease and more choice
through a permeable environment
than an un-permeable one.
• New development should maximize
permeability both within the site
and in the wider area.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

• Urban design aims to facilitate
efficient and convenient movement
for all modes of transportation,
Permeability/
including pedestrians, cyclists, and
vehicles.
• It involves designing streets,
sidewalks, bike lanes, and public
transit systems to be safe,
accessible, and well-connected.
• Promoting ease of movement
encourages sustainable
transportation choices and reduces
dependency on cars.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

• This requires site planning to be based
on an analysis of existing path
structures and patterns of movement Permeability/
and for new development to be
designed to complement that network
as well as maximizing the choice of
movement within the development
site itself.
• It would often be desirable for paths
into a site to join rather than forming a
series of dead-ends.
• New development will be expected to
exploit opportunities to improve
choice and convenience of movement.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

A successful movement system:

• provides the maximum choice for people

to make their journey
• takes into full account all modes of
movement; by foot, by cycle, by public
transport, and by car (in that order of
importance)
• makes clear connections to existing roads
and facilities.
Physical and Visual Permeability:
• A well-designed movement system should
contribute to the development of
interconnected street networks both
physically and visually.
• Too many turns in public spaces kill visual permeability
• Large block size decreases permeability.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

Public-Private spaces Interface:

• The private and public spaces are

interdependent and complementary
spaces
• Thus people should be allowed to access
(physical and/or visual) across the two
spaces' interface.
• But, making everywhere accessible to
everyone will erode privacy and degrade
the quality of urban life.
• A balanced and delicate interplay between
public and private spaces gives people a
major source of richness and choice.
• Both physical and visual permeability
occur at the front/entrances to buildings
or gardens increasing the level of activities
around its edges.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

 Perimeter Blocks

• Locating public activities in the private

space at the front (near the public realm)
and the private activities at the back
implies a perimeter block urban structure.

• In the perimeter block, buildings will

always have two faces: the public/front
face of the building which faces the street
where the entrances are; and the
private/back face of the building, which
faces the inside of the block.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

 Narrow and smaller plots:

• Smaller and narrower plots provide a more

compact, walkable arrangement of
buildings.
• They provide a more pleasing alignment of
buildings along sidewalks, which makes
the street to be more cozy.
• Narrower plots increase the frequency of
front doors along streets, which greatly
enhances the vibrancy of the street.
• Smaller lots help to create higher yet
livable density, make public transport
more viable, make mixed activities
possible, and home ownership affordable.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

 Narrow Streets:
• Narrow streets (with lanes 2.40 m to 3.00 m) force
vehicles to travel slowly through neighborhoods,
• significantly reduce traffic volume, speed, and thus
noise pollution,
• increase safe pedestrian circulation and thus
neighborhood livability,
• access choice and livability, enhance the aesthetics of 1)40 Cars Jamming in a four-lane street
streets, surprisingly represent traffic congestion.
• allow streets to serve multiple purposes: pedestrians
(disabled and elderly people), cyclists, public
transport, socializing, business transactions, and
recreation for children.
• easier and cheaper to implement traffic calming
techniques, well-ventilated and most efficient and
convenient for all forms of travel,
• promote sustainability,
2)The same 40 Persons, who constitute a
crowd/congestion behind the wheel
create a new city scene when they get
Permeability (Ease of Movement) out of their cars.
 Wider Streets:

• Promote car travels and auto dependence, increasing

traffic volume
• Harm small local businesses,
• Noisy, dirty and dangerous to walk or ride a bicycle
on, thus discourage pedestrians from using sidewalks,
• Hinder public transportation. .
• Requires enormous amount of urban land for car
parking and roads, radically changing the landscape,
• Example ‘two-third (2/3) of Los Angeles’ surface area
is used by automobiles parking lots and roads’
Crawford.
• In addition parking spaces are hostile and unpleasant
for pedestrians as well as break the continuity of
street façade.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

