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G2 Quality Places

CHAPTER AIMS

• Promote the place function of streets and explain the role that streets can play in making better places.
• Stress the importance and value of urban design as a framework within which streets are set out and detailed.
• Set out expectations for the design of quality places, as well as routes for safe and convenient movement.
• Discuss local distinctiveness.

G2.1 INTRODUCTION

G2.1.1 The previous chapter described how to plan sustainable communities, covering issues such as the need to plan for connected layouts, mixed uses and walkable neighbourhoods. This chapter develops those themes by demonstrating the importance of quality and encouraging the use of three-dimensional urban design.

G2.2 THE VALUE OF GOOD DESIGN

G2.2.1 Good design plays a vital role in securing places that are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. This is underpinned by policy and guidance from the Scottish Government. In terms of national policy, SPP1 "The Planning System" emphasises the importance of good design in reaching planning decisions. "Designing Places" was published in 2001 and is the sister document to this one; it sets out the government policy on urban design and establishes a toolkit for delivering places that are sustainable.

Figure G2.1 New development at Staiths South Bank, Gateshead.

G2.2.2 The value of good design is reinforced by other publications such as "A Policy for Architecture" first published in 2001, updated and added to in 2007 and 2008. A series of design-based Planning Advice Notes ( PANs) has followed the publication of Designing Places and these reinforce the importance of design in the regeneration and creation of "place". They advocate that good design is based on good appraisal in order to ensure that new places will take of the context in which they are placed, will have a clear identity of their own and have good connections both within and outwith the new development area ensuring a permeable layout. ¹

G2.2.3 There is growing evidence that good urban design, with well thought out and well maintained open space and public realm, provides not only economic returns but also social and environmental benefits. An integrated design process that considers all aspects of the scheme beyond it's construction, can have an impact not only on quality, efficiency and sustainability but on the long term costs of maintenance and management.

G2.2.4 CABE has collated a supporting evidence base, ² which includes the following:

• compact neighbourhoods that integrate parking and transport infrastructure, encourage walking and cycling, and so reduce fuel consumption;
• properties adjacent to a good-quality park have a 5-7% price premium compared with identical properties in the same area but that are away from the park; and
• the benefits of better-designed commercial developments include higher rent levels, lower maintenance costs, enhanced regeneration and increased public support for the development.

Figure G2.2 Briery Meadow, Haddington - a masterplan-led approach with bespoke housing design ( EDAW, needs re-shot).

G2.3 KEY ASPECTS OF URBAN DESIGN

"The architectural design, sitting and setting of development in its surroundings are valid concerns of the planning system. The drive for quality should not focus solely on buildings. It should also be concerned with the way that buildings, old and new, work together and create the spaces and sense of place that have such an influence on the quality of life for communities". Scottish Planning Policy 1: the Planning System³⁴

G2.3.1 It is important to appreciate what this means in practice. It is easy to advocate places of beauty and distinct identity, but it takes skill to realise them and ensure they are fit for purpose. The key qualities that define successful places are defined within "Designing Places" and are further explained within the design suite of a number of Scottish PANs, specifically PAN 67 Housing Quality⁵; PAN 68 Design Statements⁶; PAN 71 Conservation Area Management⁷; PAN 77 Designing Safer Places⁸; PAN 78 Inclusive Design⁹ and PAN 83 Master Planning¹⁰. A number of key documents and initiatives provide an introduction, including the Urban Design Compendium,¹¹Better Places to Live By Design,¹²Building for Life¹³ and Designing Places¹⁴.

G2.3.2 All too often new development lacks identity and a sense of place. Basic good urban design practice is not being met. This lets down communities, can have a wider influence beyond just those who live there and does not meet Government aspirations for a modern planning system that is sustainable.

G2.3.3 These basic aspects of urban design, however, are not being realised in many new developments. All too often, new development lacks identity and a sense of place. In these cases, it lets communities and users down, and undermines the aims of the sustainable places agenda.

G2.3.4 Frequently, it is in the interaction between the design and layout of homes and streets that attempts to create quality places break down. ¹⁵ In the past, urban designers sometimes felt that their schemes were compromised by the application of geometrical standards to roads that were current at the time. Roads engineers, in turn, have occasionally raised concerns about layouts that did not comply with the design criteria to which they were working.

