URBAN DESIGN AND PEOPLE

INTRODUCTION
In this chapter presents a quandary caused by the desire to practice an art form based on
method and principle while also involving people actively in the design process. Prince Charles
supported this public participation in planning and architecture while advocating, at the same time to
occupy in this dilemma. He also states that “buildings should reflect harmonies for architecture is like
a language in a form of Classical Design.
Later he writes that people should involve willingly from the beginning in the improvement
of their surroundings, but participation cannot be imposed: it has to start for the bottom up.
In the argument between the different views of the ‘people’ and the professionals which take
priority. In a given scenario explains the dilemma between both parties, the scenario is this; An
individual occupies a property in the Crescent wished to paint their door yellow. The professional
view considered that all doors in john wood junior’s great piece of classical urban architecture should
be white. The law in this case upheld the individual’s right to express her own taste.
The goal of this paper is not to solve this said dilemma but, to make it visible and to set
theoretical ground rules for incorporating public participation in to the urban design process. The
dilemma will not disappear, but it may be that the resolution of the tensions will stimulate design.

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Urban design is the planning and mapping of cities, towns, streets and other landscapes.
Urban designers create outlines for buildings, parks, transportation centers, neighborhoods and
waterways. They can improve existing spaces or create new facilities and developments.
People use accumulated technological knowledge to control and adapt the environment for
social, economic, political, and religious aspects, which is most likely the same as its sister art
architecture. This is a method that people have learned to use in order to solve the total programed
requirements for city building. The city is an element of a people's spiritual and physical culture, and
it is one of its highest expressions. A city should be like the human body in that it should contain
everything that gives man life.
How does the city builder design to best serve the needs of the community? How can the
designer ensure that the finished product is culturally appropriate? These and similar questions are
critical for those in the city design profession.
The architect used to work for an individual or a small group representing a landed proprietor,
a church commissioner, a company, or a government department. It is not uncommon for a large
cultural gap to exist between the city builder and the new client, the man and woman on the street.
The chasm between city designer and client can be bridged when the problem is
acknowledged and its nature defined: when the complexity and heterogeneity of the client group is
acknowledged, and when the designer recognizes that culture is never static: it is in a constant state of
change, and he or she - the designer - is, to some extent, an agent for those changes. Finally, when
working with community groups, it is necessary to develop methods and techniques.
Even when working with people, the designer is not a neutral, objective observer, but a key
player in the culture change process. The development of a menu of techniques for incorporation into
the design process is an important aspect of the designer's skill.
 Figure 1 shows a technique menu with limited utility
because it lacks the ability to predict the type of technique most
useful in any given situation or, conversely, the changes in
context required to facilitate technique use. Different people
interpret participation differently. Fortunately, Sherry Arnstein
has described the various shades of meaning associated with
this term.
Figure 2 shows her participation ladder, which, despite
being 30 years old, is still a useful tool for a preliminary
analysis of participation. Her typology includes illusory forms
of participation, such as manipulation and therapy, as well as
degrees of tokenism like informing, consulting, and placating.
The top rungs of the hierarchy are partnership, delegated power,
citizen power, and citizen control, all of which imply a degree of citizen power,
implying that they require some redistribution of power in order to be realized.
Figure 3 depicts a simplified scale of political structures ranging from
anarchy to various forms of democracy to the various types of dictatorship that
exist around the world. From the standpoint of development participation, it is
best to focus on the middle of the range. In its most extreme forms, anarchy,
while ideal for some thinkers and activists, does not last long
before being replaced by a more disciplined regime. Totalitarian
governments, by definition, do not allow for widespread
participation.
Figure 4 shows a spatial unit hierarchy adapted from
Constantinos Doxiadis; it is a simplified version of his elkistic
scale. Moving down the scale involves a larger number of users
who are interested in the outcome of any decisions affecting the
element's form.

Figure 5 depicts a variety of planning styles. The scales range from less formal types of
planning, such as the non-plan, in which economic forces
determine settlement form through various types of ad hoc
decisions, to more rigid planning methods, such as the
masterplan, which is a blueprint for a desired future end state.

