INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:

FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE

Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL
FOR
ARCH 3353
PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN &
COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE

Compiled by:
Ar. REY S. GABITAN

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 1
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

General Notes:

The learning mode you are in is Group 1 – Off-grid. Off-grid is a correspondence type of learning
mode. A learning package has been sent to you containing all the subjects you are enrolled in
this 1st semester of Academic Year 2020-2021. We have listed few guides that will help you
maximize your learning for this semester.

1. The learning materials is sent to you once together with the pre-paid return pouch
addressed to the university. This mode of learning is also known as Correspondence
Course. When this was introduced in the 1960’s the only means to communicate is through
mail. However, in the 21st century we could communicate through emails or SMS.
2. The return pouch should include only your answers to the learning activities such as
exercises, exam, drawing plates, thought paper and other documents as required by your
professor in each of the subjects you are enrolled in.
3. Your professor will work with you through the process and please bear in mind that the
success of your learning will be very much dependent on how you manage your time.
4. Set a time for specific subjects, if possible, assign a space in or outside your home where
you can be most comfortable to read and absorb the learnings.
5. If you have family members or friends try to discuss with them the lessons. Both of you
might learn things from one another.
6. The off-grid learning teaches the students to be more focused and helps us practice
integrity of work on our exams and assignments individually.
7. Once you are done with the lessons and assignments you may send it to the university as
soon as possible. This will allow you professor to assess your work immediately.

The university will utilize the Flexible Technology

Group 1 is the Off-grid (for students who are challenged with no or limited access to gadgets
(computers and smartphones) and with minimal or no access to internet connections

Group 2 is the Blended Learning (for students with gadgets but limited access to internet
connections)

Group 3 is the On-line Learning (for students with gadgets and have a stable internet connection)

*************************************************************************************************************

You are enrolled in ARCH 30313: Planning 2 - Fundamentals of Urban Design and
Community Architecture.

The semester consists of 18 weeks as reflected in the Course Syllabus for Planning 2

Class Structure: 3 hours lecture

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W1

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 2
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Module Title : Discussion of Course Plan

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Know and understand the scope of the course, class requirements, decorum and rules
assignments and final output.
▪ Appreciate the previous learnings obtained in Planning 1 and be able to correlate it with
the scope of Planning 2

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE:

What is the course all about?

This is an introductory course on the fundamentals of urban design theory and practice. It is
intended to give planning students a working knowledge of the discipline and its intellectual
foundations, expose them to the syntax of urban space and its manipulation, and teach them to
look critically at the built environment and be able to assess its "fitness" as a setting for human
activity. Students will gain an understanding of how architecture defines and delimits physical
space; how places may be shaped and configured to better meet the needs--practical as well as
spiritual--of human beings; and how "good city form" can contribute to our overall sense of
wellness, comfort and safety. Students will study local and historical examples of successful and
unsuccessful urban design.

Why is there a need to have knowledge in Urban Design?

We live in a constantly changing environment. The results of these changes have often been
positive but in many cases, there are persistent problems ranging from vandalism and crime to
loss of diversity, traffic congestion, noise and pollution. Over the past decade the government has
placed increasing emphasis on improving these conditions by encouraging better design and
through stimulating participation by citizens of all ages.

The aim of this course is to develop students' appreciation of the urban environment and good
design, to broaden their understanding of citizenship and to cultivate their ability to participate
actively.

This Instructional Material hopes to provide a unique tool to engage students in developing a
broader understanding of the built environment, what makes a good place and how it can be
created. This Instructional Material incorporates a range of activities, learning techniques and
practical exercises, culminating in a project to design a piece of town.

What is the aim of this Instructional Material?

This instructional material aims to:

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 3
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

a. Inspire and light the spark of students’ interest in the cities and places where they will live,
work and play, and which they can influence in the future;
b. Give students the ability to understand their local area and make proposals for changing
their surroundings;
c. Introduce students to good practice in design from other localities;
d. Show students ways in which good design can be implemented; and
e. Cultivate students' ability to participate actively in the planning process.

The materials are based on ideas and techniques used by built environment design professionals
in real planning situations. Different key urban design principles set the framework for this
exploration into built form. The resource allows teachers of urban design to conduct lessons,
assign coursework and assess outcomes.

Objectives:

To reach these aims, this instructional material was created to:

a. Inform students of the design process and the various actors involved in a development;
b. Introduce students to design principles as they apply to the formation of the built
environment;
c. Allow students to observe and assess the quality of their built environment by taking them
out of school and into the places where they live;
d. Promote students' analytical skills and understanding of design principles and then
formulate a development solution;
e. Create design solutions, using 2D and 3D modelling exercises or free-hand sketches,
which enable students to present and communicate their development solutions.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W2, PL2WK3

Module Title : Introduction to Urban Design & Community Planning -

Contextualization of Urban Design

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Discuss the meaning and scope of urban design and community planning.

UNDERSTANDING URBAN DESIGN AND COMMUNITY PLANNING

What is an Urban Area?

Urban areas can be simple or complex. They can have a rural flavor or that of an industrial
workshop. They can be peaceful or filled with all types of conflict. They can be small and easy to
maintain, or gargantuan and filled with strife and economic problems.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 4
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

An urban area can be defined as a composite of cells, neighborhoods, or communities where

people work together for the common good. The types of urban areas can vary as greatly as the
variety of activities performed there: the means of production and the kinds of goods, trade,
transportation, the delivery of goods and services, or a combination of all these activities.

(Reference:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810003745/pdf?md5=a8a29c70fa49
dcad3fe64e78730e05a5&pid=1-s2.0-S1877042810003745-main.pdf&_valck=1)

What is a City and its relation to Architecture?

Cities have many obvious faults in terms of their services to people. However, even with all those
faults, cities are here to stay. The challenge to urban planners and designers is to find ways to
make these essential elements in our social system work better, more efficiently, and thus to
make our cities more desirable places in which to live.

The city is a work of art, it fosters art and is art. The city is an architectural, and therefore an
artistic creation.

Architecture claims superiority over other forms of visual art. Architecture has spatial quality unlike
painting and sculpture. It also incorporates elements of these art forms and therefore is the most
comprehensive of visual arts.

Architecture is superior because we are surrounded by architecture, unable to avoid buildings

and the subtle but penetrating effects of their character. Architecture becomes the “unavoidable
art”.

The city then is the “largest work of art possible”.

(Reference: Madanipour, Ali (1996). Design of Urban Space. John Wiley and Sons)

DEFINITIONS OF URBAN DESIGN

Urban Design…

▪ …deals with the plan of the city, the various component parts of urban space, and their
functional and aesthetic aspects.
▪ …is the art of city building
▪ …is concerned with the methods used to organize and structure the urban realm.

Urban design is defined as that branch of planning which is primarily concerned with the functional
and visual relationships between people and their physical environment, and the ways in which
those relationships can be improved.

(Reference: http://www.angelfire.com/ar/corei/ud.html)

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 5
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

The Urban Design Protocol describes urban design as: "the design of the buildings, places,
spaces and networks that make up our towns and cities, and the ways people use them". This is
an inclusive definition that addresses both the public and private domains of cities, and embraces
the social as well as physical dimensions of the urban environment. According to this
interpretation, urban design must be considered at a number of different scales, from the details
of street furniture to the infrastructure that shapes entire cities and regions.

Urban design remains an art as much as a science, involving concepts that are sometimes
elusive, such as character. It involves both public urban space and parts of the private domain,
and concerns the urban environment at a range of scales. Urban design is also context-specific.

Urban design entails both 'hard' economic realities and a number of 'soft' human-oriented
elements coming together to create a whole that is more than the sum of the parts.

(Reference:
https://urbandesign.org.au/content/uploads/2015/08/INFRA1219_MCU_R_SQUARE_URBAN_P
ROTOCOLS_1111_WEB_FA2.pdf)

An early and significant advocate of urban design, Jonathan Barnett, wrote that, "Design is a
methodology that ... can help solve some of the problems of misallocated resources, misused
land and the unnecessary destruction of historic buildings." More positively, urban design
provides a means by which to bring together a wide range of factors affecting quality of life and -
going beyond utilitarian value - gives us scope to introduce coherence and beauty into our towns
and cities.

Urban design involves the arrangement and design of buildings, public spaces, transport systems,
services, and amenities. Urban design is the process of giving form, shape, and character to
groups of buildings, to whole neighborhoods, and the city.

(Reference: http://www.urbandesign.org/)

It is a framework that orders the elements into a network of streets, squares, and blocks. Urban
design blends architecture, landscape architecture, and city planning together to make urban
areas functional and attractive.

Urban design is about making connections between people and places, movement and urban
form, nature and the built fabric. Urban design draws together the many strands of place-making,
environmental stewardship, social equity and economic viability into the creation of places with
distinct beauty and identity.

Urban design is derived from but transcends planning and transportation policy, architectural
design, development economics, engineering and landscape. It draws these and other strands
together creating a vision for an area and then deploying the resources and skills needed to bring
the vision to life.

(Reference: https://www.pps.org/article/what-is-placemaking)

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 6
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Student Activity for Modules 1-3: “Neighbourhood Exploration Sheet”

Have a look at the place where you live and answer the following questions. This will get you
thinking about urban design, which means we can get to the interesting stuff more quickly.

1. Look at the block that your home is a part of – that’s the group of houses or buildings on
either side and at the back that you can walk around on the street. Turn left outside your
home and walk round the block until you return to your front door. How far have you had
to walk (give a count of paces)? How long did it take you to walk round the block?
2. How many different uses can you see in your block? For example, homes, offices, shops,
parks etc.
3. When you walked around the block, where did you feel safest? Why did you feel safe in
that place?
4. How easy is it to give directions to your home?
a. really easy
b. really difficult
c. something in between
5. Why did you choose that answer?

Narrate and draw your findings in a paper (8.5” x 13”). You may ask the help of your parents or
anyone in your household who can contribute to your findings.
Rubrics
Criteria Rating (%) Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Score
Ability to 50% Very detailed A detailed Significant Provided only Provided very
describe description/ description/ description/ simple short short answers
accurately explanation explanation explanation descriptions/ using less
(words) on the on majority of on 60% of the explanation than 5 words
answers to the questions questions with on the to explain.
the questions with one or 3 to 5 answers.
using two less answers less
appropriate detailed detailed.
words and answers.
phrases
Ability to 50% Drawing has Drawing has Drawings Drawings are Drawings
describe clearly illustrated the made some simply done barely show
accurately illustrated the given intent to and lacks or illustrate
(drawings) given situation but illustrate the many the given
situation and with less situation but necessary situation and
very easy to details to lacks details to look very difficult
comprehend make it easily necessary vivid. to
and visualize. understood. details to look understand.
more vivid.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W4

Module Title : Socio-Cultural Basis of Design of Communities

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 7
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Understand the importance of integrating the effects of social-cultural background of a

community in the urban design concept.

THE VALUE OF URBAN DESIGN

Many kinds of 'value' can be considered - economic, environmental, social or cultural; tangible or
intangible. The benefits (and costs) of good urban design often accrue to the wider community;
therefore, many stakeholders have an interest in what takes place at both the micro scale (street
and building design) and the macro scale (eg, patterns of land use).

The benefits urban design might offer:

▪ Good urban design can offer significant benefits to the community; conversely, poor
design can have significant adverse effects on the urban environment, society and
economy.
▪ While good urban design sometimes costs more upfront, this is not necessarily the case;
moreover, long-term costs can be avoided.
▪ Communities value the better quality of life that good urban design can deliver.
▪ Urban design can affect people's ability and willingness to undertake physical exercise:
good design can offer health benefits.
▪ Urban design can help make towns and cities safer and more secure.
▪ Urban design elements are interconnected: urban design is most effective when a number
of elements come together (eg, mixed use, density and connectivity).

The inclusiveness of urban design is both a strength and a potential weakness. By its very nature,
design is integrative. It creates relationships among things that might otherwise be considered
separate. The holistic nature of urban design reflects the multi-faceted nature of urban areas
themselves, where so many problems and potentials are interconnected. However, there is a risk
that urban design may become so all-encompassing that it lacks focus, substance or bite.
Inclusiveness poses particular difficulties if the purpose is to identify specific causes and effects.
Studies that are able to disentangle distinct effects, while holding other factors constant, are thus
particularly valuable.

Two points to be emphasized in the definition of urban design in the Urban Design Protocol. First,
while urban design's principal concern is the 'public realm' (ie, the streets, squares, parks,
buildings and other spaces to which the average person has full or partial access), it must be
emphasized that urban design does not exclude private property. Private buildings and spaces
have a significant impact on the quality of adjacent public areas. Also, privately owned spaces
such as shops and entry lobbies are often freely accessible to passers-by. As a result, public and
private spaces are better thought of as a continuum than entirely distinct.

A second feature of urban design is a concern for physical elements and spatial relationships.
This focus keeps urban design firmly grounded in a tangible, three-dimensional world: a place
that is experienced through sight and sound, and sometimes through the tactile qualities of

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 8
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

materials and details. This emphasis does not discount people, their behaviour, the significance
of collaboration and participation in the urban design process, or even the meanings people attach
to places. But it does stress that most of the impacts of urban design flow essentially from tangible,
physical characteristics.

(Reference: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41289-018-0070-3)

What is good urban design?

• demonstrates design excellence in urban development and architecture

• distributes benefits widely in the population
• produces environmental benefits
• responds to local features and needs
• is relevant to the contemporary world
• leaves open the possibility for continuing adaptation and change
• forges connections with the past.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD PLACE?

“Urban Design is the art of making places.” - Cowan, R (2000). Placecheck: a user’s guide. UDAL
(The Urban Design Alliance)

Urban Design is the relationship between different buildings; the relationship between buildings
and streets, squares, parks and waterways and other spaces which make up the public domain;
the nature and quality of the public domain itself; the relationship of one part of a village, town or
city, with other parts; and the patterns of movements and activity which are thereby established:
in short, “the complex relationships between all the elements of built and unbuilt space”. -
Department of the Environment (1997) Planning Policy Guidance Note 1: General policy and
principles. Stationery Office

“Urban Design is about the built environment [providing] its users with an essentially democratic
setting, enriching their opportunities by maximising the degree of choice available to them.” -
Bentley, Ian et al (1985) Responsive Environments. Architectural Press

Good qualities in urban design are achieved through urban design principles.

▪ Permeability - A desirable characteristic of a place is the ease with which one can move
through and get to other locations. Such places are therefore integrated physically or
connected to their surrounding areas.
▪ Vitality - Places that are vibrant, safe, comfortable, varied, fun, and active.
▪ Variety - A successful place also offers a mix of activities to the widest range of possible
users.
▪ Legibility - A successful and legible development is a place that has a clear image and is
easy to understand.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 9
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

▪ Robustness - A desirable quality of a development is to create a place which can be used

for many different purposes by different people and can change and adapt for different
uses

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W5

Module Title : Historical Background Aesthetics/ Community Architecture

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Understand the importance of integrating the effects of historical background of a

community in the urban design concept.

LOCAL CHARACTER

Definition: the distinctive identity of a particular place that results from the interaction of many
factors, including built form, people, activity and history. Urban design that respects and supports
local character can reinforce a sense of identity among residents, and encourage them to help
actively manage their neighbourhood, and offer people meaningful choices between very
distinctive places, whose differences they value.

Local character is one of the generators of urban design.

▪ Good urban design includes "responsiveness to important qualities in the urban and
landscape context as well as valuable historical characteristics".
▪ One of the first principles of urban design is to "[promote] character in townscape and
landscape by responding to and reinforcing locally distinctive patterns of development and
culture".
▪ Sustainable urban design "respects and enhances existing cultural heritage and
communities". It produces "distinctive places" that "foster a strong sense of community,
pride, social equity, integration and identity".

In recognising the importance of character, urban design also acknowledges that it is beneficial
for places to have different physical and social characteristics. The value derives from
distinctiveness itself. In this sense, character can be distinguished from the individual attributes
that constitute it: density, connectivity, scale, use. While each of these qualities may be
advantageous in its own way, 'character' describes the additional benefit that results when such
qualities combine to create an easily recognisable identity. So, character results from an amalgam
of features, and combines built form with the people and activities that occupy a particular location.

Urban design needs to keep pace with evolution in order to remain responsive to "new cultural,
technical or economic pressures". Several authorities suggest that overly restrictive design
controls, especially those that require particular stylistic solutions, are inappropriate because they

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 10
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

inhibit the evolution of architecture's expression of contemporary culture and, as such, are
detrimental to cultural development.

NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER

Though place-specific identities may be defined at city-wide or even regional levels, support for
local character is strongest at the scale of individual neighbourhoods. Indeed, it is possible to
describe 'neighbourhood character' as the prime example of this design principle.

Neighbourhood character is important because urban neighbourhoods, as well as being functional

units, provide an important source of "identity" or "meaning" for their residents. The availability of
local areas and the ability of people to personalise at the group and individual level will help them
to establish group identity and express their preferences, perform their proper activities and create
noticeable differences and complexity in the cities. These deliberately made differences help
people to orient themselves within cities. By reinforcing the cultural differences between one
locality and another, variations in character increase opportunities for self-expression and make
available a wider range of experiences.

Neighbourhoods counteract the "gigantism" of the metropolis, and "protect" their residents from
the "hazards and inconveniences of the city". In other words, the neighbourhood mediates
between the individual and the metropolis, making urban life more attractive. This effect is
supported by the "implicit belief that localism and smallness are associated with higher quality of
life". So, a recognisable neighbourhood has the potential to provide "a small town feeling" even
in the largest city.

A strong sense of neighbourhood identity encourages residents to become more actively involved
in managing the urban environment. The neighbourhood is "a vehicle for strengthening bonds
between residents and those between them and their environment". "[Neighbourhoods] facilitate
people's participation in the management of their residential environment." "Understanding the
local significance of the historic environment is by definition a collaborative endeavor." The distinct
character of places is a "shared concern" and, as a result, decision-makers must have access to
a "shared knowledge base" created by local communities as well as specialists.

It is possible that neighbourhood character has diminished in importance with the growth of
personal mobility and other forms of communication. These innovations have created "more
heterogeneous" communities that may be less distinctive from one another because of their
polyglot composition. In addition, communities of interest have substituted for many place-based
relationships. The decline in neighbourhood significance can be reversed by clever urban design.
Referring to 'New Urbanist' creations, "The assumption that neighborly looking streets and spaces
will generate community life runs through New Urbanist literature ...

However, a contrary view is advanced by other authors who argue that, "a strong sense of
community [still] exists in well-defined city neighbourhoods". Jane Jacobs contends that: "even
the most urbane citizens do care about the atmosphere of the street and district where they live"
and "depend greatly on their neighbourhoods for the kind of everyday life they have". The
continued relevance of neighbourhoods and neighbourhood character may help to explain why
two independent studies found that people place more importance on the quality and appearance
of their neighbourhood than they do on their own homes. It also suggests that an enduring

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 11
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

preference for clearly defined neighbourhoods accounts for the popularity of the neo-traditionalist
and New Urbanist planning movements.

An interesting objection to local character is that it promotes social segregation, particularly when
differences between one neighbourhood and another reflect spending patterns. Because "[n]ot all
[citizens] ... are part of this consuming society" the commercial component of neighbourhood
character can encourage "new forms of social exclusion". However, such exclusionary differences
are not necessarily commonplace.

HERITAGE CHARACTER

Heritage provides a second important source of character. However, the importance of

architectural heritage and, more generally, the value of 'old buildings', are recurring themes in
urban design. Historic buildings make "a great contribution to the character, diversity and sense
of identity of urban areas". This attribute implies more than a memorable or attractive appearance.
According to Gathorne-Hardy, built heritage is also an important repository of knowledge:

... the historic environment shapes how we live our lives as individuals, households and
communities. It represents a truly invaluable storehouse of information, knowledge and
understanding about why people and places are like they are and offers insights into what
they could become.

Respect for local character may lead to more responsible use of non-renewable resources. The
historic fabric of the built environment is "an incalculable mass of material and energy to be
conserved and re-used with care". Conservation is more likely if new development acknowledges
existing settlement patterns.

Historic buildings, and in fact nearly all older buildings regardless of their historic affiliations,
provide a richness of character, texture and human scale that is unlikely to be repeated often in
new development. They help characterize many neighborhoods of the city, and establish
landmarks and focal points that contribute to the city pattern.

FACILITATING REDEVELOPMENT

Designing in sympathy with local character may facilitate the introduction of more compact
dwelling types that could otherwise encounter resistance from host communities. New housing is
more likely to be accepted by neighbours and purchasers if its layout and design acknowledge
local building traditions. "[Housing designs] that reflect local traditions also enhance the value of

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 12
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

higher-density developments. Projects that fit their surrounding are an easier sell - both to local
officials and consumers - than those that seem out of context." According to these writers,
acknowledging local patterns is particularly important for affordable housing projects in suburban
locations. In this context: "Higher-density developments gain better acceptance to the extent that
they resemble modestly sized versions of single-family homes found throughout the community."

CONCLUSION

Good urban design supports local character. When urban neighbourhoods possess distinctive
physical and social characteristics, the residents benefit from a clearer sense of personal identity,
and may be more inclined to become actively involved in managing the environment. Evidence
suggests that characterful neighbourhoods are valued by their inhabitants. People may even be
prepared to pay more to live in such locations. Historic buildings and precincts containing older
buildings provide a particularly strong local image. These areas seem to have special appeal to
small high-tech enterprises and footloose knowledge-workers of the New Economy. Increasingly,
people appreciate having access to a range of distinctly different places. This preference appears
to be part of a more widespread demand for a greater choice of commodities, work patterns and
lifestyles. Urban design supports choice by maintaining or enhancing the features that make one
place different from another. Taken together, these benefits mean that it is easier to promote or
'brand' cities and regions that have within them very distinct localities.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W6

Module Title : Orientation & Identity in Community Architecture

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Improve the sense of spatial order, scale, function, and history in relation to understanding
the urban design and community architecture problems.

GREAT PLACES

What happens when people do venture outside? A lack of sidewalks and safe places to cross
streets discourages walking or bicycling; where sidewalks exist, the surrounding environment is
usually so uninteresting that no one wants to use them anyway. Blank walls and bleak landscapes
are best viewed from a speeding car rather than on foot. Equally dull parks lie fallow much of the
time. In short, in most of our communities "there's no 'there' there," as Gertrude Stein said.

No wonder people drive instead, especially in the typical suburb, where sprawling developments
and the lack of accessible public spaces and parks require adults to do errands via car and
chauffeur children to activities. And so, we've ended up with vehicle-dominated metropolitan
areas and a crisis in traffic congestion.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 13
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Creating places can provide the rationale for a range of solutions to foster health and livability.
Making towns and neighborhood centers more navigable for walkers and bikers may promote
physical and social activity - but it will not be a fruitful activity unless this accessibility is linked to
great places. Who wants to use streets, sidewalks and bike trails that don't go anywhere?

"Great" places are valued by and accessible to everyone in a community: parks for recreation,
play, and relaxation; streets and sidewalks where neighbors meet and people can shop, jog and
stroll; farmers markets with fresh produce and other goods. They are also the "front porches" of
public institutions: city halls, libraries, schools, and post offices. These places must be situated
so that people can conveniently reach them on foot or by transit. Psychologically, thriving public
spaces give residents a strong sense of community, and promote the kinds of familiarity and social
bonds that make neighborhoods safer and healthier. They are critical to livable cities and healthy
communities - and unfortunately, they are all too rare.

ACCESS AND LINKAGES

According to the Department of Transportation, 25 percent of all trips are less than a mile, but 75
percent of those trips are made by car. That 75 percent could be reduced if the design of
neighborhoods facilitated other forms of transportation. Instead, communities are built on streets
too wide to cross comfortably, traffic that moves too quickly, and an absence or lack of sidewalks,
crosswalks, and bike lanes. Access means a truly public space: one that is available and easy to
reach for people of all incomes and backgrounds - who do not have to pay to use it. It is a critical
factor, since public spaces are one of our most democratic institutions.

Lively, pedestrian-friendly downtowns with a mixture of stores, merchants, services and public
spaces. Residential streets encourage slow-moving traffic so that people can come out of their
homes to talk, walk, play on the sidewalks, and shop.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 14
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Institutions that people visit regularly are situated together, making it more convenient to
accomplish tasks and participate in activities.

Sidewalks and crosswalks make it easier and safer to walk to libraries, schools, laundromats,
local shops, or downtown retail areas

USES AND ACTIVITIES

A beautifully designed space is not worth anything if people don't use it. A community-based
planning process lets all the stakeholders - including residents, city agencies, local leaders and
merchants - define what goes on in a place. When ideas come from the ground up, not the top
down, the events, programs, recreation, and play areas in a public space are truly connected to
the communities that use them. In addition, partnerships among local organizations, merchant’s
associations, and government agencies act as new sources of ideas for activities and help a
public space become a true "community place." Planning for uses and activities in this way
promotes sustainability and use, and therefore activity.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 15
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Schoolyards that give students better places to play, and allow for a diverse range of activities for
all community residents after school hours.

Playgrounds and recreation facilities that kids can walk or bike to and make it home safely.

COMFORT AND IMAGE

Places that are designed to be appealing, enjoyable, and convenient provide an incentive to
getting people out and about - they become attractions, like a shady shopping street with benches
and good sidewalks, or a park that supports a range of active and passive uses. Shade trees,
comfortable places to sit, water fountains, waste receptacles, good views, adequate (but not
overbearing) lighting: All of these amenities make people feel good about being in a public space.
Unfortunately, in unattractive neighborhoods where vehicles dominate, there is a stigma to simply
walking down the street. Creating places that attract people will remove this stigma.

Parks and public squares full of activities, concerts, and events, with amenities that draw people
and families regularly, such as barbecue pits; clean, accessible bathrooms; interesting play areas;
food kiosks; water fountains; ponds; sculpture; and movable seating.

SOCIABILITY

Like physical activity, research has shown that sociability can play a role in alleviating depression,
which is strongly linked to isolation and disconnectedness. It can draw people out of the house
and into community life - and it is the critical identifier of every great public space. Sociability is
measured by public displays of affection, diversity, volunteerism, even people taking pictures and
pointing out neighborhood monuments and special features.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 16
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

great public spaces - destinations that encourage physical activity and draw people together
socially - can play a significant role in turning around the decline in public health.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W7

Module Title : Creating and Identifying the Sense of Place and Sense of Time

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Understand the setting and meaning of a place.

▪ Identify the components of a “sense of place” or place attachment.
▪ Create a place identity for a community and develop the connection and relationship
between people and place.

CREATING AND IDENTIFYING THE SENSE OF PLACE

One reason that cities and towns routinely fail at creating active social environments is that the
community is not involved in establishing a vision for the place from the outset. Instead, officials,
designers and planners use a project-based approach, whereby they deem what is wrong with a
street, park or other public space, and make the necessary "improvements" without truly
consulting the community in what they might want to see or do there. On the other hand, a
community-based approach involves a broad cross-section of residents and other local leaders
in defining the project from the start. This not only provides a prime opportunity to gather local
knowledge and ideas for creating a successful place, but it also fosters the natural stewardship,
in-kind donations and partnerships that contribute to that success.

For these solutions to be successful, they need to go farther and incorporate two critical factors.
For one thing, the design of communities should focus on creating social, public places -
destinations that are accessible in a multitude of ways. In addition, communities should be

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 17
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

involved from the outset in planning and design, making changes, and generating a vision for a
place.

Benefits of “PLACE”

• Builds and supports the local Economy

o small-scale entrepreneurship
o more quality goods available
o higher real estate values
o local ownership, local value
o more desirable jobs
o increased currency velocity
o greater tax revenue
o less need for municipal services
• Nurtures and defines community identity
o greater community organization
o sense of pride and volunteerism
o perpetuation of integrity and values
o “mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon”
o less need for municipal control
o self-managing
• Fosters frequent and meaningful contact
o improves sociability
o more cultural exposure, interaction
o exchanges and preserves information, wisdom, values
o supports barter system
o reduces race and class barriers
o feeling of interconnection
• Creates improved accessibility
o more walkable
o safe for pedestrians
o compatible with public transit
o reduces need for cars and parking
o more efficient use of time and money
o greater connections between uses
• Promotes sense of comfort
o visually pleasing
o generally stimulating
o sense of belonging
o greater security
o better environmental quality
o feeling of freedom
• Draws a diverse population
o more women, elderly, and children
o greater ethnic and cultural pluralism
o encourages a range of activities and uses
o new service, retail, and customer niches
o variation and character in built environment

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 18
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

o encourages community creativity

CONNECTIVITY

Definition: the physical conditions facilitating access within a region, city, town or neighbourhood.
Well-connected cities, towns and neighbourhoods can enhance people's safety and security by
encouraging surveillance, encourage more walking and cycling, leading to health benefits, and
reduce vehicle emissions through fewer cars being used for non-work trips.

The physical conditions that give access are a combination of urban structure (with connectivity
being a key factor), quality of space, and the relative proximity of activities and destinations. Some
urban design literature and research focuses on connections at the scale of the region and city.
However, most relates to connectivity of the neighbourhood structure. The following discussion
covers both these areas of research, with greater focus on the latter. Another kind of connectivity
considered in the literature is that between the public and private realm, at the level of individual
site development. Research canvassed here relates to safety.

Regional and city-wide considerations:

The real estate agent's insistence on the importance of 'location, location, location' is supported
by the research on accessibility and connectivity. Competitive cities tend to have high transport
connectivity, both externally (to other regions and cities) and internally. This facilitates efficient
access, for both individuals and organisations, underpinning economic activity.

Sources indicate that the economic value of land is influenced by the relative location of various
activities, and better connections and accessibility will enhance the value of a location relative to
others. Distribution-type businesses place a particular premium on accessibility, and will be
attracted by peripheral or city fringe locations because of the congestion suffered by some city
centres.

Neighbourhood connectivity and its impact on walking and cycling:

The evidence shows that a well-connected network of neighbourhood streets encourages walking
and cycling. People are generally willing to walk or cycle a limited distance to reach a destination,
and a relatively well-connected (or 'fine-grained') network of streets allows a greater range of
destinations to be within comfortable walking or cycling distance from any point in the
neighbourhood. Internal connectivity, therefore, can dramatically shorten walking distances and
provide convenient foot and cycle access to recreational and community facilities.

People might change their long-distance travel and commuting habits if the built environment
provides opportunities for mode change, but are more likely to increase the amount of time they
spend walking or cycling to local destinations.

Quality of public space and walkability:

To provide connections that simply allow through-access for pedestrians is insufficient. A

considerable weight of evidence indicates that there must also be attention to the quality of those
connections if they are to attract use. A high-quality environment increases the likelihood that

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 19
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

people will walk, to work or anywhere else. One condition is that connections "must be visible,
otherwise only people who already know the area can take advantage of them." Moderate
physical activity is increased most efficiently in environments where traffic calming strategies both
reduce traffic speeds and create conditions that encourage walking and cycling. At the same time,
quality spaces and routes enhance enjoyment and quality of life. Other research also supports
the converse claim: that activity is discouraged where there are poor footpaths and bad lighting,
and a perceived lack of safety, both from accident and crime, and particularly for women and
children. The importance of safety - both perceived and actual - is emphasised as a necessary
condition if walking is to be encouraged.

Connectivity and health:

There is strong evidence of the adverse community health effects of patterns of development that
encourage excessive car use, cause pollution and lead to reductions in daily exercise.

Gains in physical activity engendered by a better designed urban environment are important. A
lack of exercise, pollution, and social isolation are all "factors which have been found to be
associated with higher mortality and morbidity in the elderly". Other research reinforces that
commuting by walking or cycling improves health outcomes, physical activity is more likely to be
adopted and sustained when it is "integrated into the routines of everyday life".

The question here, however, is how important connectivity is in fostering physical activity and
hence health gains. Viewed conservatively, where increased neighbourhood connectivity
encourages a switch from car use to other modes for commuting, there are likely to be moderate
health benefits. But connectivity is only one of several factors (including density and mixed use)
influencing neighbourhood walkabilty. In addition, people derive health benefits from being able
to walk and cycle around the local neighbourhood even if they continue to use their car for trips
at the regional scale.

More research is required to fully isolate the impact of connectivity - as distinct from the joint
impact of structure, mixed land use and density - on people's choice of transport mode.

Landscaped pathways can visually and functionally link larger open spaces to neighbourhoods.

Connectivity and safety:

Conventional wisdom suggests that restricting public access - specifically by the absence of
interconnection at the neighbourhood structure level - enhances safety. This contention may well
be influenced by Oscar Newman's theory of 'Defensible Space' and the idea of 'territoriality', but
it is not supported by recent empirical research.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 20
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

At the neighbourhood scale, patterns of burglary are strongly linked to the street structure, and
studies show that areas that are well-connected and visible have a significantly reduced risk of
burglary. Large-sample empirical studies carried out in the United Kingdom and Australia
conclusively contradict the idea that spatial segregation and separation are desirable and show
that long and complex cul-de-sac arrangements lead to an increased safety and security risk.
They also support the contention that enclosure and segregation in fact redistribute danger and
diminish people's willingness and capacity to deal with it.

