Urban Design Practice Research Articles

Design considerations in the activation of a temporary playspace for children and families: perspectives of council, architects and designers

ABSTRACT Child-friendly cities are places that support opportunities for children’s play and community connection in safe urban environments. A dominant practice in urban planning and design has been to separate people and their activities spatially (i.e., residential zones, learning zones, play zones) and this coincided with the remaking of cities around private vehicular travel which together necessitated carving out safe spaces for children play. This has meant that children’s play has been geared towards permanent equipment in fenced-off playgrounds or more formal educational settings. However, the inclusion of temporary play spaces in cities to support community engagement in the local environment is growing to combine urban design, play and community wellbeing initiatives. This paper documents the experiences of stakeholders of a temporary play space in an inner-city suburb of an Australian city. This work includes key perspectives of the architects and designers and local council members to evaluate how a 12-week activation of a temporary play space came into being and what can be learnt from this collaboration.

Co-production of knowledge for climate-resilient design and planning in Naples, Italy

In terms of both understanding risk and creating urban resilience measures, integrated knowledge and commu-nity involvement are recognized as crucial to activating risk-reduction processes embedded in decision-making, the social fabric and daily life of risk-affected communities. This article outlines a path to implementing co-production in urban planning and design practices to overcome the issue of knowledge transfer in the fields of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in order to build collective learning processes at multiple dimensions (community, academia, education, institutions). For this aim the case of Naples (Italy) is analyzed as an urban context in which marginalization phenomena coupled with high environmental risks have been over-looked by configured a scenario of socio-ecological stress in which traditional planning and business as usual urban policies have demonstrated a systematic failure. Climate-resilient design experiments with participatory tools were used to investigate the everyday dimension of risk and contextualize climate change effects in the urban fabric and their relationship with community issues. It is concluded that participatory mapping tools in cases of socio-environmental vulnerability can foster a more inclusive learning process about urban risks and ways to respond that. A comprehensive co-production strategy carried out at analysis, design and implementation levels has the potential to promote community-based processes and influence the inclusiveness of planning decisions.

Exploring adults' passive experience of children playing in cities: Case study of five urban public open spaces in Copenhagen, Denmark

People's passive experience constitutes a major part of their public life in urban public open spaces. While many public life studies examine the influence of the physical environment, others show people influence other people's public life. How children influence others' public life is rarely studied.This article studies sensory experience – examining whether adults' passive experience of children playing is pleasant or unpleasant, and sensory attention – descriptively studying various factors influencing adults' attention to children playing.The study was conducted through an on-site questionnaire-based survey (N = 1810) at five study sites in Copenhagen, Denmark. The sites were selected through a systematic analysis of the spatial characteristics of the physical environment, which describes different spatial and visual relationships between playgrounds and their adjacent public open spaces providing for the varying spatial potential for adults' passive experience of children playing.The study reveals that children playing overwhelmingly creates pleasant experiences for adults at the study sites. Besides the different spatial characteristics from the spatial analysis, the sites' shape, the playground's spatial proportion within the sites, and adults' site familiarity may also influence sensory attention to children playing. While the article does not present precise design guidelines, it provides valuable insights into urban design practices.

Accelerating knowledge transfer from research to sound aware practice

Sound is a crucial factor for the health of inhabitants in city environments and plays an essential role in people's general well-being and how they perceive spaces within the urban realm. However, sound is seldom an influential parameter within urban development projects unless there are regulations to fulfill. During the last decades, increased knowledge of the subject has been gained through research activities. Still, findings only slowly reach into the work fields of architects and urban designers. This paper presents a series of workshops designed to gain input on how the transfer of knowledge of urban sound from research findings to the urban planning and design practice could be accelerated. Furthermore, the paper explores how sound experience walks additionally can improve understanding of the relationship between sound and urban space. In particular, developed as city sound models, the walks can support practitioners' knowledge and public involvement in the acoustic environment.