G2.4 STREET DIMENSIONS

G2.4.1 Neighbourhoods should include a range of street character types, each with differing characteristics, including type of use, width and building heights. These characteristics dictate how pedestrians and traffic use the street.

WIDTH

G2.4.2 Width between buildings is a key dimension and needs to be considered in relation to function and aesthetics. Figure G2.3 shows typical widths for different types of street. The distance between frontages in residential streets typically ranges from 12 m to 18 m, although there are examples of widths less than this working well. There are no fixed rules but account should be taken of the variety of activities taking place in the street and of the scale of the buildings on either side.

The Principles of Placemaking

The principals of placemaking will be achieved through careful consideration of built form. Those aspects are described below:

• Layout: urban structure - the framework of routes and spaces that connect locally and more widely, and the way developments, routes and open spaces relate to one another.
• Layout: urban grain - the pattern of the arrangement of street blocks, plots and their buildings in a settlement.
• Landscape - the character and appearance of land, including its shape, form, ecology, natural features, colours and elements, and the way these components combine.
• Density and mix - the amount of development on a given piece of land and the range of uses. Density influences the intensity of development, and, in combination with the mix of uses, can affect a place's vitality and viability.
• Scale: height - scale is the size of a building in relation to its surroundings, or the size of parts of a building or its details, particularly in relation to the size of a person. Height determines the impact of development on views, vistas and skylines.
• Scale: massing - the combined effect of the arrangement, volume and shape of a building or group of buildings in relation to other buildings and spaces.
• Appearance: details - the craftsmanship, building techniques, decoration, styles and lighting of a building or structure.
• Appearance: materials - the texture, colour, pattern and durability of materials, and how they are used.

Figure G2.3 Typical widths for different types of street.

Figure G2.4 Height-to-width ratios.

HEIGHT

G2.4.3 The public realm is defined by height as well as width or, more accurately, the ratio of height to width. It is therefore recommended that the height of buildings (or mature trees where present in wider streets) is in proportion to the width of the intervening public space to achieve enclosure. The actual ratio depends on the type of street or open space being designed for. This is a fundamental urban design principle. The height-to-width enclosure ratios shown in Table G2.1 and illustrated in Fig. G2.4 can serve as a guide.

Table G2.1 Height-to-width ratios

G2.4.4 The benefits of taller buildings, such as signifying locations of visual importance, adding variety, or simply accommodating larger numbers of dwellings, must be weighed against the possible disadvantages. These include an overbearing relationship with the street, overshadowing of surrounding areas, and the need to provide more parking. Design mitigation techniques, such as wider footways, building recesses and street trees, can reduce the impact of taller buildings on their settings (Fig. G2.5).

LENGTH

G2.4.5 Street length can have a significant effect on the quality of a place. Acknowledging and framing vistas and landmarks can help bring an identity to a neighbourhood and orientate users. However, long straights can encourage high traffic speeds, which should be mitigated through careful design (see Section 7.4 'Achieving appropriate traffic speeds').

G2.5 BUILDINGS AT JUNCTIONS

G2.5.1 The arrangement of buildings and footways has a major influence on defining the space at a junction. It is better to design the junction on this basis rather than purely on vehicle movement (Fig. G2.6). In terms of streetscape, a wide carriageway with tight, enclosed corners makes a better junction than cutback corners with a sweeping curve. This might involve bringing buildings forward to the corner. Double-fronted buildings also have an important role at corners. Junction treatments are explored in more detail in Chapter G4.

Figure G2.5 Two streets demonstrating different levels of enclosure. Street (a) has a height-to-width ratio of approximately 1:3, enabling a pleasant living environment to be shared with functionality in the form of traffic movement and on-street parking, some of it angled. Street (b) has a height-to-width ratio of about 1:1.5. Again, this works well in urban design terms, but the need to accommodate on-street parking has meant that traffic is restricted to one-way movement.

Figure G2.6 Wide, curved junctions reduce enclosure. In this example, the relationship between the buildings and the amenity space at the centre of the circus is diminished.

G2.6 BACKS AND FRONTS

G2.6.1 In general, it is recommended that streets are designed with the backs and fronts of houses and other buildings being treated differently. The basic tenet is 'public fronts and private backs'. Ideally, and certainly in terms of crime prevention, back gardens should adjoin other back gardens or a secure communal space. Front doors should open onto front gardens, small areas in front of the property, or streets.