This finding reflects the fact that connectivity allows people and places to benefit more from
natural surveillance, where, because of 'eyes on the street', "people feel safer and criminals feel
exposed".

The research emphasises that social factors are also relevant in understanding crime.
Furthermore, a number of macro- and micro-scale design factors have been shown to work
together in reducing vulnerability. Burglars in any area will select the most vulnerable target from
the local menu: the effects of connectivity and degree of exposure to view are only two of the
relevant factors in their choice. If there is too much connectivity, spaces may be created that
become more vulnerable due to low use and consequent reduced 'natural surveillance'. The
evidence conclusively demonstrates that "... 'access-without-use' increases risk, but access with
good potential use ... should always be created". Dwellings that adjoin pedestrian footpaths
connecting cul-de-sac heads tend to have the highest risk of burglary.

Current research and practice also maintain support for the benefits of natural surveillance
promoted by Jane Jacobs in the 1960s, and that are an important plank in Oscar Newman's
theory. A strong distinction between the public and private realm - ensuring all users of the public
environment are aware of the expectations and conventions of access to any space - remains
important. This contributes to safety and security at the level of the individual site.

Visual connections and safety:

There is conclusive evidence about the safety and security benefits of building fronts with
entrances and windows (that is, 'active edges') facing the street. This 'inter-visibility' is important,
and significantly lower burglary rates were found where houses face the entrance of other houses.
Houses with high front boundary walls were shown to be more vulnerable to burglary than those
with lower walls that allow views across. A major empirical study in the United Kingdom found
that streets characterised by active edges had a burglary rate less than a third of that on streets
with inactive frontages. It was also found that houses on streets accommodating cars and
pedestrians had a burglary rate less than half that of pedestrian-only streets.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 21
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Views from roadways that reveal major destinations or that provide overlooks of important routes
and areas of the city assist the traveler in orientation. COMMENT: Traveling north along San Jose
Avenue, the driver's position and direction are confirmed by the view of downtown across the
Mission District.

Conclusion:

Connectivity at the regional scale is necessary for cities to be economically competitive. However,
the provision of access needs to be carefully managed to ensure that peripheral connectivity does
not undermine the overall urban form, and that a net benefit for the region is achieved.

Connectivity of the neighbourhood street system is essential if walking and cycling are to be
encouraged, and the significant public health benefits of even moderate physical activity are to
be gained. An appropriately interconnected street network structure, allied with good-quality
public space design, provides conditions that encourage walking and cycling for local trips, and
leads to health benefits. Conversely, lack of connectivity is linked to vehicle dependence and
consequent significant public health risks.

Lack of connection and segregation - both of a new neighbourhood from surrounding areas, or of
a dwelling from its neighbours - is shown to have negative effects. These range from vehicle
dependence and social isolation, at the neighbourhood level, to increased risk of burglary at the
site level.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W8

Module Title : Signs and Symbols in Urban Design; Elements of Urban Design

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Know the importance of signs and symbols as a way to communicate between people and
places.
▪ Apply the basics of how signs and symbol should be integrated in the urban design
▪ Identify the elements of urban design
▪ Integrate the elements of urban design into a community architecture project.

CONCEPT OF EXTERIOR SPACE

The Visible Landscape

Visual pollution is an offense against the landscape, and thus against society – for landscape is
society’s home.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 22
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

While each small act, often committed thoughtlessly, may seem minor, the sum of these can soon
despoil the streetscape of a city.

If an object or structure serves a good and useful purpose, does not adversely affect the health,
safety, or welfare of the public, and does not detract from the quality of the landscape, then no
act of visual pollution has been committed.

Billboards and Sign

Roadway signs are designed and intended to convey information to the motorist speeding by: gas
here, food there, lodging up the road, etc. But the increasing competition for the driver’s attention
has turned the signs into swirls of conflicting graphics and verbiage. The lights cause glare, the
billboards obscure the landscape and sometimes the roadway, and the wordy messages confuse
and distract the driver. In the end, the signs fail in their purpose, to convey basic information.

▪ regulate use of roadside signs and billboards.

▪ Install scenic and historic trail markers
▪ Group informational signs into clusters
▪ Enforce building identification sign controls

Overhead Wires

Visual blight caused by utility poles and overhead lines is so obvious. All wires have to be put
underground, only for a small fraction of construction costs.

Community appearance is greatly improved if lines are buried in underground conduits – they are
out of sight, easily accessible for pulling and repair, and protected from winds, falling limbs, and
the weather.

Junk, Trash & Garbage

Mountains of waste have to be hauled away and put somewhere – all at an astronomical cost,
and all contributing to pollution in one form or another. Landfills, incineration, etc. but still with side
effects.

What can we do about our waste? – recycling or reuse is the most promising.

A new concept of solid-waste management has evolved; it assumes that man can devise a social-
technological system that will wisely control the quantity and characteristics of wastes, efficiently
collect those that must be reused, and properly dispose of those that have no further use.

Vacant Properties

Urban decay is concentrated in and around vacant properties, with their weeds, heaps of trash,
and scurrying rats. Like an open sore they soon infect the healthy tissue around them. Pride in
the neighborhood fades; people and enterprises move away; property values drop; and
dilapidation spreads.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 23
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

▪ require protection and upkeep/maintenance

▪ remove derelicts
▪ put the vacant properties to use.

Views and Viewing

Take advantage of the scenic opportunities that exist within any metropolitan area, it may be
visually transformed into a place of wonder and delight.

▪ Develop the scenic possibilities of existing roadways.

▪ Consider the visual aspects of new street and highway alignments
▪ Reveal and enframe the major vistas.
▪ Develop an urban parkway system (arterial circulation through areas of intensive
development should be by controlled-access parkways)
▪ Create gateways to the cities (approaches can be designed as portals of startling
beauty)
▪ Provide parks and open spaces. (public open spaces may be lavish or large
enough to be significant; midblock plazas and throughways open the city wide to
pedestrian use and add visual delight; a single tree can create an oasis- such oases within
the desertlike expanses of pavement and masonry provide refreshment to the city dweller
and enrich the urban landscape)

Open space and landscaping can give neighborhoods an identity, a visual focus and a center for
activity.

Paths of Movement

Our living landscape is composed of ways and places. Ways are the paths of movement of people
and vehicles while places are activity centers where people work, learn, worship, and relax.

Streets & Highways

The streets of a city are lines of concentrated activity where ways and places are combined and
where life and movement are intensified.

Planning of streets, it is important that:

▪ All functions be considered and interrelated

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 24
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

▪ Movement of vehicles be accommodated to provide safe and convenient access

▪ Walkways and open spaces upon which the buildings face are suitably planted and
furnished with all the amenities that can contribute so much pleasure to city life.

Create new public squares and plazas.

Construct waterfront parks.

Waterfront development that maximizes Finger piers create a greater variety of Commercial and residential uses oriented
the interface between land and water possible ways to experience the water toward the water and designed to create
increases the opportunities for public and the city. varied public spaces can add visual
access to the water's edge. interest to the waterfront.

Other strategies:

▪ Plan a series of small parklets on narrow, vacant, city lots

▪ Line the streets with shade and flowering trees
▪ Install attractive street and area lighting
▪ Furnish the streets for the city dweller’s convenience, comfort, and enjoyment (benches,
planters, drinking fountains, waste receptacles, and good-looking graphics; canopies or
shelters at transit stops, well-designed magazine and flower stalls and telephone booths;
sculpture, murals, fountains and night illuminations)
▪ Consider the use of handsome walk pavements
▪ Screen the parking areas
▪ Regulate commercial signs
▪ Initiate design controls
▪ Encourage area improvement

ORNAMENT AND DECORATION

“all development should be judged as an attempt to decorate the city”

“urban development results from consideration of such practical matters as function, use,
economic location, and available finance.”

“having solved the practicalities of development, the ultimate criterion for evaluating any addition
to the city is whether that increment decorates the city.”

Definitions:

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 25
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Ornament and Decoration - ways in which the main elements within the city are arranged to form
a pleasing and memorable pattern.

Both words mean embellishments.

Ornament has more formal overtones – the architectural work associated with certain architectural
styles or the work of individual architects; installation of sculpture, fountains, obelisks and similar
features into the urban scene.

Decoration is used to describe populist activities.

▪ placing of gnomes in the front garden.

▪ Topiary work
▪ Decorating the city for festivals

Primary Role:

a. unifying parts of the city into comprehensive wholes.

b. emphasize and clarify the five components (by Lynch) and so strengthen the city’s image
and enhance its attraction for citizen and visitor.
c. contribution to formal qualities of the city such as visual order or unity, proportion, scale,
contrast, balance and rhythm.

Functions:

a. to go beyond the decoration of individual buildings and to enrich the decorative themes of
a locality.
b. To enhance the physical, social and spiritual qualities of location
c. To develop the “legibility” and “imageability” of the city. (a legible city can be easily
visualized in the minds eye, having a clearly defined, easily recognized, and distinctive
perceptual structure.)

Ornaments of a city:

a. streets and squares

b. parks, waterways, and its main buildings
c. sculpture and fountains
d. public building location
e. items of street furniture (telephone boxes, railings, signs, seats)
f. soft landscape features (trees and shrubs)
g. all objects in the street (whether utilitarian or not, they are things to be seen and part of an
organic whole)

Decoration for Visual Pleasure

“ornament and decoration have the capacity to unleash feelings, trigger reactions, feed the
memory and stimulate the imagination.”

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 26
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

“decoration is an activity that gives visual pleasure. It is properly enjoyed for its own sake, for its
sensuous and immediate pleasure of visual complexity.”

The aesthetic and visual appeal of decoration depends upon four factors:

▪ the quality of the space which is both the setting for the decoration and which in turn is
enhanced by it.
▪ The physical form and the pattern of decoration
▪ Circumstances under which the decoration is seen (for instance, weather conditions
particularly the quality of light)
▪ The perceptual framework of the observer (his or her mood, how she or he sees, and what
has been seen before)

Physical Variables of Decoration:

Unity

Environment to have an understandable simple pattern of signs and clues.

Establishment of centres or places (proximity), directions or paths (continuity) and areas or

districts (enclosure).

Proportion

Some central idea, a visual element or group of related elements should dominate the whole
composition. In urban design, the dominant may be the main town square around which the main
civic buildings are arranged.

Dominance of one decorative theme: the repetition of roof materials, pitch, skyline, ridge, the
consistent use of floorscape materials and patterning, and the choice of street fittings.

Scale

Relationship of buildings and urban space to the size of a human being. Visual qualities of urban
space and its architectural envelope and the act of healing or making the city whole are both
closely related to the correct scaling of the urban landscape.

Harmony

All elements conform to certain ratios which relate continuously to all other ratios.

City must be experienced to be appreciated, it is to be experienced by all senses: sounds, smells

and texture is important – the cool sound of a fountain spray or sonorous distant smell, the smell
of garlic, hot chocolate and gauloise cigarettes on Parisienne streets, the rising heat from sunny
pavements, or chilly dark shadows in distant alleyways.

Balance and Symmetry

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 27
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Visually well adjusted. A simple pair of scales is used as an analogue for balance in design.
Symmetry is the balance of formal axial buildings. Formal symmetrical decoration is best viewed
from the central axis.

Rhythm

Rhythm is a basic characteristic of our nature; a pattern imposed by the mind – children in the
dark, listening to the tick-tock of the clock magically turn the sounds into a rhythmic beat.

Rhythm in architecture is the product of the grouping of elements, of emphasis, interval, accent
and direction. It is the sense of movement by the articulation of the members making up the
composition.

Contrast

Good design should avoid monotony, and therefore it should have interest and accent. Contrast
have to be kept within proportion to avoid perceptual overload. Contrast of horizontals from the
verticals; contrast of form and antiform of buildings and space, of street and square, soft and hard
landscape, or colour and texture.

Transit routes, stops and transfer points can be more easily Attractive, easily seen symbols at bus stops that indicate the
understood and remembered if they are distinctively identified type of service and the route can facilitate use of the transit
by signs, landscaping and illumination. system.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W9

Module Title : MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Examination/Assessment:

Mid-term Assessment Activity: The Power of 10+

The Power of 10+ is a concept developed to evaluate and facilitate Placemaking at multiple city
scales. It is a powerful tool for generating constructive conversations to identify targeted
Placemaking efforts. Cities succeed or fail at the human scale – the place scale – and this scale

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 28
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

is often overlooked. The Power of 10+ shows how paying attention to the human experience when
building a city’s destinations and districts can have immediate and widespread impacts.

The idea behind this concept is that places thrive when users have a range of reasons (10+) to
be there. These might include a place to sit, playgrounds to enjoy, art to touch, music to hear,
food to eat, history to experience, and people to meet. Ideally, some of these activities will be
unique to that particular place, reflecting the culture and history of the surrounding community.
Local residents who use this space most regularly will be the best source of ideas for which uses
will work best.

Further, when cities contain at least 10 of these destinations or districts, their public perception
begins to shift amongst both locals and tourists, and urban centers can become better equipped
for generating resilience and innovation.

Whenever this idea is introduced to a community, citizens quickly become more motivated to turn
their places around. The Power of 10+ offers an easy framework that encourages residents and
stakeholders to revitalize urban life, and it shows big things can be accomplished by starting at
the smallest scale. The concept also gives people incremental and tangible goals, and it helps
them to visualize, and collectively work towards, a truly great end result.

It is the role of Placemakers to encourage everyone to think about what’s special in their
communities. How many quality places are located nearby, and how are they connected? Are
there places that should be recognized but aren’t? Answering these questions can help residents
and stakeholders determine where they need to focus their energies, both individually and
collectively.

1. Spend time walking around a chosen site/neighbourhood (Your intended urban

area/district for your final project).
2. Ask people in the area to identify what attracts them to that area:
3. Make a list of 10 existing drawcards to that area. Photographs or sketches might be helpful
in properly illustrating those 10 places.
a. 10 destination points which attracts people to visit.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 29
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

b. Explain why those 10 places have been identified.

c. Provide 10 things that are beautiful about those destination points/places. This
could be a texture, a view, a building, a pavement or a talent or skill of a community
member. Tip: The 'beauty' may not be a physical object. It might also be a sound,
a skill or talent or a smell. Use all of your senses.
d. Provide 10 activities which can be done in each of those 10 places, including
something unique in that place, say fiesta or community celebrations.
4. Think about how these existing beauties could be further enhanced. Identify new potential
drawcards where your project could add value.

Narrate and post pictures or the sketch of your findings in a paper (8.5” x 13”).
Rubrics
Criteria Rating (%) Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Score
Ability to identify 30% Very thorough Completely Identified Very simple Very
comprehensively and identified appropriate observations common
qualities of urban comprehensive appropriate qualities with made on qualities were
places (words) identification of qualities one or two qualities observed
qualities simple with majority
observations insignificant.
Ability to deeply 40% Provided deep Made some Simple Very simple Little attempt
analyze and analysis of thorough analysis was observations to do some
come up with conditions and analysis of done and were made analysis and
recommendations coming up with conditions solutions are and some solutions
based on very viable and and solutions acceptable. solutions are presented
previous readings imaginative presented too simple. were very
(words) solutions are good. simple and
common.
Ability to present 30% Materials have Materials Materials Materials are Materials
accurately clearly illustrate or have some simply done barely show
(presentation illustrated the show the intent to and or illustrate
materials: given situation given illustrate the presentation the given
pictures or and very situation with situation but is not very situation and
sketches) cretive. some simply organized. very
creativity. presented. disorganized.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W10

Module Title : The Image of the City; Responsive Environment

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Know how a city should look, what are the components of a city.
▪ Identify the elements of a city and give examples.
▪ Design cities integrating the five elements.
▪ Know and understand the necessary activities needed for a physical environment.
▪ Understand how design affects people’s choices.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 30
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Urban design qualities are abstract theoretical concepts. Designing to ensure the inclusion of a
particular quality means adopting some kind of rule or ‘urban design principle’.

When applying design principles to a particular part of town we must always place them in the
broader context of that town.

The principles are not rigid and are not to be followed slavishly. In real situations some may have
to be adjusted in order to benefit the largest number of people.