Trash, dirt, glitch: The imperfect turn

‘Trash, dirt, glitch’ offers an introduction to a cluster devoted to trash, dirt and glitch – concepts that, in aesthetic and artistic domains, firmly merit joint exploration. In fashion and urban design, music, art and other aesthetic practices, the trashy, the dirty and the glitchy interconnect in complex choreographies, in discourses and practices where they are framed as benefit rather than bother. For this cluster, the authors asked four scholars in media, design and fashion to examine the interconnections between trash, dirt and glitch as affirmatively charged categories. They do so through in-depth studies of ‘dirt(y)’ and glitch-based sound-making practices and media art in Australia (Caleb Kelly); German electronic and glitch music (Jakko Kemper); dirt and trash aesthetics in sneaker fashion and (especially but not only) US-based grunge subcultures (Ekaterina Kulinicheva); and discourses of dirt and disorder in the creative industry in Russia (Margarita Kuleva). This introduction contextualizes their findings and offers tools to theorize the present-day interest in dirt-, trash-, and glitch-based aesthetics as an imperfect turn. This turn we envision not as an unprecedented shift, but as the latest in a series of socio-technologically motivated historical imperfect turns. The imperfect turn that we witness today is not without its flaws – but, as we argue below, it can facilitate important social interventions.

An Examination of the Thermal Comfort Impacts of Ficus altssima on the Climate in Lower Subtropical China during the Winter Season

As a common practice in urban landscape design, tree planting plays an important role in improving the environment and microclimate. This study aimed to investigate the thermal comfort effects provided by trees on the surrounding environment. Using the common tree species Ficus altissima growing in lower subtropical China, the variation in temperature, humidity, and wind speed due to the tree canopy was summarized, the intensity of transpiration and cooling effects was analyzed, and the regression relationship between the indicators and thermal comfort was investigated using the physiological equivalent temperature (PET). The results revealed that various indications for thermal comfort may be described separately by one-dimensional regression equations, and three viable multiple regression equations could be created using the PET by combining physical, physiological, and microclimatic parameters.

Exploring the Design Practice, Trends, and Gaps of Urban Bridges in Ethiopia towards Sustainability

Bridges carrying railways, roads, and pedestrians in rural and urban regions have tremendous characteristics. The case of urban bridges is quite typical for a visual view of the complexity of the characteristics of urban Ethiopia. The existing urban environment in Ethiopia demands great attention regarding bridge infrastructure. The dynamism of urbanity depends on multiple factors such as institutional capabilities for commissioning, monitoring, and decommissioning; professional competence; and culture. The provision of urban bridges should be viewed holistically, beginning with planning and design and continuing through construction. The approach so far has been single-handed, and this creates an unbalanced delivery of the infrastructure. This article explores the existential trends and practices of urban bridge design and identifies the main challenges of practicing sustainability in the design process in Ethiopia. The research is methodically based on a qualitative approach to identify the expert opinions of professionals and designers who are currently participating in urban infrastructure design. The data were gathered through interviews, and the findings show that the practice of sustainable urban bridge design is still in its infancy, and even the concept is unclear to many professionals in the field. While the study emphasizes the importance of sustainable urban bridge provision, it also highlights challenges such as lack of awareness, weak institutional capacity and culture, and lack of mandatory sustainable codes and standards.

Examining Challenges in Complying with the Principles of Sustainability for the Design of Urban Bridges in Ethiopia

Existential issues obstruct the practice of incorporating sustainability concepts, which is the holistic consideration of urban bridge design factors. Bridge infrastructure is considered a connecting structure for separated highways and railways. The case for ensuring the safe mobility of people and goods across obstacles from one urban corner to another is viewed as an essential component of transportation infrastructure. The design and provision of urban bridges to attain sustainability are associated with tremendous challenges because of a lack of awareness and existential issues and obstacles. The problem in the practice of urban bridge design in Ethiopia is indicated as being “traditional” in delivery, with a lack of accommodation for many essential components of sustainable design. Therefore, a change in thinking is needed to address sustainability. The question of how designers could make design practice sustainable is complicated by multiple challenges. In this research, we used a survey questionnaire to collect the opinions of design professionals. Principal component analysis was employed to explore the major gaps in sustainable urban bridge design practice. A lack of sustainable design impact; sustainability awareness; design codes, practices, and standards that consider sustainability criteria; working guiding protocols and frameworks; and support for sustainability practice were identified as major challenges. Addressing the design problem requires a mechanism to consider the challenges through the defined participation of the designer, client, and public during rule setting, monitoring, and evaluation. Sustainability rating tools must also be deployed to evaluate and quantify the performance of urban bridges.

