Reconsidering urban design: Thoughts about its definition and status as a field or profession

Abstract Since its emergence and rise to significance over the fast 30 years urban design has been loosely defined. In this regard, its definition can be grouped into categories of being cursory, qualitative and prescriptive, historic, proprietary and process oriented. A practical definition, i.e. with regard to its status as a field, sees urban design as being form‐giving to built environments as a primary activity involving the professions of architecture, landscape architecture and planning. In addition, ‘thresholds of scale’ factor into a practical definition whereby interrelationships of building site, neighbourhoods and districts, the city, metro region and ‘corridors’ are building blocks of design intervention. Quality of life, the public realm and process are significant aspects of the thresholds of scale.

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