An Analysis on the Current Perspective of Urban Design

Abstract

We know that urban design is historically played a major role in development of cities. Urban design, as a presently discipline, is relatively new compared to linked disciplines of architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture. The close relation of urban design with these allied disciplines has also been the cause for its unclear nature, and its muddled definition. Accordingly, it is appealed here that a reexamination of the definition, status, and role of urban design is essential for the future directions of urban design as a discipline and cities as sustainable environments. However, the current approach to urban design is mainly top down, i.e., generally the architects or the planners design the urban environment and at the implementation stage the community may have some involvement. This article gives a critical framework regarding the present understanding of the discipline of urban design which is based on form, policy and efficiency, and highlights the need for place-oriented approaches performed in an interdisciplinary working framework. The present paper first emphasis on the meaning and significance of urban design, and then also discusses the problems with the manner in which urban design is conceived, practiced and researched. Through a reexamination of the literature on this topic this paper argues that a proper bottom up approach will help to achieve better performance against the sustainability indicators. It also explores the strengths and weaknesses in the classic top down approach to urban development which provides early high-level planning solutions, whereas although a bottom-up approach can make more sense because the professionals have a strong base of understanding of the place with the help of effective participation from the concerned stakeholders it takes more time and commitment from all parties involved. Therefore, this paper explores the gap between the current top down approach and a bottom up approach in urban design towards the creation sustainable urban environments.