Strategic urban design for sustainable development: A framework for studio and practice

AbstractUrban design seeks to apply the goals of sustainable development in the physical design of cities. It involves complex efforts to explore and address a whole range of urban issues in accordance with the goals of sustainable development. However, it faces challenges to consider the feelings of local communities about unsustainabilities in their environment and to impact the actual urban development. Deploying strategy, which is the science of making the most effective use of a situation to achieve goals, to urban design helps overcome these challenges. This study recommends an interdiscipline of strategic urban design. It proposes a framework of strategic urban design for participative, timely and implementable physical design for sustainable urban development. A cyclic framework of strategic urban design is proposed that comprises four steps: (i) set a goal for urban sustainability, (ii) explore unsustainabilities from citizens' perspective, (iii) explore unsustainabilities that are source of other unsustainabilities, and (iv) design multi‐projects to tackle source unsustainabilities. These steps are explained with methods and templates for application in urban design studio and practice.

Some contemporary aspects of master planning, design and development for suburban territories of large cities

The article discusses the modern state of affairs in the field of master planning of suburban territories. It is noted, that for the time being such a problem is becoming urgent and actual, due to enormous rise of urban territories, which occupy not only small satellite towns around megapolises, but also the original and traditional suburban areas, and even the countryside territories with small settlements. That’s why a new challenge emerged, which required a high-quality design approach, based on contemporary scientific achievements. A number of recommendations are being given in the article and some conclusions are being made, based on modern practice of urban planning, design and development. The main idea of the article is that urbanization can not be banned and thus it should be scientifically organized and controlled.

Natural experiments in healthy cities research: how can urban planning and design knowledge reinforce the causal inference?

Healthy cities researchers often ask questions about cause and effect: the causes are built environment interventions via urban planning and design practices, such as park renovation, a new bus line or a housing redevelopment programme; effects are individual and public health outcomes. The growing interest in natural experiments for causal inference in healthy cities research comes mainly from the public health fields. Planning and design knowledge of how the interventions were produced should have a central role in research design but is rarely discussed. This is evident from our analysis of three well-documented natural experiment research projects. This also motivates us to build a conceptual model, with the legal assignment of treatment and control groups and random distribution of confounders (LARD principle) to demonstrate how urban planning and design knowledge can help discover strong natural experiments to reinforce the causal inference in healthy cities research.

Urban Design Practice of Jianshui Creative Slow Living Area in the New Form of Society

Urban Design Practice of Jianshui Creative Slow Living Area in the New Form of Society

Thermal Landscapes: Rahm's Meteorological Architecture

<p>In this paper, we will consider the issue of climate discourse, which is consistently connected with the emergence of the meteorological approach in the theory and practice of contemporary architecture and urban design. Thermal modernity appears as a contemporary space of critical debate that expands the possibilities of architectural thinking, positioning it in a transdisciplinary knowledge framework. The concept of meteorology is the result of research on biological and ecological causes and processes, thermal factors, actions, and interactions to establish a sensory connection of users with space. Therefore, invisible spatial qualities, atmospheres, are recognised as ontologically important elements of spatial experience. The new paradigm opposes visual dominance, formalism, and semiological interpretations, establishing a new way of social and environmental responsibility.</p>

Designing the regenerative city? A case study of urban actors working to integrate ideas of biodiversity in Copenhagen