G2.6.2 The desirability of public fronts and private backs applies equally to streets with higher levels of traffic, such as those linking or providing access to residential areas. If such streets are bounded by back garden fences or hedges, security problems can increase, drivers may be encouraged to speed, land is inefficiently used, and there is a lack of a sense of place (Fig. G2.7). Research carried out for MfS¹⁶ shows that streets with direct frontage access to dwellings can operate safely with significant levels of traffic.

Figure G2.7 (a) and (b) Cul-de-sacs surrounded by a perimeter road that is fronted by back fences - no sense of place, no relationship with its surroundings, no quality, with streets designed purely for vehicles

G2.7 DESIGNING STREETS AS SOCIAL SPACES

G2.7.1 The public realm should be designed to encourage the activities intended to take place within it. Streets should be designed to accommodate a range of users, create visual interest and amenity, and encourage social interaction. The place function of streets may equal or outweigh the movement function, as described in Chapter 1. This can be satisfied by providing a mix of streets of various dimensions, squares and courtyards, with associated 'pocket parks', play spaces, resting places and shelter. The key is to think carefully about the range of desirable activities for the environment being created, and to vary designs to suit each place in the network.

G2.7.2 High-quality open space is a key component of successful neighbourhoods. Local Development Frameworks, often supplemented by open space strategies and public realm strategies, should set out the requirements for provision in particular localities. As with streets, parks and other open spaces should be accessible and be well overlooked. ¹⁷

G2.8 OTHER LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS

G2.8.1 The layout of a new housing or mixed-use area will need to take account of factors other than street design and traffic provision. They include:

• the potential impact on climate change, such as the extent to which layouts promote sustainable modes of transport or reduce the need to travel;
• climate and prevailing wind, and the impact of this on building type and orientation;
• energy efficiency and the potential for solar gain by orientating buildings appropriately;
• noise pollution, such as from roads or railways;
• providing views and vistas, landmarks, gateways and focal points to emphasise urban structure, hierarchies and connections, as well as variety and visual interest;
• crime prevention, including the provision of defensible private and communal space, and active, overlooked streets (see Chapter G1);
• balancing the need to provide facilities for young children and teenagers overlooked by housing, with the detrimental effects of noise and nuisance that may result; and
• providing SUDS for Surface Water Management ensuring that the challenges in maintaining water quality, amenity and biodiversity are met.

G2.8.2 Often satisfying one consideration will make it difficult to satisfy another, and invariably a balance has to be achieved. This is one of the reasons for agreeing design objectives at an early stage in the life of the scheme.

Figure G2.8 Trees, bollards, benches and the litter bin have the potential to clutter this residential square, but careful design means that they add to the local amenity (Ian White Associates).

G2.9 WHERE STREETS MEET BUILDINGS

G2.9.1 The space between the front of the building and the carriageway, footway or other public space needs to be carefully managed as it marks the transition from the public to the private realm. Continuous building lines are preferred as they provide definition to, and enclosure of, the public realm. Blank gables onto the street frontage should be avoided to ensure maximum passive surveillance and sense of security.

G2.9.2 For occupiers of houses, the amenity value of front gardens tends to be lower when compared to their back gardens and increased parking pressures on streets has meant that many householders have converted their front gardens to hard standing for car parking. However, this is not necessarily the most desirable outcome for street users in terms of amenity and quality of place, and can lead to problems with drainage. Where no front garden is provided, the setback of dwellings from the street is a key consideration in terms of:

• defining the character of the street;
• determining a degree of privacy;
• amenity space for plants or seating, etc.; and
• functional space for rubbish bins, external meters or storage, including secure parking for bicycles.

G2.9.3 Keeping garages and parking areas level with, or behind, the main building line can be aesthetically beneficial in townscape terms.

G2.9.4 The context within which the development sits will also have an influence on how the building sits within the plot and relates to the street.

G2.10 REDUCING CLUTTER

G2.10.1 Street furniture, signs, bins, bollards, utilities boxes, lighting and other items which tend to accumulate on a footway can clutter the streetscape. Clutter is visually intrusive and has adverse implications for many disabled people. Designers should work with the agencies responsible for such items and those who will manage the street to identify ways of reducing their visual impact and impediment to users.

