Lecture Urban Planning & Design

13 Elements of Physical Urban Form

The Domain of Urban Design:

Identifying elements of urban design requires defining the
domain of urban design.
Urban design is that part of planning process that deals
with the physical quality of the environment. It is the
physical and spatial design of the environment.
The domain of urban design extends from the exterior of
individual buildings outward, with consideration of positive
and negative effects of individual buildings on each other’s
Introduction to Urban Design interiors.
13 Elements of Physical Urban Form i.e. the spaces between buildings are the domain of urban
design.

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Urban design is:

‘Designing cities
without designing buildings’
Barnett (1974)
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We can distinguish among the purposes of four interrelated

groups of spaces:
1. Internal pattern and image:
Describes the purpose of spaces between urban structures
at the micro level, that is, key physical features of the city’s
organisation.
2. External form and image:
Focus on the city’s skyline and its overall image and identity.
3. Circulation and parking:
Look at street and road characteristics, quality of
maintenance, order, clarity of route, orientation to
destination, safety and ease of movement and parking.

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4. Quality of environment: In the past, most planners and designer have emphasized
Include number of factors: ‘compatibility of uses’, ‘presence the first two groups of elements – internal pattern and
of natural elements’, ‘ distance to open spaces’, ‘visual image and external form and image – probably because
interest of the street façade’, ‘quality of view’, ‘quality of these two groups are strongly oriented toward the form
maintenance’, ‘noise’ and ‘microclimate’. making aspect of urban design.
The domain of urban design as just set forth does not Yet when we also consider these elements from the
pinpoint very specific physical elements (plaza, mall, seating standpoint of function and environmental quality the spaces
area, tress, etc.), but it is a reasonable way of grouping created for people are potentially more pleasant.
them and gives direction to study and identification of more
We might observe a beautifully designed plaza that very few
specific elements that are unique or important to
people use, simply because it is not environmentally or
community.
functionally satisfactory.
The range of specific elements may vary extensively from
one community to another.
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13 Elements of Physical Urban Form 13 Elements of Physical Urban Form

Elements of physical form: 1. Land Use:

Shirvani (1985) identified eight physical elements within A key element of urban design. It determines the basic two-
which urban areas can be studied. These elements are to be dimensional plans on which three-dimensional spaces are
addressed in developing policies , plans, guidelines and created and functions are performed.
programmes.
Land use decisions establish the relationship between
1- Land use 2- Building form and massing circulation/parking and density of activities/uses within
urban areas.
3- Circulation and parking 4- Open space
A land use plan developed in conjunction with land use
5- Pedestrian ways 6- Activity support policies determines the relationship between plan and
7- Signage 8- Preservation policy and provides a basis for assigning appropriate
functions to specific areas.

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Key issues for consideration in land use include:

1. Diversity of use to promote vitality of space;
2. Consideration of environmental and natural physical Land use – General Land use – Street Level
factors;
3. Improvement and better use of infrastructure systems.
Functions of different streets have a major influence on
establishing the street’s character and the activities it will
support.
Street level pedestrian activity creates a more humane,
pleasant and safe environment.
It is necessary for land use to be considered from two
perspectives: in general and at street level.
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2. Building Form & Massing: Example: Walkie-Talkie Building - London

Amount of glare caused by glass boxed office towers.
Building appearance and configuration
Building form and massing encompasses height, bulk, floor
are ratio (FAR) coverage, street line setbacks, style, scale
material, texture and colour.
Should the urban designer consider what the buildings look
like, i.e. style and material, as well as their height and bulk?
Traditionally, these issues have been left in the hands of the
individual architect and his client. Yet, such issue might
really affect the urban context quality either positively or
negatively, and therefore, should be part of the urban
designer’s concerns.