The decline of biodiversity is progressing at an alarming scale and pace. A strengthening of relations between humans and nature may hold the key to a sustainable future, having the potential to increase human awareness of planetary well-being. Recently, urban actors across the world have seemingly accelerated the integration of Regenerative Thinking into strategies targeting biodiversity. Approaching a well-established urban planning and design practice with a new ideology, urban actors must tackle how to integrate this new arena of Regenerative Thinking in their work. This case study analyzes how urban actors such as architects and planners translate ideas of biodiversity into urban development in Copenhagen. The study identifies drivers and barriers related to the integration of biodiversity in Copenhagen and discuss potentials and challenges in this relation, including asking whether a new methodology such as a dialogue tool might have the potential to support urban actors working with biodiversity. The study concludes that urban actors are experiencing a range of drivers and challenges related to their work with biodiversity, and new methodologies seems to be needed. The study is an initial explorative component of a larger case study planned to be key content of a Ph.D. thesis.

Simulation framework for early design guidance of urban streets to improve outdoor thermal comfort and building energy efficiency in summer

Global warming and the urban heat island effect have led to the deterioration of the outdoor thermal environment and the rise of building cooling demand, calling for urban design with high environmental quality. However, little has been changed in the practice of urban street design. This paper bridges this gap by developing a framework of parametric simulation for design guidance of urban streets with an advanced urban canopy model that can simulate the interactive indoor-outdoor environment. Case studies are conducted at the neighborhood scale for six cities to improve outdoor thermal comfort and building energy efficiency in summer. The influence of street and building design parameters has been investigated based on 31104 simulations. Results reveal the conflict between optimizing outdoor thermal comfort and optimizing building energy efficiency. In the majority of the investigated cities, window-to-wall ratio, window type, and street orientation are the most influential parameters. Strategies by adjusting these parameters can significantly improve outdoor thermal comfort, as quantified by thermal stress hours, at a cost of increasing the building cooling load. Planting bigger and denser roadside trees always moderately reduces the thermal stress hours and building cooling load. These results demonstrate the potential of this framework to identify the design trade-offs between thermal comfort and building energy efficiency. The framework can be extended to various cities to help designers and policymakers at the early design stage.

COVID-19’s impact on local planning and urban design practice: focusing on tactical urbanism and the public realm with respect to low income communities

ABSTRACT In the face of lockdowns promulgated in response to COVID-19, the effects on local planning are diverse. One of the effects is planners’ use of tactical urbanism in their efforts to improve public health. Tactical urbanism is characterized as temporary, and it is appropriate to ask whether tactical strategies help keep communities healthy in times of pandemic. We address that question by examining several examples of a tactical program called Slow Streets. This program provides temporary public spaces in the streets for exercise and interaction. We review literature to understand the relevance of the program to tactical urbanism, and we investigate how successful it has been. Survey questionnaires complement the research. The study outcomes suggest that the pandemic forced planners to act swiftly, but the Slow Streets program was limited in improving the health of the underserved population because it lacks comprehensive community engagement and alignment with longer term plans.

Urban Morphology of Taiping: The British Influences and Changes in Today’s Urban Structure

Urban morphology deals with the spatial structure and character of a place. It was formally established as a method in 1939. Urban morphology is one of the major branches in urban design that analyses the complexities and intricacies of human settlements’ development and transformation throughout the years. For many years, researchers and designers have been conducting morphological studies to better understand the spatial structure and other components that contribute to the transformation of a place. Taiping is not spared from morphological alterations either. As a post-colonial town in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, Taiping is blessed with a grid-iron plan and rich architectural styles, surrounded by lush greenery and a picturesque landscape. However, as centuries passed, Taiping experienced poor linkages, contested urban space, and an unpleasant urban fabric. This paper evaluates the urban morphology of Taiping using observational urbanism approach, focusing on the core area of Taiping. Findings revealed that Taiping has undergone dramatic, if not massive, changes from the pre-great fire tragedy until now, and the city needs to re-evaluate its development direction in order not to jeopardise its historic image and value. Hopefully, this research will raise public awareness and pave for future research on urban morphology, heritage value, and ultimately, good urban design practice for other historic cities in Malaysia.

