There really is no ‘typical’ Urban Design practitioner, nor is there a ‘standard’ set of skills that, once learned, can be mechanically applied for the rest of one’s career. There are, however, several tasks that are central to Urban Design in practice:
* Describing characteristics of and transformations in particular settlement patterns, including morphological and typological studies;
* Examining the operative relationships linking power, politics, and the form of cities and urban areas;
* Exploring, analysing, and drawing conclusions related to the images and meanings people have of different urban environments; and
* Describing, interpreting, and shaping the built and natural environment of cities and metropolitan regions, for other professionals, decision-makers, and ‘lay’ populations.
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Accommodating higher densities without overwhelming the street (Vancouver).
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Good urban design enfolds ecologically smart building practices, such as the carport's living roof and porous pavers (yes, that is grass) in this Swiss example (St-Gallen).
As an Urban Design practitioner, one typically works in teams with many professionals furnishing a broad range of complementary abilities. Vital insight also comes from ‘popular’ knowledge, often derived through extensive consultation with user groups through interactive workshops, meetings, and design charrettes. In consequence, emergence is a big part of reflexive practice--that is, Urban Designers learn new skills and aptitudes with each project. In large part this is because Urban Design recognises the invaluable knowledge and expertise that non-professionals bring to bear on the complex problem-solving situations.
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Recognising and embracing the eclectic ways in which users personalise urban space is eminently important in responsive urban design.
How Urban Design best fits into the professional world is an area of continuing debate. There are (as yet) no professional bodies in the Anglo-American world to dictate what should be on the curriculum of an Urban Design degree program, nor what sorts of specific expertise and knowledge are needed to practise as an Urban Designer. This is not a coincidence; it is generally agreed that Urban Design is not a distinct profession in itself so much as a way of thinking, or, to paraphrase Britain’s Urban Design group, as common ground among a number of professions and/or the wide range of people involved in urban change. To practice Urban Design, however, an individual should be a registered member of professional regulating bodies in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and/or Urban Planning.
Works cited
Batchelor, P., & Lewis, D. (Eds.). (1986). Urban Design in Action. Raleigh NC: School of Design, North Carolina State University.
Cowan, R. (Ed.). (2005). The Dictionary of Urbanism. Tisbury (England): Streetwise Press. Available online: http://www.urbanwords.info
Gehl, J. (1996). Life between buildings: using public space. Copenhagen: Arkitektens Forlag.
UDG - Urban Design Group (2003). The Urban Design Group. Available online: http://www.udg.org.uk/
WGUDS - Working Group on Urban Design for Sustainability. (2004). Urban design for sustainability: Final Report of the Working Group on Urban Design for Sustainability to the European Union Expert Group on the Urban Environment. Wien: Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft.
Categories:
Management of urban planning