G2.10.2 Strategies for signage should be included at an early stage in the design process as the layout design can reduce the need for signage. Signage should be kept to a minimum and be well-located in order to avoid clutter and maximise its benefits.

G2.10.3 Examples of reducing clutter include: ¹⁸

• mounting streetlights onto buildings, or traffic signals onto lighting columns;
• locating service inspection boxes within buildings or boundary walls;
• specifying the location and orientation of inspection covers in the footway;
• ensuring that household bins and recycling containers can be stored off the footway; and
• designing street furniture to be in keeping with its surroundings (Fig. G2.8).

G2.10.4 Where terraced housing or flats are proposed, it can be difficult to find space for storing bins off the footway. In these circumstances, sub-surface or pop-up waste containers may be a practicable solution (Fig. G2.9).

Figure G2.9 Sub-surface recycling bins for communal use.

G2.11 LOCAL DISTINCTIVENESS

G2.11.1 Creating a local identity and distinctiveness are fundamental to ensuring a successful place. The following considerations can achieve this:

• carrying out a site appraisal at the outset and ensuring that the findings are then incorporated into design strategies. PAN 68 Design Statements and PAN 83 Masterplanning both offer guidance on what should be included;
• involving the community early on in the process;
• using local materials where possible (which can also reduce embodied energy);
• using grain, patterns and forms sympathetic to the predominant vernacular styles (fig G2.10); ¹⁹
• identifying which existing site features are assets and retaining them if possible;
• celebrating any historic and cultural associations that the site may have through the design; and
• ensure that the design, quality and setting of street furniture and signage does not detract from the overall street design, view points and vistas.

G2.11.2 Some Local Authorities may have local design guidance which aims to enhance local character in new developments. Such local guidance is encouraged and should be used in preparing designs for new development. For example Shetland Islands Council produced its own supplementary planning guidance entitled The Shetland House, which aims to 'offer broad guidance covering every aspect of designing and developing a house in Shetland'. ²⁰

G2.12 PLANTING

G2.12.1 Space for planting must be integrated into the layout from the outset and considered as part of a wider landscape framework which connects through and out of the site. It is important to ensure that all planted areas fall clearly into either the public or private realm.

G2.12.2 Planting adds value; it helps to soften the urban street-scene, creates visual and sensory interest, and improves the air quality and microclimate. It can also aid local biodiversity. Flowers and fruit trees add seasonal variety.

G2.12.3 Planting can provide shade, shelter, privacy, spatial containment and separation. It can also be used to create buffer or security zones, visual barriers, or landmarks or gateway features. Vegetation can be used to limit forward visibility to help reduce vehicle speeds and help demarcate parking areas especially in shared surface schemes.

G2.12.4 Existing trees can occupy a substantial part of a development site and can have a major influence on layout design and use of the site, especially if they are protected by Tree Preservation Orders. Layouts poorly designed in relation to existing trees, or retaining trees of an inappropriate size, species or condition, may be resented by future occupants and create pressure to prune or remove them in the future. To reduce such problems, specialist advice is needed in the design process. An arboriculturalist will help determine whether tree retention can be successfully integrated within the new development, specify protection measures required during construction, and recommend appropriate replacements as necessary (Fig. G2.11).

Figure G2.10 Fowlis, Dundee - Small village where sympathetic simple new build with retention of narrow street form and use of boundary treatments walling and hedges has ensured new development blends well (Angus, EDAW).

Figure G2.11 Mature trees help to structure the space, while buildings are placed to create a sense of enclosure ( EDAW).

G2.12.5 Sustainable planting will require the provision of:

• healthy growing conditions;
• space to allow growth to maturity with minimal intervention or management;
• species appropriate to a local sense of place and its intended function, and site conditions; and
• well-informed proposals for new planting (or the retention and protection of existing plants) and longer-term maintenance. These proposals should be agreed with the adopting local or road authority, trust, residents' or community association or management company.

G2.13 STANDING THE TEST OF TIME

G2.13.1 Places need to look good and work well in the long term. Design costs are only a small percentage of the overall costs, but it is the quality of the design that makes the difference in creating places that will stand the test of time. Well-designed places last longer and are easier to maintain, thus the costs of the design element are repaid over time. The specification for materials and maintenance regimes should be written to provide high standards of durability and environmental performance. Maintenance should be straightforward and management regimes should ensure that there are clear lines of responsibility. These themes are covered further in Chapter G6.

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