Good design results from a consideration of the widest range of concerns and issues -
imaginative, creative resolution of potential conflicts.

Here are the urban design qualities which demonstrates the specific characteristics that make for
comprehensible, friendly and controllable places and which are also referred to as responsive
environments by Ian Bentley:

(Reference: Bentley, Ian, etal. (2005). Responsive Environments. Architectural Press)

1. Permeability - movement and connections

A desirable characteristic of a place is how easy it is to get to and move through. Places should
also be integrated physically or connected to their surrounding areas.

A successful movement system:

a. provides the maximum amount of choice for how people will make their journey
b. takes fully into account all modes of movement: by foot, by cycle, by public transport and
by car (in that order of importance)
c. makes clear connections to existing roads and facilities.

One of the main advantages of having connected streets is that users have more choices of route
when making their journeys. There should also be clear connections to other existing streets and
facilities.

In making connections all types of movements from pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles have to be
taken into account. Where possible connections should emphasize sustainable modes of
transport over individual car use. (This issue can be linked to ecological issues as it suits the
school curriculum. Discussion can also include transportation as an integrated part of the street
system and development of traffic reduction schemes such as traffic calming, Park & Ride, etc.)

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 31
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

A well-designed site has a network of connected spaces and routes for pedestrians, cyclists, and
vehicles. A network, where possible, should:

▪ encourage walking, cycling and using public transport as an attractive alternative to

travelling by car. (Public transport should be an integral part of the street system.)
▪ minimise walking distances to local facilities.

A well-designed movement system should contribute to the development of small blocks: areas
of land entirely surrounded by public routes within or beyond the site.

Large block size decreases permeability. Perimeter block development

Perimeter blocks: connected streets form plots of land designated for building and other uses. A
building usually has two faces: the public face is the front of the building which usually faces the
street, and is where the entrances are; the private face is usually the back of the building and
faces the inside of the block. Where this layout exists, it is known as perimeter block development,
and its benefit is that the building’s public face overlooks the street, making it more safe and
secure.

Permeability must be considered early in any planning or development process because streets
are the most permanent element of any built environment. Ancient street patterns, including
Roman roads, can still be identified in many historic cities such as Oxford.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 32
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

2. Vitality

Places that are vibrant, active, safe, comfortable, varied, and fun are said to have vitality.

Questions that can lead into the discussion:

▪ what makes a successful place?

▪ what are the places you like and why?

Go back to the list previously made in your midterm assessment of what makes successful and
attractive places, this is likely to include places that are lively, active and safe, all elements
contributing to a place’s vitality.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 33
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

▪ Places are more active when they have windows and doors which connect to the street
rather than blank facades.
▪ Places feel safer with buildings overlooking them. Living spaces above shops will
encourage evening activities on city streets because the streets are overlooked and feel
safer.

Places which create a sense of vitality have active edges (discussed under robustness). Inactive
edges are blank walls, ill-placed entrances, tunnels, places where you don’t feel safe, which are
not overlooked.

Consumer demand is closely related to the economic success of a place. Variety of uses is, in its
turn, closely linked to the numbers of consumers attracted to the area and, therefore, to its vitality
and success.

3. Variety / Diversity - the spice of life

A successful place also offers a mix of activities to the widest range of possible users. Variety /
Mixed Use may be appropriate at different scales from global to local environments - village, town
or city, within a neighbourhood or a street, or in a single structure.

The most connected streets usually have a wider variety of uses because they are easier to get
to and more people go there.

Variety is desirable because it provides a choice of activities for a wider range of people, things
to do and places to go, making the place more exciting.

Variety / Mixed Use may be appropriate at different scales from global to local environments:
village, town or city; within a neighbourhood or a street; or in a single structure.

Benefits of mixed development (from the Urban Design Compendium, 2000):

▪ More convenient access to facilities

▪ Travel-to-work congestion is minimised
▪ Greater opportunities for social interaction

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 34
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

▪ Socially diverse communities

▪ Visual stimulation and delight of different buildings within close
▪ proximity
▪ A greater feeling of safety, with ‘eyes on streets’
▪ Greater energy efficiency and more efficient use of space and buildings
▪ More consumer choice of lifestyle, location & building type
▪ Urban vitality & street life
▪ Increased viability of urban facilities and support for small business
▪ (such as corner shops)

Mixed use developments are more successful in higher density areas.

Mixed use development works well in higher densities because there are more people to support
the variety of activities.

Get the mix right! A successful mix of use results when the uses are compatible and interact with
each other positively. A successful mix is achieved when uses create a balanced community with
a range of services, without increasing the need for the car.

• Narrow plot frontages allow small scale shopping and commercial activities to flourish.
• Big shared structures such as superstores or multiplex cinemas can be wrapped by small
plot units to create active frontages.
• To promote social inclusion, social housing is not distinguishable from private housing by
its design or its location in less desirable sites.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 35
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

4. Legibility

A successful and 'legible' development is a place that has a clear image and is easy to
understand.

Kevin Lynch, a well-respected and often-quoted American planner, identified five features which
create this kind of place. These are paths, nodes, landmarks, districts, and edges.

Though these elements are abstractions, being aware of the contributions to the issue of legibility
should help you, as a designer, to focus on the type of physical forms worth creating in a
development as well as helping to analyse key features in a proposed development.

(Reference: Lynch, K (1960). The Image of the City. MIT Press)

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 36
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Paths

• The channels of movement: alleys; streets; motorways; railways.

• Structural and organising qualities.
• Directional quality.
• Defined by various clues (tree-lined avenues, landmarks).
• Develop the site to enhance existing views and vistas and create new ones.

Edges

• Linear elements which are not paths (rivers, elevated motorways, walls of buildings.
• Continuity and visibility are important with an edge.
• Edges as unifying seams.
• Directional quality.
• Well-designed corners enhance legibility by creating visual interest and contributing to a
distinctive identity.
• Legibility can be improved through detailing and quality of materials.

Landmarks

• Points of reference which most people experience from the outside.

• Individual and local character.
• Isolated or in groups.

Nodes

• Considered focal places such as junctions of paths and roads from roundabout to market
squares.
• Could be introvert or extrovert.

Districts

• A medium to large section of the city recognisable as having some particular identifying
character.
• Defined by soft or hard boundaries.
• Activity-bound districts.

5. Robustness

A place’s ability to be used for many different purposes by different people, or its potential for
change and adaptation for different uses is known as robustness – this is a desirable quality.

A desirable quality of a development is if it can be used for many different purposes by different
people, and can change and adapt for different uses. Robustness is important to outdoors as well
as indoors, but design implications for buildings differ from those for outdoor places.

A robust place, whether outdoors or indoors, has a potential variety of uses.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 37
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

A robust building’s function can change over time. The whole building can take on a new use. For
example, an industrial warehouse can become new office space or a small space within a building
can change use, such as a garage into a sitting room.

Robust buildings should provide active edges.

Robust Buildings: Buildings are distinguished between large-scale and small-scale robustness.

• Large-scale robustness concerns the ability of the buildings as a whole or large parts of
them to be changed in use.
• Small-scale robustness concerns the ability of specific spaces within the building to
change to accommodate a wide range of activities.

Three key factors support long term robustness:

• building depth: the majority of building uses require natural light and ventilation
• Access: all buildings need some link to the outside world
• building height: the upper floors of tall buildings have restricted outside links.

Active and Passive Areas - some activities within a building may Robust outdoor places are designed so that various activities
benefit from being able to extend outward into the adjacent can take place in and around them.
outdoor space. Other indoor activities may contribute by visual
contact. These are active areas. The design implication of this
is that the ground floor of buildings should be occupied by active
areas

For example, Oxford’s Gloucester Green has an open square, shops and cafes with outdoor
seating, is used as a market on certain days and also has a bus station.

Microclimate - the design of public space should take into account the microclimate.

The layout and massing of development should respond to the local climate conditions: daylight;
sunlight; wind; temperature; and heat pockets.

Considerations:

• building orientation
• degree of enclosure
• protection from wind, down draughts, or tall buildings.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 38
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

A robust place utilises climatic conditions such as daylight, sunlight, wind, etc, to its advantage in
order to exploit the orientation of buildings.

Natural vegetation such as trees and bushes are included in such developments to act as filters
for pollution and sunlight during summer but to allow sunlight through in winter.

Outdoor spaces

There are public and private outdoor spaces.

Private outdoor spaces, usually within the perimeter block, Public outdoor spaces are more complex to design. They can
greatly increase the robustness of the surrounding buildings, i.e. capitalise on the active elements already located on the ground
housing. floors of the surrounding buildings and should enable a variety
of activities to co-exist in the public realm without inhibiting each
other.

Vehicular Activity and Pedestrian Activity - usually a major activity in the central parts of public
space is vehicular circulation. There are ways to support pedestrian use against the inhibiting
effects of vehicular circulation, e.g. traffic calming measures and shared street spaces.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W11

Module Title : Space in Urban Design, Urban Aesthetics, Urban Pattern;

Documenting the City: The System of Design and Process of
Presentation

Learning Objectives:

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 39
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Relate to public spaces and places aesthetics the attractiveness of an area and in
particular the combined effects of various elements such as the quality of the architectural
and landscape design, the quality of views and vistas, and the arrangement of elements
such as furniture in the public realm.
▪ Know and apply the parameters on how to document a city

URBAN DESIGN COMPONENTS

Urban design has three distinct components, which vary in scale. These are described below:

Urban Spatial Structure

This is urban design on a large, or macro, scale. It involves the deliberate distribution, scaling,
and combination or separation of land uses to create an integrated whole which defines the form
of the community. For example, it involves locating, linking and defining roles for activity centers,
open spaces or major transportation corridors.

Urban Beautification

This is urban design on a medium scale. This involves the landscaping or beautification of public
and private areas of the City and the defining of the relationship between the physical location of
different uses and the placement of buildings.

Urban Decoration

This is urban design on a small, or micro scale. It involves projects such as the choice of street
furniture or colored and textured pavers to decorate an area. Like urban beautification, many of
the decorating activities carried out in the renovation of areas are thought of as being urban
design, but in reality, they are simply the micro component of the overall urban design concept.
Building and site design standards are to be regulated covering standards for, building design,
setbacks, building placement, impervious coverage allotments, critical areas protection and
preservation, and natural vegetation retention. These standards all contribute to the design of
individual projects and to the overall design of the community. The City’s role in urban design is
a large and important one since the public sector has traditionally had responsibility for the open
space, transportation, utilities, and permitting portions of planning. By the same token, the concept
of overall design control on a large (i.e. “citywide”) scale is best overseen by the public sector.

THE URBAN SPACE

Space is a complex word.

Architectural space is created by the erection of two walls, creating a space in between them,
which is separated from the natural space around them.

Urban space is wherein streets, squares, parks, playgrounds and gardens are all “voids” that have
been limited or defined to create an enclosed space.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 40
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

• Internal space - defined by the building itself (corridors and room)

• External space - defined by that building and the others around it (streets and squares)

Creation of urban space involves objects that are not often identified with architecture, such as:

Bridges, Obelisks, Fountains, Triumphal arches, Group of trees, Facades of buildings

These objects enclose space and define it in new ways.

The essence of architecture “does not lie in the material limitation placed on spatial freedom, but
in the way space is organized into meaningful form through this process of limitation.

To define space in architecture, therefore, means “to determine boundaries” within a “uniformly
extended material to be modelled in various ways”.

Typical functions of Urban Spaces:

Activities of a town take place in public and private spheres. The behavioural patterns of people
are similar in both. So, the result is that the way in which public space has been organised has in
all periods exercised a powerful influence on the design of private houses.

Structural Frameworks of Urban Space:

Understanding urban space, with all its dimensions, is made possible by tracing the process of
development. It is through this development process that we can relate the physical geometry
with social and symbolic geometries, and relate the world of artefacts with the world of people.

Looking at urban space from the perspective of individuals and groups:

Urban space is the material space with its social and psychological dimensions. Urban form is the
geometry of this space.

Understanding urban space means looking at the political economy, where systems of money
and power are at work to create built environments and where scientific inquiry offers an objective
understanding of urban space.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 41
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

We also have to look at everyday life, where disorder and spontaneity can take over and where
human behavior in, and use of, urban space endows it with meaning.

Understanding urban space, with all its dimensions, is made possible by tracing the process of
development.

It is through this development process that we can relate the physical geometry with social and
symbolic geometries, and relate the world of artefacts with the world of people.

It stems from the traditions of urban architecture and urban morphology, which have developed
the idea of historicity of urban fabric.

Development process and urban form are both outcomes of, and contributors to, the production
and reproduction of social systems.

Urban Form

Urban form has been equated with the term townscape – the urban equivalent of landscape,
comprising the visible forms of the built-up areas.

Its three main components are:

1. Street plan or layout

2. Architectural style of buildings and their design
3. Land use

The geometry of each of these component parts, or some of their more detailed aspects, has
been defined as urban form.

Urban form is also defined as the spatial pattern or “arrangement” of individual elements within a
city system. These elements include built environment, buildings and land uses, as well as social
groups, economic activities and public institutions.

Urban Morphology

Urban morphology is the systematic study of the form, shape, plan, structure and functions of the
built fabric of towns and cities, and of the origin and the way in which this fabric has evolved over
time.

It entails plots, buildings, use, streets, plans, townscapes.

Urban areas are studied in terms their morphology, producing concepts and generalizations
related to the character and intensity of land use within the urban area and to the spatial
interactions of one part of the urban area with another, i.e., internal structure and processes.

Basic Forms of Urban Space: Square, Circle, Triangle

BASIC ELEMENTS OF URBAN SPACE

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 42
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Square

• First way man discovered using urban space.

• Produced by the grouping of houses around an open space facilitating ready defense
against external aggression

Street

• Product of the spread of a settlement once houses have been built on all available spaces
around its central square.

THE SQUARE OR PLAZA

An area framed by buildings and designed to exhibit its buildings to the greatest advantage.

Two methods of categorizing squares:

• By function
• By form

What are successful city squares made of?

May have a dominant function for which each is known and by which they may be classified. Often
those that sustain activity through the diversity of uses in the surrounding buildings:

“the single most important function of an element in the city is the symbolic meaning attached to
it”

“the great plaza is linked with the world of fantasy, the context of feeling”

The concept of the centre:

Probably the single most important idea with which the urban designer works.

The NODE is an important element (Lynch)

• it gives the city ‘imageability or a strong image’

• nodes are points, the strategic spots in a city into which an observer can enter, and which
are the intensive foci to and from which he is traveling.
• nodes are the conceptual anchor points in our cities.

The only way that a relationship and proportion can be established between the different parts of
the town design is to have ‘definite centres’.

• emphasize some parts and subordinate others.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 43
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

• grouping dramatically the main civic buildings around the central place as a dominant
element in the urban scene, the town takes a unified form.

The form of the square

5 archetypal forms:

1. The enclosed or closed square - space is self contained

The key to enclosure in the square is the treatment of its corners. The more open the corners, the
less the sense of enclosure.

Important qualities of square and their surrounding buildings that affect the degree of enclosure:

▪ The nature of the enclosing roof line. Roofline is more or less of equal height throughout
its length.
▪ The height of the enclosing buildings in relation to the size of the space. Harmonious
proportion of height to width of 1:4
▪ The degree of their three-dimensional modeling. The closer the walls resembling the 2-
dimensional quality of a room, the greater the degree of enclosure. Void between buildings
is the 3-dimensional element
▪ The presence or absence of a unifying architectural theme. Continuity and unity is
heightened thru repetition of building elements.
▪ The over-all shape of the space itself. Perfect square does not exist, they take shapes that
come to terms with site exigencies.

2. The dominated square - space is directed towards the main building

Characterized by one individual structure or a group of buildings toward which the open space is
directed and to which all other surrounding structures are related.

Whether a plaza is deep or wide usually becomes apparent when the observer stands opposite
the major building that dominates the whole layout

3. Linked Squares or Grouped Squares - spatial units are combined to form larger compositions

City is seen and experienced as the observer moves about either on foot or by some other means
of transport.

The faster the travel the less detail is perceived.

The scenery in the town is presented to the pedestrian as a series of snapshots of memorable
events on the route. – “serial vision”

Links formed when complex shape public square consists of two or more overlapping or
interpenetrating spaces: a series of spaces may be physically connected by streets or alleyways.

Spaces may be related by an external reference point, a dominant element such as a tower.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 44
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Individual squares can fall into a coherent pattern in the mind of the observer by their strong
relationship to the same building; a strong visual connection to the mass of a tower.