It can be argued that urban design is similar to planning in many ways,

and because it deals with a large portion of towns and cities, it is also concerned
with resource and weather distribution. It would be prudent for the urban
designer who wishes to remain within the safety of a technical design process
not to dabble with participation that confronts the designer directly with the
issue of power and wealth distribution and, thus, brings the subject right to the
center of politics.
 It could be argued that devolution of power to local communities is required for full
participation; decision making in areas such as; Housing and local community services are placed in
the hands of residents of such communities. Such decentralization of power assumes an active and
highly politicized populace.
Figure 6 is a synthesis of the scales discussed thus far. It illustrates some of the methods for
analyzing the participation process. The
The diagram can be thought of as a complicated slide rule in which each scale can be moved
up or down in relation to its neighbors. It is then possible to outline or describe the types of conditions
that are likely to exist in any given situation. However, there may be factors not represented on the
scale that must be considered.
Figure 6: Analytical scale of participation

THE URBAN DESIGN PROCESS

A process results in urban development. Unless one is specific about participation in planning or
design, it is therefore a little simplistic to discuss it. At each stage of the process, the type of
participation and techniques used.
Figure 7: Planning Method
At Figure.7. According to the descriptions of the planning method, the process is not a simple linear
progression in which each phase is completed before moving on to the next step. The planning
procedure is thought to be cyclical, with intermediate loops. After evaluating alternative plans, for
example, it may be necessary to redefine goals, collect additional data, or analyze the data in a
different way.
Architects advocate design methods that are similar to those prepared by planners. The design
process is divided into four stages according to the RIBA practice and management handbook.

Phase 1: Assimilation: The accumulation of general information, particularly information

related to the issue.
Phase 2 General study: An investigation of the problem's nature: the investigation of
potential solutions.
Phase 3 Development: The creation of one or more
more options
Phase 4: Communication: The communication of
selected solution/s to the client
Thomas Markus and Thomas Mayer go a step further in their description of the design method. They
argue that the designer goes through a decision sequence - analysis, synthesis, appraisal, and
decision - at increasingly detailed levels in the design process (See Figure 8). Goals and objectives
are classified during the analytical stage, and patterns in information are sought. Ideas are generated
during the synthesis stage. It is then followed by a critical assessment of the alternative solutions in
light of the objectives, costs, and other constraints. Decisions are made based on the evaluation
results; however, as with any other design method, return loops between stages are critical.

Figure 8: Architectural method

Figure 9: Integrated design process

This perspective on the design process for a single building can be expanded to include urban design,
town planning, and regional planning (see Figure 9).
According to Walter Wallace, "the scientific process can be described as involving five major
information components, the transformations of which are controlled by six major sets of methods..."
The five sets of information are the following: the body of theory, hypotheses, sets of unique
observations from the surrounding environment, empirical generalizations derived from the unique
observations, and finally the body of decisions relating to the acceptance or rejection of the
hypotheses.
The right question or questions are at the core of scientific method. We're all aware that
asking a silly question will always result in a silly answer. The same can be said for design. The art of
design is in posing the problem. There is an outmoded school of thought that holds that methodical
application results in good design. In its most extreme forms, the method school would have us
believe that studying the problem, followed by logical analysis of all possible solutions, will result in
the best solution being chosen to solve the problem. The design process is not linear but dialectical,
taking the form of an argument between problem and solution.

Figure 10: Scientific Design Process

Although theory is an important source for developing urban design concepts, it is not the
only one. Other than inductive or deductive reasoning, ideas can be generated in other ways.
Analogies are frequently used by artists and designers in their work. Analogy is a powerful tool for
the creative artist. Analogies provide a convenient method for removing a thought block, a way of
reviving a design method rather than waiting for inspiration to find new ways of looking at a situation.

Deduction can be used to generate ideas or concepts for urban design, or inductive logic can
be used to generate ideas or concepts from facts. Ideas, on the other hand, can be generated through a
process of lateral thinking, and these ideas can later be evaluated using logic techniques. All of this
sounds very different from the life of the man on the street. So, how can the community participate in
the process? So, when do people get involved in the design and development process?
 The concepts of the great architect and the "big idea that sets architectural fashion in new
directions" are deeply embedded in our profession. The planner is also hesitant to hand over control of
the creative part of plan making to the layman; the search for solution ideas is thought to be the
province of professionals. Starting the design process from a theoretical foundation and abstract
concepts gives the professional a significant advantage over the layperson due to his or her long
period of education and experience. If positive participation is desired, however, these notions that the
professions know best must be abandoned.

It also requires of the designer the humility to be able to offer advice only when requested. The
professional's advice on technical matters is supreme, experience shows that it is well respected by the
layperson. The layperson can offer solutions only from within his or her own experience. Culturally appropriate
development may or may not result from deep, introspective, self-discovery by the designer or from a sensitive
approach to the client group and its communal needs. To facilitate the active participation of communities with
the planning and development of the environment requires a whole range of approaches and a full menu of
techniques.