(Most) everything you need to know about urban design

I was talking to a colleague yesterday about how most charrettes produce the same kinds of reports about strengthening and extending urban form, how most market studies focus on leakage, and how most streetscape studies improve walkability--all in the same kinds of ways.

I guess the real tragedy is that this is how it hasn't been being done for the last 40+ years.

Earlier that day I was poking through a copy of the Urban Design Compendium from English Partnerships, and I was thinking how you don't really need to look at anything else to know what to do when it comes to urban design for urban places.

From the English Partnerships website:

Urban Design Compendium

Published in partnership with The Housing Corporation, the Compendium examines the factors that make neighbourhoods stimulating and active places in which residents feel comfortable and safe. It aims to provide accessible advice to developers, funding agencies and partners on the achievement and assessment of the quality of urban design for the development and regeneration of urban areas. It is designed to provide a source of best practice to all those involved in the regeneration and development industries. Published August 2000.

To order a hard copy please complete the Publications Order Form.

Prefaces - PDF (197 KB)
References and further reading - PDF (175 KB)
Section 01 The Fundamentals - PDF (1.2 MB)
Section 02 Appreciating the Context - PDF (2.2 MB)
Section 03 Creating the Urban Structure - PDF (5.2 MB)
Section 04 Making the Connections - PDF (1.5 MB)
Section 05 Detailing the Place - PDF (3.2 MB)
Section 06 Implementation and Delivery - PDF (1 MB)