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Considering building appearance and configuration in urban

design helps to assure harmonious relationships between
buildings, the immediate visual environments and the
overall urban context design framework.
Building height guidelines are used in urban design to
shape and control city’s skyline, i.e. indicate where low
buildings should remain to enhance the hill forms of cities
or to provide views, where taller buildings could be located
to enhance cities’ vertical patterns of development.
The main issue is how much control “urban design” should
establish and how much flexibility and freedom should be
left in the hands of the architect or individual building
designer.
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Two possible variations of building

façade design
Form massing with a myriad of facade options

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Urban Blocks
Physical analysis presenting 18 alternative solutions for an urban space
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An important step is to develop a ‘vocabulary’ for Building and land relationship:

discussing (the city’s) form and appearance of buildings, in
Two basic relationships can be identified of buildings to
order to see the affects of various actions and policies that
land. These have to do whether the structures or the
affect the city in terms of its buildings, streets, open spaces
landscape is visibly dominant.
and places.
- Where the landscape is visible, interesting and varied,
This requires a realistic and comprehensive analysis of the
structural uniformity of built form is recommended.
existing urban physical fabric or pattern to establish a
contextual framework within which new physical forms can - Where the landscape is not dominant, diversity in
be generated in harmony with existing forms. structures can be tolerated /allowed.
Such analysis will help minimize subjectivity and puts a
premium on objectivity.

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Critical issues relating to building form and massing: 3. Circulation and Parking:
1. ‘Scale’ as it relates to human vision, circulation, Vehicles have become an essential part of contemporary life
neighouring buildings, and neigbourhood size. and that such trend will continue in the near future.
2. ‘Urban space’ as a primary element of urban design and Parking element is a chief component in our modern
the importance of the articulation by urban forms, scale and transportation and circulation system that has two direct
sense of enclosure. effects on quality of the environment:
3. ‘Urban mass’ which includes buildings, the ground - Survival of activities, particularly commercial, to which
surface, and objects in space that may be arranged to form parking is essential.
urban space and to shape activity patterns on both large - Severe visual impact on the physical form and fabric of
and small scales. the city.
Failure to provide adequate and attractive parking can
negatively affect the overall urban fabric.
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Massive surface parking

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Many parking buildings do not relate

to the direct street and pedestrian Two main items should be included in any urban design
and are not appropriate at street agenda: access to individual properties and parking.
level facing pedestrian oriented
streets and plazas. Uses such as The provision of adequate parking with least visual impact is
offices generate low levels of
pedestrian activity and should not essential to the success of urban design.
predominate.
Various ways can be used for handling parking that permit
virtual elimination of surface parking such as construction
of parking garages, multiple use programmes, urban edge
parking and package plan parking.
Garage building that contain
street-level uses such as retail The circulation element of urban design offers one of the
shops and restaurants, create high most powerful tools for structuring an urban environment:
levels of pedestrian activity and
enhance the excitement of being
pedestrian. Such uses should be
- It can shape, direct and control activity patterns.
encouraged. - It can be a structuring principle itself.
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Two major principles to be considered to achieve better Second: The road is to give clear orientation and to make
road design: the environment legible.
First: Roads should be positive visual open spaces This includes:
elements in themselves. - Providing ‘landscape palettes’ to enhance environmental
districts along roads;
This includes:
- Establishing a streetscape palette of street furnishings and
- Screening and landscape treatment of undesirable visual
lighting to ensure that the streets are well lit in the night as
elements;
in the day;
- Height and setback requirements for development
- Including in the roadway plan a system of vistas of and
adjacent to the road;
visual references to adjacent land uses and landmarks;
- Right-of-way parkway and median plantings;
- Differentiating the order and importance of roads with
- Enhancing the natural environment as viewed from the
street scaping, right-of-ways, setbacks, adjacent land use,
road.
and so on.

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4. Open Space: However, in the past open space usually has been
considered secondary to building form and massing or
Open space holds different meanings for different architecture. That is, open spaces have been designed
professionals. mostly after architectural decisions have been made.
Open space elements include parks and squares, urban It is essential to recognise that open space, like building
green spaces, as well as trees, benches, planters, water, massing and form, is a unique structuring element in urban
lighting, paving, kiosks and so on that are found within design, that the framework and sequence of open spaces
them. differ from city to another and must be grasped in each
Pedestrian ways, amenities, and probably streets are also particular instance before an urban design programme or
considered as open spaces. plan can be created.