Reviewing the Role of Key Performance Indicators in Architectural and Urban Design Practices

Energy use and relative CO2 emissions drive climate change that affects both the environment and human health. Extreme events caused by climate change, such as heat waves, flooding, and droughts are increasingly frequent and dangerous and the quality of life in cities is progressively decreasing. The building sector is among the most energy intensive sectors and mitigation and adaptation strategies are needed to reduce the emissions and impacts of climate change. This article presents a literature review created using the SCOPUS database on 515 articles setup to investigate the role of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in architectural and urban design processes and to understand how KPIs can be used to improve sustainability in the design of buildings and cities. Findings from the literature review highlights the potentiality of KPIs as a tool for managing complexity and for measure performances starting from the early design stages up to the lifetime of buildings and, in general, design. In parallel, the analysis of results showed that KPIs are commonly used to evaluate performance at a very different scale, but the building scale is the most considered. The use of KPIs in architecture, focusing on sustainability, should be implemented more in the future to allow for a better control of architectural performances.

Urban places and Mental Health challenges (lessons learned from Covid-19 crisis)

Abstract Nature deprivation under COVID-19 lead to reduced well-being. Urban design interventions were also identified as an important contributor to the restoration of community confidence, choice, and safety. Factors related to sociodemographic, housing and lockdown were linked to changes in exposure to nature during the pandemic lockdown. Changes in exposure to nature and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 lockdown were strongly linked. Especially young people had an increased number of mental health problems. Children and youth were more bored and worried in comparison with the pre-pandemic period. The educational institutions worldwide were closed or changed to online education during the pandemic, leading to great disturbance in students’ education and outdoor events. All “green infrastructure” (GI) resources (including parks, gardens etc.) received great attention as “essential infrastructure” supporting well-being. But, the quality, functionality and position of GI in urban areas showed inequality in distribution. Frequently, societies with greater ethnic diversity, lower income and larger health inequality suffered from unsatisfactory or lack of access. GI is important in decision-making to address inequality. This work will also present an open-air activity for all generations: A reflective walk through the oldest part of Novi Sad (EU Capital of Culture 2022), as a part of Project Reflective citizens in Novi Sad. This walking tour was led by pupils from primary school - where all generations spend useful time in open space and a safe atmosphere walking tour, learning and listening about the cultural history of the oldest part of the city. It is vital to enhance urban planning and design practices in making healthier and more resilient communities. It is necessary to underline the importance of planning green spaces that need time to form in urban areas, and which have proven to be very important for mental health in the midst of the pandemic crisis.

The city of proximity (accessible, inclusive, sustainable, healthy & salutogenic): the case of Brussels Bourse, Grand-Place station

Abstract The ecological dimension is expressed, among other things, in the matter of movement and the process of appropriation of local spaces. The creation of public space is oriented towards centralising and bringing exchanges closer together. It is a recognition of the ways of life of the individual who has become aware of the other essentials for human well-being. How does the proximity of multimodality and culture strengthen the urbanity? And how does it influence urban intensity, livability, health & the salutogenic approach of public space? The study investigates the quality of public mobility spaces through design, multimodality and sustainable planning by surveying the case of Bourse-Grand-Place station in Brussels. This transformation project is the subject of an empirical method using the material of recent research on urban design and professional practice. Falling within the scope of the “Cities for People” vision of the future, the design of this project integrates socio-cultural activities around the idea of “Station for People”. A concept based on universal accessibility ensures that all individuals can access it. Thereafter, an evolving social economy programme promoted cycling through equipment, maintenance, recycling, training, innovation and the encouragement of cycling culture. The breakthrough of the innovative multimodal design process based on multidisciplinarity could become a helpful urban strategy, oriented toward making proximate neighbourhoods both residentially and practically attractive. The present article carries out an enquiry of how design and urban activities take part in strategies to improve the quality of the public spaces. It reveals some hints that could help urban practitioners when making decisions regarding the quality of an urban place and ‘living together’ oriented developments. With a contribution to climate change issues, this article demonstrates how urban design can contribute to the quality of life of users and citizens.