Diversity and the Decision-Making Process

Diversity and sustainable mixed-use is promoted in terms of the combinations and mix of activity and land/building uses in a given area. This is in contrast to mono-use areas where single uses dominate in zones of residential, office, retail or leisure. Large commercial, so-called mixed-use blocks also lack diversity in terms of economic and retail/ground floor uses and single uses above ground floor (offices or 1 or 2 bedroom apartments). Mixed use local economies and land uses - large & small and clusters of business types and services - as well as a range of amenities producing vitality in street life and temporal use (day/evening) generates the most sustainable mix. Conditions for success and maintaining a balance in a dynamic market and social context, include environmental and property management and a certain degree of spatial separation of uses (e.g. residential, commercial) as well as attention to design quality of both built and street environments. These are essential in order to minimise conflicts of uses and to prevent the dominance of particular uses and building types (and rents) crowding out diversity. Transparent local governance and performance evaluation systems are also essential with governance being recognised as the crucial ‘fourth pillar of sustainability’.

The Decision-Making Process has developed an iterative set of stages and tasks surrounding an urban development project. Diversity (Sustainability Issue Two) - in its mixed-use, compact city and higher density guises - is not confined to a single development or urban design area (masterplan) scale. Since it incorporates economic/employment, transport /accessibility, amenity and related infrastructure planning, it also addresses the design of cities as a whole as well as in component parts, with scale being a prime consideration in applying mixed-use in both urban design and building design processes.

The planning stages and scales at which this operates can be mapped onto the urban design decision-making process model, as follows. The detailed tools which can be used to support each stage are outlined in [pdf] (contact Graeme Evans).

Urban Design Decision-Making and the Planning Process

For further explanation of mixed-use and urban design interventions see CABE Mixed Use and for National Indicators for Local Authorities: Handbook of Definitions, go to: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/finalnationalindicators

Contact Graeme Evans for more details and information.

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