Open space has always been an essential element of urban The significance of open space is not its quantity but how
design and is a crucial area of consideration. it is arranged in relation to development.
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5. Pedestrian Ways: That is to say, we have to balance the use of pedestrian

elements to support livable, attractive public spaces while
Pedestrian ways are an essential element of urban design, at the same time allowing for such related activities as
and they are not just part of a beautification programme. delivery services, access, and individual property
Rather, they are a comfort system as well as a support requirements.
element for the vitality of open space.
Safety plays an important role in pedestrian design. Equally
The pedestrian element should aid in the interaction of important is the provision of space adequate to the number
basic urban design elements, should relate strongly to the of people who walk there.
existing built environment and activity pattern, and should
fit in effectively with future physical change in the city. - When urban spaces are larger than required number of
people who may use them, harsh open spaces and
The key issue in pedestrian planning is balance, ‘how much underuse of amenities result.
to give pedestrians and how much to give vehicles’. - When spaces are too small, congestion, underuse and
under appreciation of amenities similarly result.

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Functions along the pedestrian system must be carefully

considered, as well as public amenities offered such as
benches, planters lighting and the so.
Good pedestrian design deals with three main issues:
1. Functions and needs;
2. Psychological comfort; and
3. Physical comfort.
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6. Activity Support: Note that large-scale, mixed use development projects, such
as shopping malls and hotels, usually do not have much
Activity support includes all the uses and activities that help street-level connection with the rest of the urban
strengthen urban public spaces, for activities and physical environment. Such developments may be termed “inward
spaces have always been complementary to each other. looking” projects.
The form, location and characteristics of a specific area will Activity support does not include only the provision of
attract specific functions, uses, and activities. pedestrian ways or plazas, but also consideration of the
In turn, an activity tends to become located in a place that major functional and use elements in the city that generates
best fits the requirements of that activity. activities.
Therefore, how we design an urban environment may or These may include department stores, recreational parks, a
may not attract a large number of uses and activities. civic centre, a public library and others.

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Large scale development

make a cold and useless
outdoor plazas
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The integration and coordination of activity patterns is the

single most important facet of activity support
programming.
Mixed use promotes diversity and intensity of use. Together
with the vitality of other urban design elements, public
spaces can be effective and successful.
Integration of indoor with outdoor activities is also
important dimension of activity support planning.
Coordination with the built environment entails for
example, pedestrian level access and attractions, windows,
clearly designated enter ways, and such specific land uses as
retailing and food service.

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7. Signage:
Signs have become increasingly important visual elements
in modern town and cities.
From the urban design standpoint, the size and design
quality of private advertising signs must be regulated in
order to establish compatibility, lessen negative impact, and
reduce confusion and competition with necessary public
and traffic signs. The aim is to maintain the quality of the
physical environment.
Well designed signs contribute to the character of a
building’s façade while energizing the streetscape.
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Examples from good practice adopted design guidelines that Guidelines developed for better signage system may
deals with signs in two levels of communication: include:
Direct: specifying business identity, location and the
1. The use of signs that reflect “the special character of the
services provided.
area”;
Indirect: image, character, and the form of the sign.
2. Adequate spacing of signs from one another to ensure
Designing for signage should consider the targeted
visibility and to avoid overcrowding and chaos;
audience in terms of type, distance and message.
3. The use of signs “harmonious” with the architecture of
For example, one approach to establishing functional
buildings;
criteria for signage is to regulate the size of signs in order to
assure their legibility when seen from moving vehicles. 4. Restrictions of flashing signs except for special uses;
Considerations include traffic speed, reaction distance,
5. Prohibition of large signs locate to dominate vistas from
number of words required in the message, and the size of
such major public areas as squares and parks.
letters.

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8. Preservation:
Preservation does not refer solely to a concern of historic
structures and places. in a broader view, it has also come to
mean consideration for all existing structures and places,
temporarily or permanent.
Attempts should be made to preserve structures as long as
they are economically vital and culturally significant.
In urban design, preservation must address protection of
existing neighbourhoods and urban places (squares, plazas,
shopping areas, and the like) as well as historical buildings
and places. It must also focuses on preservation of
activities.

Lecture Urban Planning & Design

13 Elements of Physical Urban Form

Historic preservation brings a variety of benefits to a

community – cultural, economic, social and planning.
Cultural benefits: include historic resources that offer
educational or aesthetic enrichment as well as ‘sense of
attachment’.
Economic benefits: provide an important stimulus for
preservation planning through, increase in property value,
increase in retail sales, avoidance of replacement costs, and
increased tax revenues.
Social and planning benefits: include restoring community
confidence in social and economic values.