Ar.

Naushaba Azhar
Lecture 21
Four basic phases of urban design:

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Implementation
1. Analysis

a. Gathering of Basic Information

It includes understanding the structure, organization, and pattern of urban areas.
Basic information is gathered on such items as land use, population,
transportation, natural systems, and topography. Designers also examine the
varied character of the site and the structure of neighborhoods and business
areas. Problems and design goals are identified.
b. Visual Survey
The visual survey is a standard part of any urban design study. It is an examination
of the form, appearance, and composition of a city or neighborhood. To
conduct a visual survey, one must have a basic idea of the elements of urban
form. (The most prominent is the study of Kevin Lynch: Paths, Nodes, Edges,
Districts and Landmarks as five basic skeletal elements of a city form) Next, one
must examine the city and describe it in terms of this vocabulary.
1. Analysis
c. Identification of hard and soft areas
The definition of hard (e.g. public parks) and soft areas (e.g. business district)
helps to designer to know what parts of the city can accommodate growth
and change and what parts are essentially fixed because they may be
occupied, for example, by a historic landmark. Such information is of
considerable value in the latter stages of the urban design process when
proposed plans must be evaluated for feasibility of implementation.
d. Functional Analysis
The functional analysis examines the relationship of activities among the various
land uses and the way that relate to circulation systems. This study builds on
the work of the land-use planners. However, the urban designer carries the
study into three dimensions. (e.g. changing of building heights to street width
ratio over time.)
2. Synthesis
In this phase, the data gathered and the analysis of the problem must be
translated into proposal for action. The first component of synthesis phase is
the evolution of concepts that address the problem. Concepts are followed by
the development of schematic design proposals. These proposals are more
specific in nature. Schematics are followed by preliminary plans.
3. Evaluation
Evaluation occurs at many levels, ranging from meeting technical demands to
the ability to gain public acceptance. After the design proposals are complete,
it is essential that they be evaluated in the light of the original problem or
issue they were intended to address. One of the more complicated tasks
associated with evaluation is determining what criteria should be employed.
There are two basic categories:
(1) how well the solutions fit the problem and
(2) how readily the proposals can be implemented.

4. Implementation
During the implementation, the strategy for actual financing and construction is
formulated. Detailed phasing studies and tools are considered to realize the
project.
The urban design characteristics of a neighborhood are
composed of the various components in the buildings and
streets of the area:

- Building bulk, use, and type.

- Building arrangement.
- Block form and street pattern.
- Streetscape elements.
- Street hierarchy.
- Natural features.
Building bulk, use, and type.
Buildings in a neighborhood are usually described by their bulk, use,
and type (such as "boxy manufacturing buildings," or "narrow, high-
rise commercial buildings").

The concept of bulk is created by the size of a building and the way it is
massed on its site. Height, length, and width define a building's size;
volume, shape, setbacks, lot coverage, and density define its mass.

In describing a building, noting its general use (manufacturing vs.

residential, for example) conveys a sense of its appearance, and thus
adds to the understanding of its visual and urban design character.
Building arrangement.
This term refers to the way that buildings are placed on zoning
lots and blocks. They may be attached to one another, as are
row houses, or detached and separated by driveways or
open uses. Building arrangements can be quite varied or
organized in a site plan (such as an institutional campus or a
large residential development like Stuyvesant Town).
Block form and street pattern.
The shape and arrangement of blocks and surrounding streets may be regular
composed of rectangular blocks, formed by streets intersecting at right
angles, as is found throughout much of Manhattan. The rectangular grid
may be interrupted by superblocks, such as Lincoln Center, or by a
diagonal street, such as Broadway, which crosses Manhattan's regular grid
at various points, often creating "bow tie“ street patterns, the most
famous of which is Times Square. In other areas of the City, the pattern
may be defined by irregularly shaped blocks, curving streets, or cul-de-
sacs. The block form and street pattern contribute to urban design
because they define the flow of activity in an area, set street views, and
create the basic format on which building arrangements can be organized.
Lincoln Center or Stuyvesant Town could not exist without a superblock
pattern; midtown Manhattan's large, regular blocks can and do contain a
variety of building sizes, but the small, irregular shapes of blocks in, say,
the West Village permit only buildings with relatively small footprints.
Streetscape Elements.
Most areas include distinctive physical features that make up a
streetscape, such as front yards, street trees, curb cuts,
street walls (i.e., the "wall" created by the continuous front
facade of buildings along the street), street furniture (i.e.,
items permanently installed on the street, such as street
lights, fire hydrants, or newsstands), building entrances, curb
cuts, parking lots, fences, stoops, parking ribbons (i.e., the
row of parked cars along a street), service entrances visible
from the street, etc.
Street Hierarchy
Another descriptor for an area's streets is their classification,
which convey a sense of width, circulation, and activity.
These include expressways, which have limited vehicle
access and no at-grade pedestrian crossings (e.g., the Van
Wyck Expressway); arterials, which have limited, atgrade
crossings (e.g., West Street/Twelfth Avenue in Manhattan);
boulevards (such as Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn);
collector/distributor streets (such as Flatbush Avenue); and
local streets (which include cul-de-sacs).
Natural Features
Natural features include vegetation and geologic, topographic,
and aquatic features. Rock outcroppings, steep slopes or
varied ground elevation, beaches, or wetlands can help
define the overall visual character of an area.