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Or, what Zoe and Cookie Monster can teach us about urban design

“Many of the concepts in [The Death and Life of Great American Cities] by Jane Jacobs are seen across places like New York but also one of the most recognisable blocks in the world.” – Anna Kodé

Do we really need Sesame Street to spell out good design for us – as it has been doing since the 60s? And as the government’s new towns slowly rise from the ground, will the residents be able to stroll to Hooper’s to get the morning papers? And if, heaven forbid, they have to pay rent, will they be getting value for money?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#sesamestreet #placemaking #janejacobs #thedeathandlifeofgreatamericancities #mixeduse #15minuteneighbourhood #walking #urbandesign #cookiemonster

[Picture source: Getty Images]

Or, a call for placemakers to get back to the basics and champion the design code

“So few cities are nice; very, very few out of many thousands are really beautiful. Embarrassingly, the more appealing ones tend to be old, which is weird because we’re mostly much better at making things now: cars, plans or phones. Why not then, cities?” – Alain de Botton

If you want a crash-course in placemaking, here it is! Six fundamental principles to keep in mind the next time a masterplan crosses your desk.

Get the lowdown in this week’s Sketch…

#placemaking #theschooloflife #javaeiland #lifebetweenbuildings #permeability #scale #vernacular #buildingbetterbuildingbeautiful

Or, why the Farrell Review is key to the delivery of the Taskforce Report

“As a nation, we are extremely well equipped to provide the kind of sustainable city making skills that will be in greater demand around the world and our global reputation is something to be proud of. The UK itself should be a showcase for what can be achieved when planners, landscapers, architects, conservationists, engineers, artists, developers and house builders work together. Yet the reality in the majority of our villages, towns and cities is far from world class.” – Sir Terry Farrell

If new towns should be “vision led”, it’s definitely time to revisit the Farrell Review because we now need our architects, urban designers and planners more than ever. And it’s gonna be up to the government to make sure planning departments can afford to employ them and deliver the new town dream.

Click here to get all the juice in this week’s Sketch…

#thefarrellreview #newtownstaskforce #newtownstaskforcereport #newtowns #urbandesign #placemaking

Or, are we creating great places to live or just stoking the war on the motorist?

“We must adapt to this ever-changing world in order to meet the demands of sustainable city making in the 21st century and in doing so prioritise the basic human need to live in, work in and enjoy great places which provide a quality of life for existing and future communities.” – Sir Terry Farrell CBE

From green waves for cyclists (war on the motorist) to the banning of speed cameras (war on the cyclist) via new town visions to The Farrell Review…

Click here to get all the juice in this week’s Sketch!

#sirterryfarrell #thefarrellreview #cycling #copenhagen #greenwave #dougford #waronthemotorist #motonormativity #activetravel #newtowns #vision

Or, from the sublime of nature in Manchester via a pedestrian vision in London to the car-based ridiculous in Milton Keynes

“We know how important it is for people to have the right services and community facilities where they live. That’s why our planning rules are clear that developments should include infrastructure as we build 1.5 million homes through our Plan for Change.” – Spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)

Whilst I am loathe to suggest yet more tinkering to the planning system, government needs to do more to ensure developers can provide basic infrastructure before homes are occupied. The MHCLG may well have “rules”… but have you ever seen a rule not be broken?

Get all the juice in this week’s Sketch…

#manchester #cyanlines #oxfordstreet #pedestrianisation #miltonkeynes #MHCLG

Or, why we seem intent on making life as difficult, unhealthy and dangerous for children as possible

“… no, Labour is not declaring war on the motorist – but as so often when that phrase is wheeled out, I found myself thinking: “Well, they bloody well should be.” – Jonn Elledge

I can’t see why people would refuse to buy a house on a new housing estate because rat-running has been made impossible and their children might be able to ride their bikes on the street without fear of being run over. When it comes to driving vs children’s safety, we have it all backwards in this country, we really do.

Find out why in this week’s Sketch…

#UPF #LTNs #SUVs #waronthemotorist #motonormativity

Or, who misses out when development at any cost inevitably goes wrong

“Play is one of the most powerful tools to boost children’s social skills, physical activity, wellbeing and confidence. Yet too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates.” – Anne Longfield, executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives

It turns out that planners are “prioritising housebuilding over parks”.

Who is losing out and is the government going to do something about it?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#play #playspace #affordablehousing #permitteddevelopment #permitteddevelopmentrights

Or, welcome to utopia: a house in the floodplain with an SUV in the drive

“In London alone, SUVs now take up as much space as an entire inner-city borough – that’s tarmac we could be using for homes, parks, or safer streets. These oversized vehicles are not just swallowing our public space, they’re also far more dangerous, especially for children. If we want cities that are safe, breathable and accessible, we have to get serious about tackling the rise of these urban land-hogs.” – Oliver Lord, UK head of Clean Cities

We can’t get enough of SUVs and if we keep building in flood plains their popularity is likely to keep rising along with the water levels. But should we, as the government seems to suggest, just keep building anywhere at any cost?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#placemaking #SUV #carspreading #motonormativity #cities

Or, when it comes to new towns, can we actually learn from the mistakes of the past?

“One casualty on our roads is one too many… there is nothing to be gained by playing politics with speed limits – only people to be injured and lives to be lost” – Sadiq Khan

We know 20mph limits save lives. So why are councillors and their advisers who want to revoke them and reinstate 30mph limits willing to put themselves at risk of being held personally liable when the injury rates and fatalities inevitably go up?

Further, what does this mean if we want to support the government’s plans for “well-connected, well-designed, sustainable and attractive” new towns?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#20mph #urbandesigngroup #newtowns #manualforstreets #pedestrians #cyclists #motonormativity

Or, what going out for a run can teach us about street design

“Someone slowing down, staring, shouting, even if it’s not always criminal, it can have a huge impact on people’s everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run. We have to ask: ‘Is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender?’ We want to manage that risk early.” – Insp Jon Vale

It’s official: women experience harassment while running. But what can we as urban designers do to help the police in tackling this issue?

Find out in this week’s Sketch…

#womenssafety #running #urbandesign #statutoryduty #highwayauthority #streets #amirite #placemaking