4. Nuclear and Amorphous Squares

o Nuclear square - space is formed around a centre

o Amorphous square - space is unlimited

Does not qualify for inclusion in the category public square since it lacks a high degree of physical
enclosure.

They are important places in their own right and design requires considerations of a different
order.

Busy metropolitan traffic junctions like New York Times Square are squares in name only and
should be designed bearing in mind their primary function, the efficient movement of traffic.

A large square such as New York’s Washington Square is framed by buildings on all sides yet
being too large for the surrounding heterogeneous structures it lacks enclosure.

As long as there is a nucleus, a strong vertical accent - a monument, a fountain, an obelisk –

powerful enough to charge the space around with a tension that keeps the whole together, the
impression of a square will be evoked.

A strong focus is present to hold together an otherwise amorphous shape as a recognizable

spatial unit.

STREETS

Classification of Streets:

Start with Vitruvius description of the three street scenes for use as the backdrop in a theater.

Tragic scenes:

• delineated with columns, pediments, statues, and other objects suited to kings
• classical form of architecture
• dramas of state and public ritual
• grandeur of the formal, straight street being associated with public exhibition and parade

Comic scenes:

• exhibit private dwellings, with balconies and views representing rows of windows, after the
manner of ordinary dwellings
• Gothic form of architecture
• Boisterous merchant and popular life
• Charming medieval street so admired by tourists as the pedestrianized mall of the older
European city

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 45
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Satyric scenes:

• decorated with trees, caverns, mountains, and other rustic objects delineated in landscape
style
• landscape outside the city
• bucolic manners and country sport in the forest path
• bucolic avenue made manifest in the vast areas of suburbia

According to Alberti - “if the city is noble and powerful, streets should be straight and broad, which
carries the air of greatness and majesty. Though if the town is small, he suggests that it will be
better and safe to have them wind about and in the heart of the town, it will be handsomer not to
have them straight, but to have them winding about several ways…by appearing longer they will
add to the greatness of the town”

Definitions

▪ Street, path, avenue, highway, way, route, road, boulevard, mall and promenade have
similar meanings
▪ Main distinction be made between road and street
▪ Road is at once an act of riding on horseback and an ordinary line of communication
between places, used by horses, travellers on foot or vehicles
➢ any path, way or course to some journey
➢ emphasis is on movement between places, the principle lines of communication
between places – a two-dimensional ribbon, running on the surface of the
landscape
➢ movement of fast-moving or heavy traffic with all its engineering requirements
▪ Street may have these attributes, but its more common meaning is a road in a town or
village
➢ street will be taken as an enclosed three-dimensional space between two lines of
adjacent buildings
➢ when traffic moves at speed it cannot be accommodated within a street but that
does not eliminate the utility of the street nor does it necessary preclude the use of
the street for vehicular traffic
▪ The conception of the city as a product of urban functions dominated by transport deprives
the street of its role, or meaning and such functional analyses leave the urban street
without an existence or reason for being.

Functions of the Street

▪ Street as a legitimate element of civic design

▪ Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city are its most vital organs.
▪ If a city’s streets are interesting, the city looks interesting
▪ It is necessary to examine the function and role of the street within the urban fabric so that
the designer is better able to understand and give form to this important element of city
design.
▪ Physical element:
➢ a means of access

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 46
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

➢ has a three-dimensional physical form which inhibit certain activities and make
others possible
➢ as a link that facilitates the movement of people as pedestrians or within vehicles
and also the movement of goods to sustain the wider market and some particular
uses within the street
▪ Social fact:
➢ arena for social expression
➢ can be analysed in terms of who owns, uses and controls it; the purposes for which
it was built; and its changing social and economic function
➢ facilitating communication and interaction between people and groups – thus
serving to bind together the social order of the polis
➢ site for casual interaction, including recreation, conversation, and entertainment,
as well as a site for ritual observances.
➢ A “better” street is all important and so the new street address becomes the symbol
of self-esteem
➢ A common area which serves a group
▪ The needs of the pedestrian dominate, and the creation of a sense of place is paramount.
(in such a situation, the street, the square and the public facade of the buildings are the
dominant design elements)

Street Use

In the planning of the street, the physical factors that appear most to influence street use are:

• user density
• land-use mix
• pedestrian-vehicular interaction
• configuration
• context

Most street activity occurs when it is convenient for large numbers of pedestrians to use the street
in a variety of ways.

Activity in streets increases when densities are high enough to inhibit the use of car and to support
a range of facilities such as shops and schools which are within walking distance from a
sustainable catchment area

A variety of land uses stimulating many activities is a prerequisite of a lively street

Design and Planning of Streets

▪ Total separation of vehicles and pedestrians can be harmful to the development of a lively
and active street.
▪ Separation of high-speed traffic movement from pedestrian traffic is obviously necessary.
▪ Empty streets can lead to the public domain being donated to the thug, mugger and rapist.
▪ A proper balance is required between privacy, defensible space, access for the car and
safe pedestrian use of the street.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 47
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Some of the means by which the speed and volume of traffic can be reduced on residential streets. The designs shown are simpl e
prototypes. When used in combination and adapted to specific streets, such methods can significantly discourage heavy, fast and
through traffic and divert vehicles to arterial streets. In many cases, too, these designs can improve the visual quality of residential
neighborhoods provide usable open space for landscaping, playgrounds and sitting areas.

The Form of the Street

▪ Configuration, shape or form of the street has not received detailed consideration unlike
design of public square
▪ Can be analysed in terms of a number of polar qualities such as straight or curved, long
or short, wide or narrow, enclosed or open, formal or informal.
▪ Can be analysed in terms of scale, proportion, contrast, rhythm or connections to other
streets and squares
▪ Two main characteristics directly related to form: it is, at one and the same time, both path
and place
o man chooses and creates paths which gives his existential space a more particular
structure.
o a journey along a path which leads him in a direction determined by his purpose
and his image of the environment

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 48
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

o path represents a basic property of human existence.

▪ A sense of place in street design is best achieved if the spatial volume defined by the
frontages is perceived as the positive form.
▪ Street is a space about which dwellings are grouped to form a series of street pictures; or
alternatively, the street is a space that may be expanded into wider spaces such as closes
or squares.
▪ If a street or a section of a street is to possess the quality of enclosure then it must be
considered to have three main elements, an entrance, the place itself and a termination
or exit.

Street Length

▪ Upper limit for uninterrupted length of street is probably in the order of 1,500m (1 mile).
Beyond this distance human scale is lost
▪ Long vista is reserved for special streets, great ceremonial routes, the public pathways
used on state occasions.
▪ Such grand avenues may be used to adorn a capital city.
▪ Winding of the streets will make the passenger at every step discover a new structure.
▪ (Lynch) – the street is a path enlivened by a series of nodes where other paths meet it or
where activities intensify to such an extent that place and rest vie for dominance with
function of pathway and movement. Such places or nodes should be at intervals of 200 to
300m.

Techniques for design of comfortable streets

▪ apparent length of streets can be reduced by offsets

▪ use of gates (arches forming terminating features)
▪ ideal street must form a completely enclosed unit (the more one’s impression are confined
within it, the more perfect will be its tableau; one feels at ease in a space where the gaze
cannot be lost in infinity)
▪ if the meandering street is more picturesque, the straight one is monumental. In the
straight street, enclosure is achieved through the use of the arch

Street Proportion

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 49
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

The ratio of width of street to height of enclosing buildings is critical for good street design’.

Street landscaping of a type and size appropriate to the area should be used, as well as lighting
that identifies the area through special fixtures and quality of light. Sidewalk treatment should be
coordinated, with distinctive paving, benches and other elements suitable to the needs and
desires of merchants, shoppers and other people using the area. Building facades and the total
composition of the activity center should be designed to make clear the geographical extent of
the center and its relationship to the district.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W12

Module Title : Theories, Rules, and Process in Urban Design; Legal

Considerations in Urban Design

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Relate urban design into urban planning theory.

▪ Create the best urban environment thru the application of concepts, rules and theories of
urban design.
▪ Gain knowledge on the legal aspects for urban design.

TEN STRATEGIES FOR TRANSFORMING CITIES AND PUBLIC SPACES THROUGH

PLACEMAKING

"What defines the character of a city is its public space, not its private space."

-Dr. Joan Clos, Executive Director, UN Habitat

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 50
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Building inclusive, healthy, functional, and productive cities is perhaps the greatest challenge
facing humanity today, and there are no easy solutions. A key part of the puzzle, though, lies right
at the heart of the world’s urban areas: its public spaces. Here are ten ways you can help
strengthen the social fabric of your community and jump-start economic development by creating
and sustaining healthy public spaces.

(Reference: http://www.pps.org/reference/ten-strategies-for-transforming-cities-through-
placemaking-public-spaces/)

1. Improve Streets as Places

Placemaking is based on a simple principle: if you plan cities for cars and traffic, you will get cars
and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you will get people and places. More traffic and
greater road capacity are not the inevitable results of growth. They are products of very deliberate
choices made to shape our communities to accommodate the private automobile. We have the
ability to make different choices — starting with the decision to design our streets as comfortable
and safe places for everyone — for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as drivers.

2. Create squares and parks as multi-use destinations

A great urban park is a safety valve for the city, in which people living in dense urban areas can
find breathing room. While a poorly planned or maintained park can a place of fear and danger,
thus repelling people, business, and investment. A great square, on the other hand, can be a
source of civic pride, and it can help citizens feel better connected to their cultural and political
institutions.

3. Build local economies through markets

An informal public markets economy thrives in many cities around the world, but often chaotically
— clogging streets, competing unfairly with local businesses, and limiting the hope of upward
mobility to marginalized populations. Markets can, however, provide a structure and a regulatory
framework that helps grow small businesses, preserve food safety, and make a more attractive
destination for shoppers.

4. Design buildings to support places

In many cities new buildings are going up at an unprecedented pace. Massive gated communities
are being built for the middle class, exacerbating the gulf between rich and poor. Traditional
neighborhoods are being replaced by towering skyscrapers and civic institutions like schools and
libraries often end up looking like fortresses. This trend has spread around the globe and it is
damaging the fabric of cities everywhere.

5. Link a public health agenda to a public space agenda

A healthy city is one in which citizens have access to basic infrastructure such as clean water,
sanitation, and sewage treatment. It is also a place where healthy food is available to everyone,
where women and children can walk without fear, and where people can enjoy parks, squares,
and other public spaces in safety and comfort.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 51
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

6. Reinvent community planning

The starting point in developing a concept for any public space agenda should be to identify the
talents and resources within the community — people who can provide historical perspective,
insights into how the area functions, and an understanding of what is truly meaningful to the local
people. Tapping this information at the beginning of the process will help to create a sense of
ownership in the project that can ensure its success for years to come.

7. Utilize the Power of 10+

What if a neighborhood had 10 places that were that good? The area would then achieve a critical
mass — a series of destinations where residents and tourists alike would become immersed in
the life of the city for days at a time. Taking the next step, what if a city could boast 10 such
neighborhoods? Then every resident would have access to outstanding public spaces within
walking distance of their homes. That’s the sort of goal we need to set for all cities if we are serious
about enhancing and revitalizing urban life.

8. Create a comprehensive Public Space Agenda

A comprehensive approach to developing, enhancing, and managing public space requires both
“top-down” and “bottom-up” strategies. Leadership at the highest level of city is essential if
transformation of public spaces is to occur on a large scale. A “bottom-up” grassroots organizing
strategy is also integral to the strategy.

The first step in developing a citywide agenda is to make an honest assessment of how existing
public spaces are performing — or under-performing. Communities should make note of a
schoolyard that often sits empty, for instance, a lifeless plaza, a dilapidated park. The assessment
should include every neighborhood and involve the people who live there as well as other key
stakeholders.

With this inventory, city leadership can develop a bold consensus vision. For example, in New
York, the city set out a goal to carve a new “public plaza” out of existing street space in each of
the 59 community board districts. Such a district-by-district approach encourages residents and
officials to look at their neighborhoods anew. Any public space agenda must also be tied to new
development projects. Governments should take advantage of growing real estate markets in
cities by creating incentives for developers to preserve and enhance the public environments that
are so greatly affected by their projects. A small tax on new development, such as one recently
levied successfully in Chicago, could fund many of the improvements identified in the process of
creating a public space agenda.

9. Start small and experiment, using a “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” Approach

Public spaces are complex, organic things. You can’t expect to do everything right initially. The
best spaces evolve by experimenting with short-term improvements that can be tested and refined
over many years. Places to sit, a sidewalk café, a community event, a garden, painted crosswalks
are all examples of “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” changes that capitalize on the creative energy of
the community to efficiently generate new uses and revenue for places in transition. If one thing
doesn’t work, try something else. If you have a success, build on it.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 52
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

10. Restructure government to support public spaces

Unfortunately, government is generally not set up to support public spaces and Placemaking. In
fact, the structure of departments and the processes they require sometimes impede the creation
of successful public spaces. Transportation departments view their mission as moving traffic;
parks departments are there to create and manage green space; community development
agencies are focused on development of projects, not the spaces in between them.

If the ultimate goal of governance, urban institutions, and development is to make places,
communities, and regions more prosperous, civilized, and attractive for all people, then
government processes need to change to reflect that goal. This requires the development of
consensus-building, city consultation processes, and institutional reform, all of which enhance
citizenship and inclusion. In cities where Placemaking has taken hold, local government is often
not directly involved, for example, in implementation, but relies on community development
organizations, business improvement districts, and neighborhood partnerships to take the lead in
making community change happen.

THE URBAN DESIGN PROCESS

The System of Design and Process of Documentation and Presentation

Goal of urban design:

To design and build urban developments which are both structurally and functionally sound while
at the same time giving pleasure to those who see the development.

▪ Urban design shares with its sister art, architecture, these three qualities of utility,
durability and the ability to bring to the user a sense of well-being and emotional
satisfaction.

What is Good Urban Design?

▪ Unity and Coherence

▪ Minimum conflict between vehicles and pedestrians
▪ Protection from rain, noise, wind and so on
▪ Ease of orientation
▪ Compatibility of land uses
▪ Availability of places to rest, observe, and meet
▪ Creation of a sense of security and pleasantness

Urban Design Process

I. Preparing a design brief

Once basic planning requirements are established, a design concept should be established for
the site. The design brief should consider the following main subject areas:

▪ means of access by road and by other modes of transport

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 53
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

▪ the relationship of the pedestrian, cyclist and the car

▪ safety in the public realm
▪ quality of design in street and public square including notes on achieving vitality and
permeability
▪ the identity and legibility of place
▪ features of sustainable development
▪ open space and landscape strategy

These development framework and site development guidance is to encourage and guide
development.

II. Survey

Survey techniques depend upon the nature and scale of the project. Techniques used in
moderate- to large-scale projects:

▪ Historical Analysis
• Understanding the genius loci or the spirit of the place provides the key to
charting the direction for future development.
• Peeling back the layers of history which encrust the modern city reveals the
reasons for its present form and function.
▪ Townscape Analysis
▪ There are 3 main aspects of townscape analysis:
• Legibility of the urban structure - Ways in which people perceive, understand
and react to the environment. It concerns those qualities of a place which give
it an immediate identity, one which is quickly perceived or grasped by its users.
• Permeability of the environment - the choice it represents to the user.
• Visual study - studies of urban space, the treatment of facades, pavement,
roofline, street sculpture, and an analysis of the complexity of visual detail
which distinguishes one place from another.

III. Analysis

a. gathering of basic information

✓ suitability of the topography
✓ land area required for the new units
✓ adequacy of public utilities
✓ amount of traffic generated and necessary roadways to accommodate it
✓ parking space requirements
✓ additional requirements for schools, parks, and playgrounds
✓ relevant zoning and subdivision ordinances
b. visual survey
c. identification of hard and soft areas
d. functional analysis

IV. Synthesis

V. Evaluation

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 54
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

VI. Implementation

Analysis of urban space is acquired though responses by the “faculty of sight”, as the environment
is apprehended “almost entirely through vision”.

Best way to understand its workings is to dissect its parts.

• Body of the community is composed of its land-use areas, such as the various types of
residential, commercial, and cultural properties. Size and disposition set the general
outline or shape.
• The skeleton to which they relate is the natural topography with its geologic structure,
which determines the basic three-dimensional form and much of its landscape character
• Veins and arteries are the circulation ways, including streets, transit routes, pedestrian
walks, and perhaps canals.
• Lifeblood is provided by the commerce and industry.
• Energy and communications serve as the nerves.
• Mind and spirit is symbolized by the institutions – the schools, libraries, museums, and
churches

The total aspect is attractive only if each of the features are well formed to serve its purpose, and
the composite body is healthy and thriving.

