 |
A-Z | Popular | Blog | Cities | Search » |
18 Urban Design Principles John Spacey, updated on
Beautiful CitiesCreating a beautiful city is a primary goal.Blue Green CitiesBlue and green spaces such as waterfront areas and parks are a priority.CompactnessReduce the distances between things by choosing compact designs. For example, wide highways and parking lots are generally less compact than light rail for equivalent passenger capacity.Complete NeighborhoodsThe principle that people can live, work and receive basic services all within their neighborhood. Associated with village-like neighborhoods and mixed zoning.ConvivialityNeighborhoods are social and lively with spaces for personal solace, companionship, family and community.Ease Of MovementCities are easy to transverse by walking and transportation is accessible and efficient.EfficiencyCities are energy and resource efficient.Health & SafetyHealth and safety is a priority. For example, air quality is a fundamental goal.Heritage ConservationA city's history and historic architecture of great value is preserved.Human ScaleCities are built at human scale.Laissez Faire ArchitectureBuilding codes that place unreasonable restrictions on architecture are detrimental to a city as they prevent creative expression.Neighborhood CharacterNeighborhoods have a unique character that has value.People FirstCities are built for people. Machines such as cars and industrial sites tend to detract from a city. Where they are required, they are designed to take the background. For example, an underground parking lot as opposed to a parking lot on prime waterfront land.Public SpaceNatural areas, beaches, parks, public squares and streets that are open to the public have a profound value to a city.Quality Of LifeQuality of life as measured by people's self reported happiness is a primary goal of urban design. A high quality of life tends to be a virtuous cycle that attracts greater economic activity and investment leading to improved quality of life.Regional IntegrationNeighborhoods are integrated with cities and cities are integrated with regions. For example, transportation has little value without regional links.Sustainable DesignUrban design is a type of sustainable design that uses techniques such as green technology.Transition DesignCities tend to change slowly and can't be transformed overnight. Urban design is a practical discipline that takes transitional steps towards goals.CitiesThis is the complete list of articles we have written about cities.If you enjoyed this page, please consider bookmarking Simplicable.
CitiesA list of city characteristics that add to quality of life.Smart CitiesA list of smart city technologies.Emergent Cities
An overview of emergent cities.
City InfrastructureA list of city infrastructure.Night Economy
An overview of the night economy.
Future-Proofing
A definition of future-proofing with examples.
Competitiveness
An overview of economic competitiveness with examples.
Cosmopolitan City
The definition of cosmopolitan city with examples.
Edge City
The defining characteristics of an edge city.
Streets
The common types of street.
Urban DesignA few common urban design terms.Green Walls vs Green Facades
The difference between a green wall and green facade.
Sustainable Urban DesignA list of sustainable urban design techniques.Passive Design vs Active DesignThe difference between active and passive design.Street Canyon
How a street canyon changes an urban environment.
Parti Pris
An overview of parti pris in architecture with an example.
City IssuesA list of common city issues.Community ProblemsA list of common community problems.Things In Cities
An a-z list of things in cities.
City TypesAn list of the common types of city.TrendingThe most popular articles on Simplicable in the past day.New ArticlesRecent posts or updates on Simplicable. Site MapDesign LinksKyoto University - Art & Design
© 2010-2023 Simplicable. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of materials found on this site, in any form, without explicit permission is prohibited. View credits & copyrights or citation information for this page. |