 Sidewalks sufficient wide and aligned
for convenience:
• Pedestrian are the lifeblood of a vibrant downtown.
• Properly dimensioned and maintained sidewalks
provide pedestrians with a pleasant, safe, and
convenient place to walk.
• Sidewalks that are too narrow are inconvenient,
especially for large volume pedestrian flow and
• Wheelchairs users require a minimum 150 cm .
unobstructed width.
Large Building setbacks
• Inconvenient and unpleasant’ for pedestrians by
creating a sense of “no man’s land”
• Prevent buildings from contributing to an intimate,
pleasant, and comfortable street wall, damaging
streets of place
• Prevent pedestrians from enjoying building façade
details and activities within the buildings

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

Modest building setbacks help to:

• From a street wall that frames the public realm, while

retaining sufficient width for people to walk,
• Provide enough spaces for creating a formal
landscape with street trees,
• Create an intimate atmosphere where citizens feel a
sense of security and comfort to live in. .
• In residential areas houses with modest front yards
incorporating front porches and windows opened
towards sidewalks make houses within ‘conversation
distance’ of the sidewalks and offer pedestrians visual
interest and security, while maintaining privacy.

Permeability (Ease of Movement)

 Inclusive Design

The Vitality of a City Comes From its Pedestrians, not its Cars.
• Legibility refers to the clarity and
comprehensibility of the urban
environment.
• Urban design principles prioritize
legibility by using clear and
intuitive wayfinding systems,
signage, and landmarks.
• Creating a legible city enables
people to navigate and understand
their surroundings easily,
promoting a sense of orientation
and reducing confusion.
 Legible cities employ clear and effective wayfinding
systems that guide people to their desired destinations.
Clear Pathways and Street Networks
This includes signage, maps, and information boards
strategically placed at key decision points.

User-Friendly Information

a visual hierarchy that helps

feature prominent landmarks or distinctive elements
people differentiate between
that serve as visual cues and points of reference.
different areas and landmarks.
• Urban design should be adaptable Robustness/
and resilient, able to respond to
changing needs, technologies, and
social dynamics.
• It involves flexible land use
planning, building design, and
infrastructure that can
accommodate future growth,
evolving demographics, and
emerging trends.
• Adaptability ensures that cities can
thrive and evolve over time.

Robustness (Adaptability)
Variety (diversity ‘the spice of life):

• A successful place offer a mix of

activities, from and meaning to the
Variety/
widest range of possible users.
• Variety-is about the presence of
different activities, forms, people, and
meanings.
• A successful place offers a mix of
activities to the widest of possible users.
• Creating variety can be help to attract
people to live, work and play in the
same area and helps to determine how
well a place is used, and what economic
and social activities it will support

Variety (Diversity)
• Urban design principles promote
diversity and inclusivity in the built
environment. Variety/
• This involves creating mixed-use
neighborhoods that integrate a variety
of land uses, housing types, and
amenities.
• Designing for diversity fosters social
interaction, economic vitality, and a
sense of belonging within the
community.
• Variety also can create better
opportunities for higher densities and
intensive activity, and thus viability for
public transportation. Diversity
Variety (Diversity)
Variety (diversity ‘the spice of life):

• At higher densities, variety provides the

sort of places that will suit different
Variety/
households-single or young people,
couples or so
• In a town center, housing can provide
customers for shops, make use of empty
space above shops businesses, and
generate activity when they are closed.
• In residential areas, workplaces, shops
and other facilities can make the place
more than just a single purpose
dormitory

Variety (Diversity)
Variety (diversity ‘the spice of life):

Variety (Diversity)
"The life of the city is the sum total
of the lives of its inhabitants."
"Cities have the capability of
providing something for
everybody, only because, and
only when, they are created by
everybody." - Jane Jacobs
 Understanding the Key
Elements of Urban Design

Urban design encompasses various

elements that contribute to the
functionality, aesthetics, and overall
livability of cities and urban areas

These elements are interconnected and

must be carefully considered and
integrated to create well-designed,
sustainable, and livable urban
environments.