1. Consider the type of community you would like yours to be.

✓ What is its purpose?
✓ Does it serve the purpose well?
✓ Is it a trade center?
✓ Does it have industrial and manufacturing districts as well as commercial,
residential, and recreation areas?
✓ Are they awkwardly jumbled together and full of frictions?
✓ Are they well related and interconnected, yet separated by natural buffers?
2. Analyze each community component
✓ Are all of the parts in good working order?
✓ Are they well planned, efficient, and attractive?
✓ Do the shopping and business areas have safe and pleasant access?
✓ Are the schools designed as neighborhood focal points and gathering places?
✓ Are they combined with recreation areas and open space as neighborhood
centers?
✓ Are churches, libraries, and auditoriums so located as to serve as neighborhood
centers?
3. Think in terms of systems
✓ Community services that are to be jointly administered, operated, or maintained
should be coordinated in the planning stage.
✓ Lines of movement or transmission, being continuous by nature, are best planned
as integral segments of a comprehensive system.
✓ streets, walks, and trails have been laid out by developers of adjacent properties
without interconnection.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 55
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

✓ Parks, recreation, and open space lands have been often acquired on a spotty
basis, rather than as well-considered and integrated units of a comprehensive
plan.

Beauty is the perceived harmonious relationship of all elements in any object, place, or action.

Most attractive communities are those in which everything seems to be working well together.
This is largely a matter of the allocation and distribution of the land use areas for housing, schools,
shopping, and so on, in relation to each other, the circulation routes, and the topographical
features.

▪ Provide suitable areas for all required land uses

• Best possible size and shape to express and accommodate the community’s
workable program.
• Soil suitability/land capability.
▪ Leave greenbelt areas in between. Canals, highways, railroads, or transmission corridors
often serve well as separators between various community districts.
▪ Preplan the transportation routes - compatible routes for all types of traffic movement
must be devised to serve them.
▪ Group the compatible uses.
• Homes, schools, and convenience centers form a complementary grouping, as
do parks, zoos, and botanical gardens.
• Business offices and shopping malls are mutually supportive, as are universities,
hospitals, and cultural centers.
▪ Fit the size to the use requirements. Each use has its own general order of magnitude
that is seems most desirable.
▪ Preserve the topographical features. Protect lakes and lagoons with borders of green
parklands

People, Streets and Buildings

Old tradition, man has built his structures along public streets which have afforded access,
address, and some degree of protection. But conditions have changed, public streets have
become massive thoroughfares for often high-speed, traffic movement and bringing in pollution
and danger.

✓ Face homes away from the street

✓ Design dwelling clusters around courts or culs-de-sac

✓ Plan isolated living compounds

✓ Develop traffic free residential neighborhoods

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 56
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

✓ Plan entire communities as residential parks.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W13

Module Title : DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATION

Written Examination/Assessment & Drawing/Visual Sketches

Legibility Analysis

Location: Chosen Site/Neighbourhood (same as in the Mid-Term Assessment Activity)

Materials: Camera, Paper, Pens, Map

Submission Format: 8.5” x 13” size paper

Process:

1. Do a site visit again of your chosen project site.

2. Take pictures of the site representing the 5 elements found in your area.
3. Put the map or draw the map of your project site at the center of the paper. Each paper
shall represent one element as discussed in the Image of the City by Kevin Lynch, i.e.,
landmarks, paths, nodes, edges and districts (you may use additional paper if needed).
Indicate in the map the locations of the elements found and analyzed.
4. At the sides of the paper, put the pictures (or sketches) of the elements which you found
in the project area.
5. Provide a qualitative description of the element, its condition, characteristics, unique
qualities and reasons why it is considered as an important element in the site.

Tip: It is best to look at some details of the element after you identify them as they could be of use
when determining solutions for redesigning the area (final project).
Rubrics:
Criteria Rating (%) Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Score
Ability to identify 30% Very thorough Completely Identified Very simple Very
comprehensively and identified appropriate observations common
the elements of comprehensive appropriate qualities with made on qualities were
the city (words) identification of qualities one or two qualities observed
qualities simple with majority
observations insignificant.
Ability to provide 40% Provided deep Made some Simple Very simple Little attempt
a analysis of thorough analysis was observations to do some
comprehensive conditions and analysis of done and were made analysis and
qualitative comprehensively conditions resons are and reasons reasons were
description rationalizing and provided acceptable. are too very simple
based on them based on acceptable simple. and common.
previous knowledge reasons
readings (words) gained in based on
readings

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 57
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

previous
readings.
Ability to present 30% Materials have Materials Materials Materials are Materials
accurately clearly illustrated illustrate or have some simply done barely show
(presentation the given show the intent to and or illustrate
materials: situation and given illustrate the presentation the given
pictures or very cretive. situation with situation but is not very situation and
sketches) some simply organized. very
creativity. presented. disorganized.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W14

Module Title : Design Requirements of Specific Places in Towns & Cities;

• Cluster Housing and Planned Unit Development (PUD)

• Areas for Priority Development (APDs)/Mixed-Use
Development & Commercial Areas
• Industrial Parks and Districts

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Identify the design requirements and parameters for a specific development with the
considerations of sustainability, ecology and environment.

CLUSTER HOUSING

The concept of cluster housing development as a pattern of human settlement has been around
for centuries. Cluster housing development also referred to as “conservation subdivisions”
involves the grouping of residential structures in a subdivision on a portion of the available land.
The intent is to develop less total land area to provide more open space for recreation or
agriculture while allowing the same number of total housing units as it would have been allowed
for a conventional subdivision.

(Reference:
http://udr.slu.edu.ph:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/718/1/2014.11.Gonzales%20%26%20Romero.JS
SP.pdf)

The "cluster" subdivision has been heralded as a major breakthrough in suburban development.
There are two features that distinguish what is thought of as a "true" cluster subdivision. The first
is a characteristic of design and site planning in which several houses are grouped together on a
tract of land. Each cluster of houses serves as a module, which is set off from others like it by an
intervening space that helps give visual definition to each individual group. The second
characteristic of the cluster subdivision, as it is often proposed, is the presence of undeveloped

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 58
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

land that is held for the common enjoyment of the neighboring residents or the community at
large.

(Reference: https://www.planning.org/pas/reports/report135/)

Cluster Housing Schemes reflect the sense of community in a village. Cluster Housing Schemes
in villages should be developed in a sustainable way respecting the unique aspects of the village
and the site itself, whilst also responding to current economic and social needs.

A Cluster Development is defined as “a low-density housing scheme comprising up to 6 no.

detached dwellings on individual sites on lands in or adjacent to a village”.

(Reference:
https://www.tipperarycoco.ie/sites/default/files/Publications/TCC%20Clusters%20Draft%202.pdf)

Key Development Principles:

▪ A cluster development may be planned and designed as a single scheme, but may also
be developed on a phased basis, where one or a number of units may be built at a time.
▪ The density of each individual site size will be influenced by servicing requirements, the
character of the village and the natural features of the site. This will be established through
the design process.
▪ Where a serviced site scheme is proposed a design statement shall be prepared to assist
future home owners in designing their own bespoke home.
▪ Plot areas, site subdivision and location of the treatment plant will be affected by whether
the site is to be serviced by public services (e.g. connection to waste or water network) or
individual on-site services (e.g. private well or waste water treatment system).

5 Steps to Design and Develop a Cluster Scheme:

1. Planning Policy

The Local Development Plan supports and facilitates the growth and development of all
towns and villages. Cluster Housing Developments will be favourably considered on lands
identified for residential development in villages. The Local Development Plan also
encourages and facilities a mix of house types including those that meet the needs of all life
stages of the potential occupants.

2. Desktop Study

A ‘Desktop Study Checklist’ is set out to facilitate this assessment, to identify the
characteristics and key features of the site and consider broader issues that affect the village
and site, including:

▪ Planning history of site,

▪ Nature Conservation Designations,
▪ Built Heritage,
▪ Infrastructure (including water, roads and flooding).

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 59
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

3. On-Site Assessment and Preliminary Site Strategy

Step 3 will be to to assess the land use characteristics of the site and key services that will
inform the viability, design and layout of the scheme.

The village character should also be assessed, and features identified that may influence
how the development may be successfully integrated into the site and the village (i.e. type of
buildings, materials, boundary treatments etc.).

A site analysis sketch should be prepared to include features such as:

✓ Microclimate: sun path and prevailing winds,

✓ Location and type of services (e.g. waste, water and drains, street lights),
✓ Existing and potential vehicular and pedestrian entry points to the site, noting closure
lines
✓ Location of existing footpaths / cycle facilities,
✓ Location and type of landscape and boundaries,
✓ Adjoining Land Uses and building types,
✓ Form and Massing of existing buildings,
✓ Over-looking and over-shadowing potential,
✓ Terrain and falls across the site,
✓ Aspect and views,
✓ Flooding risk potential,
✓ Any further opportunities and constraints.

This village and site assessment will enable a Preliminary Site Strategy to be prepared to
facilitate discussion with the planning authority.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 60
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

4. Pre-Planning Consultation

You can meet with the Local Planner/Housing Agencies and receive advice on the planning
aspects of your proposal. It is strongly recommended that a meeting take place early in the
design process. In order to get the most from the meeting, key information should be provided
including:

▪ Planning Policy review (Step 1)

▪ Desktop Assessment (Step 2)
▪ On-site assessment and preliminary site strategy (Step 3).

5. Site Strategy and Design

Building on the outcomes of the pre-planning meeting, the site strategy can now be
developed in greater detail. The proposed cluster housing scheme should integrate with the
existing village in terms of:

▪ Integrating the development with Village and site characteristics,

▪ Integrating the development with Infrastructure and Service Requirements,
▪ Integrating the development with Design and Materials,
▪ Integrating the development with Landscaping.

Integrating the development with the village and site characteristics

✓ Enhance and develop existing connections to and from the village such as river paths,
footpaths, links to existing residential schemes/developments etc. Assimilate the
development with the topography as appropriate; maintaining existing site levels where

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 61
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

possible and maintaining the natural landscape as a backdrop on all sites, but particularly
on elevated sites.
✓ Retain existing natural features where feasible on approach roads and boundaries; e.g.
mature hedgerows, stone walls, trees, removing only what is required to provide site
access and sight lines.
✓ Identify and respect the character of any historical structures on and in the vicinity of the
site and seek to integrate and enhance the views of these structures where possible,
✓ Reflect the character of development in the village and adjacent to the site in term of scale,
form and massing.
✓ Identify the prevailing winds for each site, and the sun path and shadows,
✓ Identify direction of groundwater flow.

Integrating the development with Infrastructure and Service Requirements

Roads, Access, Connectivity and Signage: The roads/access requirements should be designed
in accordance with the principles and standards set out in local Design Manuals for Urban Roads
and Streets.

✓ Provide only one shared site access point from the public road, and, in general, design
the internal access road to be a shared surface roadway,
✓ Design the road access to be responsive to the natural features and contours of the
site/context,
✓ Provide Slow Zone Signage at the entrance to all clusters
✓ Ensure plot entrances coincide to utilise the recessed dwelling entrances for turning where
possible,
✓ Provide permeable surfaces, or surface water soakpits or drains, to driveways of the
individual plots, e.g. an appropriate pavement foundation with a gravel surface driveway,
✓ Design lighting in accordance with local regulations, PD 957 and PD 1096.
✓ Use the road classification, speed limit and design speed to inform the sightline standards.
✓ Link footpaths provision from the site to the village.

Integrating the development with Water Services

Water Services:

Cluster Housing Schemes will only be permitted where a public mains water supply or group water
scheme is available.

Waste Water Treatment:

A key consideration in the development of sustainable Cluster Housing Schemes will be ensuring
that a suitable form of waste water treatment infrastructure is in place, which may involve
connection to the public treatment plant or discharging to individual on-site treatment systems.

Surface Water Management

▪ Connect to the existing storm water drainage system where available or storm water shall
discharge to a nearby watercourse. Where such discharge options are not available

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 62
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

attenuation shall be provided on public open space which shall be designed into the
scheme,
▪ The principles of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) could be considered in
connection with landscaping proposals.
▪ No surface water to internal access road or public road. Surface water should be
piped/drained to a soakpit or watercourse.

Integrating the development with Design and Materials

For phased developments and/or serviced site schemes, a site-specific design strategy will be
required to guide the development of each plot. Applying good design principles will ensure that
cluster schemes integrate with the character and natural setting of the village, while also delivering
high quality, energy efficient homes.

Orientation, Form and Massing

▪ Cognisance should be had to the principles and guidelines in the local housing regulations.
▪ The scale of the dwellings proposed in terms of storey height should respond to the
character of the site and the surrounding buildings in the locality,
▪ The dwelling should be sheltered from prevailing winds by using the existing natural
features of the site (e.g. level changes, trees, hedgerows),
▪ The internal layout of the house should be organised to make best use of sunshine and
daylight
▪ Pitched roofs should also have one slope orientated south to allow for optimum
performance of a roofmounted or roof-integrated active solar heating system,
▪ Bulky proportions should be avoided by breaking down the massing of the dwellings

Integrating the development with landscaping

The landscaping plan, biodiversity, boundaries and topography should be considered when
designing a cluster housing scheme

▪ Develop a detailed landscaping plan, planting schedule and implementation programme

(informed by tree and ecology survey, topography, soil type, site microclimate and
drainage conditions),
▪ If invasive species have been identified on site through the site surveys then these should
be treated appropriately, consulting with an expert in this field,
▪ Protect existing mature trees and hedgerows during construction,
▪ Use native trees and shrubs to add scale to site boundaries, as focal points within the site,
and to define the access road, entrances and front gardens.
▪ Consider planting mix issues
▪ Where sites are larger than necessary, carefully consider the location and landscaping of
additional site area.
▪ Use of landscaping to create shelter belts.

PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 63
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

The term Planned Unit Development (PUD) is used to describe a type of development and the
regulatory process that permits a developer to meet overall community density and land use goals
without being bound by existing zoning requirements. PUD is a special type of fl oating overlay
district which generally does not appear on the municipal zoning map until a designation is
requested. This is applied at the time a project is approved and may include provisions to
encourage clustering of buildings, designation of common open space, and incorporation of a
variety of building types and mixed land uses. A PUD is planned and built as a unit thus fixing the
type and location of uses and buildings over the entire project. Potential benefits of a PUD include
more efficient site design, preservation of amenities such as open space, lower costs for street
construction and utility extension for the developer and lower maintenance costs for the
municipality.

(Reference: https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-
ap/clue/documents/planimplementation/planned_unit_development.pdf)

Common Uses:

Urban Redevelopment Redesigns for older urban areas face many challenges. Traditional zoning
does not have the flexibility to address the need for mixed uses for buildings, changes in building
setbacks, nonmotorized transportation, environmental protection and possible brownfield
regulations all within a confined space. The area for redevelopment is planned all at once so land
uses complement each other. Using a PUD allows for innovative uses of spaces and structures
to achieve planning goals.

Potential Uses:

▪ Traditional Neighborhood Design

▪ Preserve openspace
▪ Brownfield redevelopment
▪ Urban infill and redevelopment
▪ Mixed-use development

The purpose of a PUD is generally to allow greater flexibility in the configuration of buildings
and/or uses on a site than is allowed in standard zoning ordinances. A major goal of PUDs is
often to encourage unified plans that provide a more complete and integrated package (hopefully
including special amenities) over piecemeal development. A typical PUD would include a cluster
of small lots in conjunction with a common usable open space with some recreational amenities
and a protected natural area functioning as permanent open space. This arrangement can benefit
both sides: A developer gets extra flexibility in configuring lots and buildings and perhaps a density
bonus and/or reduced infrastructure cost, while the city/county gets permanent open space and/or
other desired amenities.

The most common PUD applications occur in suburban cities and rural county areas. Flexibility
is the key principle for applications in both types of areas. The protection of critical areas is a
common theme of many city PUDs. The protection of larger tracts of open space is a common
theme for rural PUDs. Flexibility in clustering small lots in rural areas, however, can be more
challenging. Planned unit developments can range in size from large master planned communities

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 64
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

to 1-2 acre projects containing a handful of lots. Many of the master planned residential
developments are classified as Planned Residential Developments (PRD), a variant of PUD.

