Urban design vs urban planning is an article that shows major and minor differences between the two fields. First, it defines the two fields in the academy and practice-based. Second, what types of work the two fields include in practice. Third, which individual does the work process in practice.
Urban design vs urban planning : definitions
Urban design: the field that deals with the development and solving urban problems (design) of towns, neighborhoods, and sectors of a city. The design of an urban development of its building arrangements, landscape, public space, public art, road network, and infrastructure.
Urban planning: a multidisciplinary field that deals with the development and solving urban problems (plan) of a city. which includes resolving social, economic, and environmental problems.
In order to show the major and minor differences between the two fields, I will define an imaginary project. This will also identify what types of work the two fields include. An assumed project will make it easier to understand and absorb the key ideas. First, I will mention a new, clean project, and second, developing an existing area.
Less assume, a development area identified by any party (public or private sector) for development.
Urban design vs Urban planning : types of works
In urban design, a client selects a firm based on careful assessment of its work in the field. The client pass the firm a project’s brief. The firm builds an initial design program by allocating a full team to work on the development. The firm’s team prepares an urban design concept that fulfills the design brief. The firm prepares a presentation for the client to show in a meeting for approval. see figure 1, legends urban design concept in emirates.
The firm within the process of an urban design framework will identify. The head of the team to generate an area plan including all study functions. Here, it’s called land uses for the development. After that, the members of the team will start the design process, including the following. The design of the massing, Routes, and open spaces of the development. Whether that is a neighborhood or a city sector.
The team members do the project’s green space landscape design. Also, the public realm and artwork that include signage of pathways. Part of the team develops the road design concept and the transport roads network design, and the stations. Surely, that includes highway design. Within the team, the engineering team develops infrastructure design. That includes electrical, storm-water, drainage, and water supply networks.
Assuming an urban regeneration project was initiated by any public or private sector, what will happen? A team will do a full assessment of the area. Surely, including what the major problems are in the area? Whether it’s a deprivation or environment, a plan will be written for incorporation. The plan will include strategies and methods for solving the problems. When it comes to design an urban design activity will be initiated. Only problems that require the design the urban design team will be activated. See figure 2, urban regeneration project of inner Sydney.
Urban planning work for a new development. The urban planning team looks to the local plan of the city. This will identify the major concerns about the city’s needs and problems. The local plan in all cases defines functional areas and justifies that need. The team will do the following works. Study and do an assessment of the area for development. Define the nature of problems for solutions.
Developing a set of needs for the area to be addressed in the plan. Following that, a set of ways to adhere to the needs through a set of solutions. Now building a plan in collaboration with different fields. Studying and defining a timeline for achieving the plan and ways to get funds. Set areas for development by setting out functions that include affordable housing, commercial areas, recreation, and public buildings, and so on. And in this last step, urban design works start.
When urban planning works start for urban regeneration, a full study of the area will be done by a team. Starting from social steady, if any problem exists, like a crime, drugs, and prostitution related problems. The age of people and population decline due to a reduced number of births. In another dimension economy of the area includes jobs, business decline, and initiation. Types of industries that are flourishing and the deprived ones.
And adding to that, the environmental problems. If the area includes a specific Brownfield that is causing pollution. Any industrial activity that produces pollution to the air, earth, and water. The types of open land and their usability for agriculture, or whether they need rehabilitation. And maybe any natural feature or man-made feature, like a waste dump that needs development and care.
The urban regeneration plan will set out various methods to solve the area’s problems. It will define the areas for development. The areas that require urban design, an urban design team will take care of it. That includes any related landscape work, infrastructure, and engineering work.
Urban design work, due to its complexity, needs an individual of special character. First of all, because it’s architecture, then an architect is needed. Second, because the work needs an individual holding knowledge in architecture, landscape and engineering, and planning. That requires an urban designer, an individual who has knowledge and qualifications in architecture, urban design, and planning.
The urban designer leads and coordinates the urban design process. He builds an urban design framework. An urban design concept and defines land uses for the projects. He coordinates all the processes between various disciplines, the architects, the landscape architects, the infrastructure engineers, and the transport roads network design engineers. The urban designer is the focal point of the development.
Urban planning work includes the assessment of the socioeconomic and environment conditions of an urban area. And due to the various fields involved, no one has identified the nature of who leads urban planning work. Surely, urban planning includes the work of a geographer, historian, surveyors, political science individuals, economists, environmental engineers, transport engineers, road engineers, urban designers, and architects, but who takes the lead? No identification to date.
In the EU context, an official administrator (maybe a political science-based) takes the lead to develop the plan. And because the plan of it includes design base work that needs an individual of design base. An urban designer will join automatically due to his knowledge in architecture, engineering, and planning. He becomes a coordinator of all design work with the planning work. The urban designer is the focal point of all design work in the urban development plan.
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