Some key elements of urban design

include:
 Land use
 Street
 Block, parcel and Plot
 Open space
 Building Basic Elements of
 Parking Urban Design
 Landscape
 Signage
 Lighting
 Fence
 …
 Understanding the Key
Elements of Urban Design

In this lecture, we will explore the

fundamental elements that contribute to
successful urban design and how they come
together to create vibrant and livable
urban environments
 LAND USE
❑ determine how different areas within a city are
allocated for specific purposes. This includes
residential, commercial, industrial, institutional,
and recreational land uses.
❑ location of use, mix of uses, compatibility, the
amount of land used, density (population and
Park
building), etc.
Commerce ❑ it provides the two-dimensional base for three-
dimensional structures-it is the base, spatial
Mixed
arrangement /organization/ of function, use, and
services
Residence
❑ Proper land use planning ensures a balanced and
Service functional urban fabric.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

STREET

❑ circulations, roads, highways, and

transportation infrastructure are essential
components of a city.
❑ They provide connectivity and mobility for
vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.
❑ volume of traffic, size of roads, type of
roads, the nature of land use to be served,
pattern of circulation, frequency, peak hour
circulation, orientation, etc.
❑ land use, density of population, traffic
size, movement, trip generation, etc.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 STREET
❑ Types, hierarchy and pattern
❑ Arterial, collector and local/access/
❑ Grid, radial, ring/concentric, etc.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 PA R K I N G
❑ Spaces for cars that are located on
private property rather than on public
streets.
❑ A car park also called a Parking lot,
also known as "car lot", is a cleared
area that is more or less level and is
intended for parking vehicles.
❑ Usually, the term refers to a dedicated
area that has been provided with a
durable or semi-durable surface.
❑ Parking lot layout and design

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 PA R K I N G
❑ On-street and Off-street parking types

Basic Elements of Urban Design

O p e n S pa c e
❑ unclosed, unobstructed entrance and exit into
and out of several spaces designated for a
particular purpose; playgrounds, parks, squares,
etc

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 BUILDINGS

❑ the smallest increment of growth in the city,

their proper configuration and placement to
each other determines the character of the
settlement
❑ Building materials that contribute to the
character of the building: materials, finishes,
fixtures, patterns, fenestrations, colors, and
detailing; the location and proportion of
windows and doors.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 BUILDINGS
❑ Form and Mass; height, spacing, set back,
volume and bulk, floor area ration;
❑ Building material and architectural elements
(windows, balconies, porches, entries, etc.) that
create a complementary pattern or rhythm

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 B l o c k , Pa rc e l a n d P l o t

❑ An area in a city
surrounded by streets
and usually
containing several
buildings.
❑ A city block is the
smallest area that is
surrounded by streets.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 B l o c k , Pa rc e l a n d P l o t

 City blocks are the space for buildings

within the street pattern of a city, they form
the basic unit of a city's urban fabric. City
blocks may be subdivided into any number
of smaller lots or parcels.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 LANDSCAPE

 Dynamic reflection of natural setting of

land and the social system. The
enhancement of an area’s aesthetic beauty is
directly related to that area’s landscaping.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 LANDSCAPE
 natural setting of land and the social system.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

 S I G N AG E
 Size, type and placement of a sign.
 Architecturally integrate all signs with their
surroundings in terms of size, shape, color, texture
and lighting

Basic Elements of Urban Design

LIGHTING

 the light designed to enhance security to the

property, provide ambiance, aid drivers by
increasing visibility on roadways

 enhance security, and increase visibility on roadways

Basic Elements of Urban Design

FENCING

 It is to everyone’s advantage to construct, and

maintain good solid fences between two abutting
properties, especially when the abutting properties
are not under the same zoning classification.

Basic Elements of Urban Design

End of session 2!
Any questions?