(Reference: http://mrsc.org/Home/Stay-Informed/MRSC-Insight/November-2012/Planned-Unit-
Developments-Real-World-Experiences.aspx)

MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

Mixed-use development is an approach to the urban design of a community (or specific district or
even single building) that blends multiple, complimentary types of land uses in the same space.
Mixed-use development can feature a functional blend of residential, commercial, retail,
institutional, community, cultural, and in relevant cases industrial, uses within the same area.
These areas would be connected by pedestrian and multimodal transportation options. In some
more limited cases, such as a downtown high-rise, mixed-use development may simply mean
both residential and office floors. Proponents of mixed-use developments argue it helps create
more variety in housing types, reduces distance between home, workplace, shopping, and other
destinations, increases density, strengthens a neighborhood's character, and promotes bicycling
and pedestrian mobility.

(Reference: http://www.onestl.org/toolkit/practice/99?tmpl=component&format=pdf)

Mixed-use development is a type of development generally defined as pedestrian-oriented places

that layers compatible land uses, public amenities and utilities at various scales and intensities.
A common form of this development is to have store fronts on the bottom floor of a multi-floor
building with apartments or condos on top. The approach is somewhat similar to many main street
designs and other traditional urban developments. Mixed-use development requires the use of
other tools, including Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities and
Programs, Density Bonuses and Mixed-Use Zoning. As these various tools will illustrate, mixed-
use development can be undertaken in various ways especially in terms of the zoning and the
location of the development.

As with any development project, mixed-use developments require extensive and deliberate
planning. Each community’s planning process will be unique. Below is a list of questions
communities can ask as they jump start the planning process.

✓ Does our community, or a neighboring community, have any existing examples of mixed-
use development that could be used as a foundation to build upon?
✓ Does our current comprehensive plan or any other plan address mixed-use development
and related urban design form?
✓ Where and how could a mixed-use approach help achieve the community's existing goals?
✓ Is there a particular type of mixed-use development that is more appropriate for our
community? Identify some potential sites - evaluate them.
✓ Does your current zoning and land use regulations present challenges to mixed-use
development?
✓ Is there a particular site or district where mixed-use development could be easily
achieved? Would such an area need incentives?
✓ What other strategies could be combined to facilitate more mixed-use development?

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 65
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

✓ How could the city plan for growth in new areas to ensure mixed-use development occurs
there in the future?
✓ How will that new growth blend with the existing community pattern?
✓ Meet with developers who have complete projects in your community and others within
the region - ask if they have ever considered mixed-use development in your community.
Do market conditions already exist to support mixed-use development? What would need
to change to facilitate it? What does the marketplace need from city hall to pursue such
projects?

In short, mixed-use makes for three-dimensional, pedestrian-oriented places that layer

compatible land uses, public amenities, and utilities together at various scales and intensities.
This variety of uses allows for people to live, work, play and shop in one place, which then
becomes a destination for people from other neighborhoods. As defined by The Lexicon of the
New Urbanism, mixed-use is multiple functions within the same building or the same general area
through superimposition or within the same area through adjacency… from which many of the
benefits are… pedestrian activity and traffic capture.

(Reference: http://www.placemakers.com/2013/04/04/mixed-up-on-mixed-use/)

While mixed-use can take on many forms, it’s typically categorized as either A) vertical mixed-
use buildings; B) horizontal mixed-use blocks; or C) mixed-use walkable neighborhoods.

Vertical Mixed-Use Building: Combines different uses in the same building. Lower floors should
have more public uses with more private uses on the upper floors. For example, the ground floor
could have retail, second floor and up having professional offices, and uppermost floors being
some form of residential, such as flats or a hotel. In more urban areas, an entire block or
neighborhood may be composed of vertical mixed-use buildings.

Horizontal Mixed-Use Blocks: Combines single-use buildings on distinct parcels in a range of land
uses within one block. In more urban areas, this approach avoids the financing and coding
complexities of vertical layered uses while achieving the goal of placemaking that is made
possible by bringing together complementary uses in one place. In less urban areas, horizontal
mixed-use offers the advantage of sharing utilities and amenities while providing an easier to build
and entitle mix of uses within a walkable block circumscribed by thoroughfares.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 66
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Mixed-Use Walkable Neighborhoods: With the infinite number of various possibilities, these
places combine vertical and horizontal use mixing in an area ideally within a 5 to 10 minutes
walking distance (a Pedestrian Shed) or quarter mile radius of a neighborhood.

We all live more complex lives than simply living in one pod of development, working in another,
shopping in a different one, and then driving to recreate. The mixing of uses is a catalyst to
building complete, compact, complex, and convivial neighborhoods — as well as competitive
Town Centers — because it facilitates efficient access to where people live, work, play and shop
via walking, biking, transit and/or cars. Conventional zoning, financing, and approval processes
are antithetical to mixed-use and, unless your town has a strong history of it, I recommend making
it possible and probable via a flexible form-based code. This place-based zoning tool allows for
mixed-use Main Streets, Town Centers, neighborhood centers, and everyday neighborhoods, all
by-right.

INDUSTRIAL PARKS AND DISTRICTS

An industrial park is defined as “a large tract of land, sub-divided and developed for the use of
several firms simultaneously, distinguished by its shareable infrastructure and close proximity of
firms”. Types and synonyms of industrial parks include industrial estates, industrial districts,

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 67
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

export processing zones, industrial clusters, business parks, office parks, science and research
parks, and bio-technology parks. Eco-industrial parks have now been added to this list.

(Reference: http://www.umich.edu/~indecol/EIP-cote.pdf)

The United Nations Environment Programme’s Industry and Environment Office has just released
a technical report on Environmental Management of Industrial Estates. The UNEP has noted that
“industrial estates have become common features of the global landscape”. There are in excess
of 12,000 industrial parks and export processing zones around the world concentrating hundreds
of thousands of industries and millions of workers into relatively compact areas. On the one hand,
this concentration can increase environmental health and safety risks, while on the other, this co-
location can facilitate management of materials, energy and wastes. The report provides
guidelines for the design of new parks and the operation of existing parks based on experiences
in park management around the world. The technical report addresses a wide range of
environmental issues and strategies for preventing or remediating them. It is not a guide to
establishing industrial parks as ecosystems but it suggests that such systems may represent the
ultimate integration of economic, ecological and social dimensions of sustainable industrial
development.

(Reference: https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/files/2019-
11/International_Guidelines_for_Industrial_Parks.pdf)

Compared to a traditional industrial park, an ecoindustrial park would:

1. Define the community of interests and involve that community in the design of the park.
2. Reduce environmental impact or ecological footprint through substitution of toxic
materials, absorption of carbon dioxide, material exchanges and integrated treatment of
wastes.
3. Maximize energy efficiency through facility design and construction, co-generation, and
cascading.
4. Conserve materials through facility design and construction, reuse, recovery and
recycling.
5. Link or network companies with suppliers and customers in the wider community in which
the ecoindustrial park is situated.
6. Continuously improve the environmental performance by the individual businesses and
the community as a whole.
7. Have a regulatory system which permits some flexibility while encouraging companies to
meet performance goals.
8. Use economic instruments which discourage waste and pollution.
9. Employ an information management system which facilitates the flow of energy and
materials within a more or less closed-loop.
10. Create a mechanism which seeks to train and educate managers and workers about new
strategies, tools and technologies to improve the system.
11. Orient its marketing to attract companies which fill niches and complement other
businesses.

Other characteristics may emerge as eco-industrial parks are planned, designed and operated.
Clearly an eco-industrial park requires a systems-approach involving an understanding of the

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 68
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

quantities, as well as the physical and chemical characteristics, of materials and energy flowing
in, within and out of the park, in addition to the regulatory, economic and managerial aspects of
the park.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W15

Module Title : Design Requirements of Specific Places in Towns & Cities;

• Planning Educational Campus

• Government Center and the Plaza Planning
• Coastal/Lakeside Community Planning

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Identify the design requirements and parameters for a specific development with the
considerations of sustainability, ecology and environment.

EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS

Campus master planning provides a university vision for growth over time. As vital as the
placement of current and future buildings is to the process, the outdoor spaces between buildings
and their connection to the life of a campus have an equally influential role in defining the
experience of students and visitors.

(Reference: https://spaces4learning.com/articles/2020/02/28/outdoor-master-planning.aspx)

What Makes Outdoor Space?

A campus “outdoors” is a system of pathways, greenspaces, quads, plazas, terraces, semi-

enclosed structures, art, water management features and so much more. The master planning
process is in many ways about establishing the framework for building a small city. The objective
is not to create a formal plan with great axes and spaces, but a basis for shaping coherence, a
sense of discovery, enjoyment and community.

Urban theorist Kevin Lynch wrote The Image of the City in 1960 outlining five elements that
defined the experience of cities: paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. These same
elements are a logical framework for planning campus outdoor spaces. Pathways inform the
arrangement, hierarchy and interconnectedness of buildings and spaces. Streets, walls, buildings
and other elements define zones of space to create edges. Districts provide areas with distinct
characteristics or functions — athletics and student life often appear in districts. Nodes are major
centerpieces around which pathways and buildings radiate, while landmarks provide orientation
points. Outdoor art installations and architectural elements also speak to a campus’s history and
embody school spirit.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 69
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Other elements that compose outdoor context are site topography, native landscape features,
views across spaces, views to and from buildings, the presence of hardscaping versus soft-
scaping, water management features, lighting, access, gathering and performance spaces,
streets and furniture. Natural wooded areas provide views and bring the outside inside. All factor
into our use of the outdoors, with every element contributing to the overall campus character and
reinforcing a university’s culture.

There are many factors which contribute to positive education outcomes in a school environment.
Purposeful design of campuses, buildings, social spaces and classrooms can facilitate deeper
learning, greater social connectivity and a more discernible connection between the culture of a
school and its architecture.

(Reference: http://designonline.org.au/good-design-school-environment/)

Good design seeks to conceive a campus agreeably positioned within the landscape, with
harmonious aesthetics across the built environment and consciously designed social spaces.
Critically, it connects the built experience to the school’s values.

The role of master planning in good design:

While different architects approach this process from varying angles, the common threads are:

• seeking clarity of purpose to drive a collective vision,

• extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders and
• the development of a long-term framework for advancement.

The output from master planning is a physical document that sets the agenda for what happens
next, ensuring a consistent approach for individual projects across a site.

Learning and social spaces:

Good design in a school context involves understanding the collective identity and daily
experiences of both teachers and students, so spaces can be designed to enhance both learning
and social interaction.

Research suggests good natural light, natural ventilation and the right acoustics are beneficial in
study environments. Considerations are undertaken with respect to building height and orientation
to sun and wind. Such positioning maximises natural light and cross ventilation, providing fresh
air to classrooms and reducing reliance on electricity.

Taking the time to understand the localised pedagogy of each school enables the development
of tailored learning spaces such as specialised laboratory styles for science or distinctive art
studios, which offers deeper learning for students and more enriching spaces where teachers can
shine.

“Good design requires thinking at a spatial level about the student experience, how they arrive,
enter and depart, how they greet their friends, where they eat lunch. These interactions are the
core of what we remember from our school years.”

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 70
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Creating a visual language

Something almost magical happens when building design and materials are connected to the
identity of a school. The challenge is recognising elements of cultural identity that have
architectural traction and can guide building design.

Adopting the principles of good design creates a tangible connection between the school’s values
and its built environment, that in turn offers additional benefits.

Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces:

(Reference: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1152581.pdf)

A mix of different learning spaces that combine nature and interesting architecture provide more
options for regulating learning and restoration cycles. Public areas and outdoor learning
environments, including nature trails and ecological study areas, lend more opportunities for
community interaction and social encounters that foster a sense of belonging, whereas quiet
areas provide a place for students to refresh themselves, have a temporary escape, or quiet
reflection, affording an enriched and enjoyable campus life (Kenney, et al., 2005).

A holistically designed campus can provide as a resource for learning, that is, the enhancement
of “direct attention.” Its is important to address provisions for multi-dimensional access to student-
nature campus interactions. The notion of a university campus should be expanded to include
conceptualization of a holistic landscape, and the notion of student learning shall include a vision
of dynamic and holistic learning so that much-needed breaks/pauses in learning can occur in all
kinds of indoor and outdoor enclosures.

The preservation of open space is vital to the maintenance and effective functioning of a quality
university learning environment. Recognizing college campus landscapes as vital learning spaces
will harness the holistic potential of college campuses as attentional resources. It is suggested
that successful meshing of the two notions can occur by adopting a whole-systems approach to
campus design –one that requires communication and collaboration among academic,
administrative and facilities planning stakeholders. Such an approach also goes beyond
advertising the aesthetic value of the campus open spaces for student recruitment purposes to
recognizing the entire campus landscape as a learning space and advertising its educational
value – that is emphasizes something deeper than what meets the eye.

GOVERNMENT CENTER AND THE PLAZA PLANNING

Well designed government buildings are an important part of cities and are intrinsic to their health
and success. They accommodate and facilitate the delivery of public services and enhance the
quality of the city’s urban structure and its public spaces. Government buildings contribute to the
city’s efficient functioning and urban character. They can reflect the values and achievements of
the community and need to be efficient, represent good value for money and demonstrate a high
level of environmental stewardship.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 71
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

(Reference:
https://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/5557/designguidelinesgovernmentbuildings2
010.pdf)

Strategies:

Visual Amenity and Character:

The proposed development contributes positively to the visual amenity and character of the local
area.

• The demonstrated resolution and integration of key visual elements including architectural
features, external cladding materials, colours, illumination and signage to achieve an
outcome that complements and acknowledges the local character, provides visual interest
and variety and minimises any adverse urban impacts.
• The demonstrated design responds to and integrates with, the surrounding urban context,
including resolving issues of neighbouring heritage values, visual sight lines, building
proportions, height and bulk.

Site Landscaping:

The landscaping of the site complements the building’s form and its functional requirements,
enhances the amenity of the local area and positively responds to landscape heritage,
conservation and environmental values.

• The demonstrated resolution and integration of the landscaping design to complement the
building form and site conditions to achieve an outcome that enhances the local context
and minimises any adverse impacts.

Pedestrian and cycle connectivity, access and safety:

The proposed development recognises and responds to opportunities for improved pedestrian
and cycle circulation that will provide appropriate connections to the surrounding area and where
appropriate, through the site, to enhance the pedestrian and cycle access and amenity of the
local area.

The pedestrian and cycle circulation paths within and interfacing with the site are safe, convenient
and “user-friendly”.

• The site’s opportunities and constraints for improved pedestrian and cycle connections
and access are identified and analysed in a Pedestrian and Cycle Connectivity, Access
and Safety Assessment Report.
• The proposed design solution is demonstrated to effectively address and resolve the
content of the Pedestrian and Cycle Connectivity, Access and Safety Assessment Report
including pedestrian, cycle, vehicle, public, private, service access and security issues.
• The proposed development ensures equitable access is provided for all persons and the
development satisfies relevant laws and standards for PWDs. Consideration is given to
the application of the wayfinding design guidelines.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 72
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

• The proposed development includes appropriate and adequate facilities for building users
and occupants to encourage and accommodate pedestrian and cycling activities.

Pedestrian Spaces:

To create and/or enhance pedestrian space within the building precinct that contributes to the
amenity, functionality and character of the local area. The building precinct provides a safe,
extensive, functional and attractive interface between private and public spaces for pedestrians.

• The design response of the building to adjoining pedestrian spaces is demonstrated to

acknowledge and resolve issues of human scale, access, climatic impacts and safety.
• The location, alignment, continuity and height of the building’s external walls provide
positive definition of the adjoining pedestrian space so as to enhance its spatial character,
amenity and accessibility.
• Having appropriate regard to the building’s function and the privacy, safety and security
of its occupants, the building’s external walls include adequate doors and/or windows to
activate adjoining pedestrian spaces by providing physical and/or visual connections
between the building’s interior and the adjoining external pedestrian spaces.
• Building service access requirements for waste, deliveries and maintenance are located
so as to not adversely impact on the amenity and functioning of adjoining pedestrian
spaces. Building utility requirements for electricity, telecommunications, gas, water and
sewage are located so as to not adversely impact on the amenity, safety and functioning
of adjoining pedestrian spaces.
• The proposed development is designed to facilitate and maximise the potential and
appropriate use of the adjoining pedestrian space. The proposed design has regard to the
strategic location of building entrances and windows, the incorporation of transitional
public/private spaces of high amenity and the provision of street furniture, public art,
landscaping and lighting.
• Where the proposed development has the opportunity to include pedestrian spaces within
the subject site, these spaces are designed to facilitate and maximise the potential range
of appropriate uses of the pedestrian space. The proposed design has regard to the
strategic location of building entrances and windows, the incorporation of transitional
internal/external spaces of high amenity and the provision of street furniture, public art,
landscaping and lighting.

Urban Legibility:

Where appropriate, and subject to the Site Assessment Report, the proposed development
responds to the local context and contributes to the enhanced legibility of the local area by
maintaining and/or providing points of reference which reinforce local identity, provide orientation
and aid navigation.

• The proposed development maintains sight lines to key buildings and/or natural features
from adjacent streets, such that their prominence is maintained or enhanced.
• Where the proposed development is of significant or particular civic importance or
function, it is designed to reinforce its visual presence and provide a landmark within the
urban context while still complementing and enhancing local character and amenity.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 73
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

• Where the proposed development is located at a key intersection, node or transition

between urban areas, it is designed to reinforce its visual presence and provide a
landmark within the urban context while still complementing and enhancing local character
and amenity.

Public Art:

To include public art in public buildings and/or in the locality of the public building, that will provide
cultural enrichment for the community, enliven public spaces and enhance amenity.

To encourage the involvement of curators, artists and designers as part of the design team at the
outset of planning and delivery of a government building or place.

• Wherever possible and appropriate, curators, artists and designers are involved as part of
a collaborative design team at the outset of the planning process.
• Opportunities for the inclusion of public art in the building are duly considered at the outset
of the design process with appropriate recognition given to the significant value that public
art contributes to the cultural, economic and social wellbeing of people and communities.
• To sustain the standard of public art in the locality and wherever possible to incorporate
and/or include the allocation of a meaningful percentage of the cost of the project towards
public art, as part of the standard building costing.
• Opportunities for the incorporation of public art in the government building as a standard
building cost may include but are not limited to the following outcomes:
o visual artworks including painting, sculpture, installation, text-based works and
digital media
o functional items including furniture or products such as fittings, including door
handles, etc.
o the design and treatment of walls, floors, windows, fencing, etc.
o provision of cultural or community facilities, development of exhibition spaces,
museums and amphitheatres
o development of public precincts and public places
o cultural animation and cultural programming such as aspects of festivals and
events staged in public places
o an appropriately funded on-going curation of active events, performance and
creative design endeavours.
• Any decorative or ergonomic elements that are not specifically conceived and designed
as public art should be funded from a general construction budget.

Heritage:

To encourage the retention of significant heritage elements within government buildings and
places that will provide benefit to the community through cultural enrichment and the
enhancement of urban character and amenity.

To encourage the retention or creation of vistas through the site of the government building to
surrounding heritage elements that will provide benefit to the community through cultural
enrichment and the enhancement of urban character and amenity.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 74
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

• Where an existing building, element and/or place has been included in a National Heritage
List, the proposed redevelopment of the building, element and/or place includes the
preparation and implementation of a Conservation Management Plan that broadly follows
the approach and Guidelines advocated by the ICOMOS Burra Charter, 1999.
• The proposed development minimises any adverse impacts on places or elements of
Indigenous heritage.

COASTAL/LAKESIDE COMMUNITY PLANNING

Over the next 100 years, nothing will radically change the built environment of coastal
communities more than climate change and sea level rise. Hence, the need for developing a long-
term design and planning framework that adapts to the effects of climate change and sea level
rise is critical. More specifically, there is a need for a “systems” approach that utilizes urban design
and takes into consideration infrastructure impacts, future investments, and insurability of risk as
long-term objectives to address potential impacts from both coastal flooding and a rising water
table, while at the same time guiding communities’ future land use and investment plans.

(Reference: http://www.theplanjournal.com/article/salty-urbanism-towards-adaptive-coastal-design-
framework-address-sea-level-rise)

There is an enormous opportunity to create an innovative coastal-hazard adaptation design

approach and urban place-building framework to protect economic, engineering, environmental,
and quality of life issues from potential impacts of sea level rise, storm surge, rainfall and runoff
on the coastal zone in many areas. One could define the current phase of building development
as robust yet transitional. Once the development is built, it will be more difficult to retrofit due to
the deleterious economic and environmental conditions mounting in the region. This transitional
phase poses the greatest opportunity to implement new policies that mandate adaptive design
technologies and techniques.

Place-building models, such as “Salty Urbanism,” will engage socio-environmental development

and collectively yield a new ecology of the city necessary to address the greatest ongoing
challenge to planning and design: ecological design within human-dominated ecosystems.

By adopting ecological terms, architecture and urban design can achieve greater resilience and
retool itself with the ability to adapt to changing conditions. It is at this juncture that reconciliation
ecology provides a framework for innovation. Beyond composition, ecological thinking requires
logics of assembly where timing, interactivity, sequencing, componentization, and recombination
constitute another aesthetic and utilitarian intelligence. Urban design projects bring problems
involving community-scaled systems related to energy, food production, water, waste, and transit.
Only urbanism gives the architectural and planning professions a holistic framework through
which these systems can be engaged, and urban design is often the missing piece in discussions
on resilience and smart growth planning.

Multi-Scale and Multi-Disciplinary Approach

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 75
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

In order to change the prevailing land-development models to favor integration of ecosystem

functioning in urban development, proposed projects should propose implementation of soft-
engineering technologies within niche scales of the building, lot, public rights-of-way (streets,
easements, parks, etc.), and neighborhood, to generate feedback between bottom-up design
thinking and top-down policy and planning production. Best management practices (BMPs) alone
may address issues of urban stormwater quality and quantity, however, they will not lessen flood
potential as environmental engineering and urban planning disciplines are practiced as separate
fields. New tools and design methodologies that help connect segregated disciplines are needed
to meet the complex challenges in coastal communities over the next 100 years. A multi-scale
approach (building, lot, public rights-of-way, and neighborhood) will provide a link between the
large-scale policy-driven approach and bottom-up design thinking and scientific modeling to
provide niche adaptation solutions.

Soft Defense:

“Soft Defense” can be defined as combining strategies of both hard and soft engineering
employed to mitigate impacts of rising sea levels and non-point source pollution from urban runoff
within development that is allowed to remain unaltered

An example of the defend strategy proposes a new green and blue street system combining high-
tide gardens with salt-tolerant landscapes and pervious paving systems with new “complete
street” roadway solutions. These saltwater landscapes become “biopumps” with phreatophytic -
long-rooted trees that transpire significant amounts of water for hydraulic control - to reduce the
time saltwater inundates the streets during king-tide flooding. At the coastal ridge, landscapes
mimic through reconciliation ecology principles, those of hardwood maritime hammocks where
stormwater is allowed to seep back into the freshwater lens, recharging vulnerable groundwater.
Essentially designed as a garden, streets become a productive ecological system rather than a
net generator of pollution and exacerbated flooding. Streets as gardens also reduce heat island
effects while providing new pedestrian amenities that leverage neighborhood and property value
(important to developer acceptance). The design strategy will be to minimize encroachment on
private property and alter only public land uses.

Strategic Retreat:

“Strategic Retreat” can be defined as gradual removal of urban development through relocation
to higher ground on the coastal ridge. Thus, naturalizing low-lying areas and intensifying urban
development on higher ground. This includes soft-engineered solutions that can be implemented
over time as a “rewilding” design approach in both public and private property. The design strategy
may be that removal occurs after natural disasters or when a structure has reached its lifecycle
or amortization rate. The coastal ridge is further densified with known legal frameworks like
“transfer of development rights” through the implementation of a potential resilience easement or
utility. Furthermore, enhanced dunes and sand engines are implemented along the beach as a
way to further build robust ecological edges along both shorelines of the neighborhood.

Land Adjustment:

“Land Adjustment” can be defined as the reformatting of urban buildings, blocks, and streets to
integrate soft and hard engineering solutions in an idealized design approach. Unconventional

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 76
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

and perhaps somewhat radical redesign of infrastructure, streetscapes and buildings would be
undertaken and speculate on a range of adaptation options. New building types that showcase
raised platforms for habitation as well as submerged living units with a transition to more water-
based transportation systems are to be explored. The approach engages a number of design and
planning challenges, such as property rights, historic architectural styles, and the integration of
unconventional infrastructures that challenge existing zoning. Additionally, the scenario
suggested food and energy production, waste and water recovery and pollution remediation as
essential systems to be integrated in living formats. This scenario provides radical thinking and
addresses issues beyond just sea level rise.

The scenarios are being further refined and modeled within ecosystem assessment tools to
analyze their capacity and quantify ecological services outcomes. This will be essential in
providing the coastal area with the data and proof of concept to establish implementation of one
of the scenario visions within the neighborhood. Furthermore, analysis will give cost-benefit
information to serve continued community engagement and eventual implementation.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W16

Module Title : Design Requirements of Specific Places in Towns & Cities;

• Resort Community Design

• Parks and Open Spaces, Recreational Areas Design as a
Public Policy

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

▪ Identify the design requirements and parameters for a specific development with the
considerations of sustainability, ecology and environment.

RESORT COMMUNITY DESIGN

Resort communities are typically gated or planned communities renowned for their beauty, their
community feel, their safety and their abundant amenities, which might include proximity to a
resort feature like a ski slope or even a theme park. There are several types of resort communities,
including retirement communities, multigenerational communities, golf communities, luxury
communities that include spas and restaurants, and master-planned communities.

(Reference: https://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/pros-cons-resort-community-properties/)

PARKS AND OPEN SPACES, RECREATIONAL AREAS

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 77
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Urban open space is defined as “any undeveloped land within the boundary or a designed
envelope of a village, town or city which has the potential to provide environmental, social and/or
economic benefits to communities whether direct or indirect within an urban area”

Urban open spaces (UOS) are defined as publicly accessible open places designed and built from
human activity and enjoyment. These may include parks and community gardens, children’s
playing areas, green corridors, downtown civic plazas and squares, pedestrian streets and market
places. This definition is drawn from the work of Lynch (1981) who argues that, open space is
open when it is accessible. A fenced waterfront area or a market locked at night is not considered
as an urban open space.

(Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016818301911)

The different aspects of sustainable open spaces are reflected in the opportunities provided to
users to satisfy their desires such as distinctiveness, accessibility, safety, comfort and relaxation,
active and passive engagements, discovery and socializing.

Characteristics of Urban Open Spaces:

Distinctiveness:

This means that the spaces reflect the local character of the area and have a variety of uses, built
form, features, colors and materials that give the spaces and buildings their own identity within
the overall character of the surrounding urban environment.

Accessibility:

This means good connections which lead to urban open spaces and good connections from these
open spaces to other parts of the city.

Safety:

People use urban open spaces without fear of tripping or falling or being attacked.

Comfort:

Comfort includes environmental factors (shading from the sun, wind, … etc.), physical comfort
(comfortable and sufficient seating areas, … etc.) and social and physical comfort (privacy,
relaxation, … etc.)

Passive Engagement:

This means that people stay calm and watch. It is provided in urban spaces by fountains, views,
public art, … etc.

Enjoyable:

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 78
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

This can be through representing a variety of pleasant events such as concerts, art, exhibitions,
festivals and other social events.

Productive open spaces and its pedestrians need some protections associated with the design of
spaces. Open spaces are places to lay down the head, a place to prepare and eat food, a way
for dealing with waste and a place for nurturing, hoping and praying or fighting and separating
and usually refuge from an often unfriendly and challenging world outside.

Furthermore, urban design correlates between buildings, humans and the surrounding
environment. These three things are very comprehensive and cannot be separated from each
other. The productivity and liveliness of an urban space is determined by the movement variables
from one place to another as expressed by the movement of its pedestrians.

DESIGNING PUBLIC SPACES

Principles for ‘good’ public space design are often based on little more than supposition and
intuitive analysis. Extensive empirical testing revealed a number of critical factors that are likely
to be important in the design of most public spaces. These are some of the concerns:

✓ How public spaces are clearly delineated from private ones so that they feel and are
publically accessible.
✓ How the uses surrounding public spaces contribute to creating engaging places for users.
✓ How spaces can be made more meaningful through the amenities and features they host.
✓ How the opportunity is taken to maximise the potential for a positive social environment in
public space.
✓ How a balance between vehicles, pedestrians and other users in public space is set and
safeguarded.
✓ How spaces are made to feel comfortable through their ability to foster safe and relaxing
use.
✓ How robust public spaces can be created as a consequence of their ability to adapt to
changing demands across time whilst remaining distinctive.

(Reference: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41289-018-0070-3)

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W17

Module Title : Submission and presentation of final output: “Urban Design for a
District”.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 79
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

▪ create an urban design for a District integrating elements, ornaments, theories and
concept for place, ecological, environmental and sustainability into the design.

Urban Design Visioning Activity:

Project Location: Chosen Study Site used for the PL2W9 Module: Mid-term Project and PL2W13
Module Project

Materials: Paper & Pens

Submission Format: 8.5” x 13” size paper

Review:

Before you begin, you may undertake an investigative exercise again such as a transect walk or
the Power of Ten (refer to PL2W9). Choose only three problems or opportunities to focus on.

1. Create an overall vision for the site or project – what you want it to look like, feel like, smell
like, how you would like people to use the space. Set clear objectives for the outcomes of
the project.
2. Use paper and pens to drawlist ideas.
3. Provide a brief background on the community through identification of key urban elements.
4. Discuss the development proposals on each of the three problems/opportunities your
group has chosen to address.
Rubrics:
Criteria Rating (%) Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Score
Ability to identify 20% Very thorough Completely Identified a Identified a Identified only
comprehensively and identified majority of few urban less than 3
key urban comprehensive appropriate urban elements urban
elements identification of urban elements elements
(words) key urban elements
elements
Ability to prepare 20% Excellent Properly Properly Simple vison Very simple
very relevant identification of identified identified and vision and
vision and vision and vision and vision and objectives objectives
objectives for an objectives with objectives objectives but presented and scope is
urban design a very covering a covers a and scope is very limited
project (words) comprehensive very limited scope redundant. and
scope significant redundant.
scope
Ability to deeply 40% Provided deep Made some Simple Very simple Little attempt
analyze and analysis of thorough analysis was observations to do some
come up with conditions and analysis of done and were made analysis and
development coming up with conditions solutions are and some solutions
proposals based very viable and and solutions acceptable. solutions are presented
on previous imaginative presented too simple. were very
readings (words) solutions are good. simple and
common.
Ability to present 20% Materials have Materials Materials Materials are Materials
accurately clearly illustrate or have some simply done barely show
(presentation illustrated the show the intent to and or illustrate
materials: given situation given illustrate the presentation the given
sketches) and very situation with situation but is not very situation and
cretive. organized.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 80
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

some simply very

creativity. presented. disorganized.

*************************************************************************************************************

Learning Material Code : PL2W18

Module Title : FINAL EXAMINATION

Written Examination/Assessment & Drawing/Visual Sketches

Urban Design Proposals

Materials: Paper & Pens

Submission Format: 8.5” x 13” size paper

Development Proposals

1. Think of creative solutions that will address the problem or opportunity (as discussed in
previous activity), and will meet the objectives of the vision. Use the concepts discussed
in your readings and understanding of qualities of good urban design.
2. Develop your design solutions thru sketches and plans.
3. Identify what urban design qualities will be achieved by the proposals.
4. Create an action plan and materials list of things you need to make it happen.
Rubrics:
Criteria Rating (%) Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Score
Ability to 30% Very thorough Majority of Only a Only a few Very minimal
synthesize and urban design handful of urban design understanding
concepts comprehensive concepts as urban design concepts of concepts
learned in all application of discussed concepts were used and only very
modules and concepts as were applied. were used. common and
applying them in discussed. simple ideas
very creative were used.
solutions
(words)
Ability to deeply 30% Provided deep Made some Simple Very simple Little attempt
analyze and analysis of thorough analysis was observations to do some
come up with conditions and analysis of done and were made analysis and
very creative coming up with conditions solutions are and some solutions
and innovative very viable and and solutions acceptable. solutions are presented
development imaginative presented too simple. were very
proposals solutions are good. simple and
(words & common.
drawings)
Ability to present 40% Materials have Materials Materials Materials are Materials
accurately clearly illustrate or have some simply done barely show
(presentation illustrated the show the intent to and or illustrate
materials: given solutions given illustrate the presentation the given
sketches) and very solutions with solutions but is not very solution and
cretive. organized.

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 81
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR PLANNING 2:
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN DESIGN & COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Architecture and Fine Arts

some simply very

creativity. presented. disorganized.

*********** THANK YOU & GOD BLESS!!! **********

Prepared by: Ar. Rey S. Gabitan, uap, piep, ia-aia, sfria, earoph Page 82