Urban design controls are The tools by which urban design strategy is reinforced and implemented
It is essentially the design elements of both private and public spaces coordinated in a way to reinforce the place identity and bring about a sense of community
We need to caution sometimes not to restrict the potential of space by putting comprehensive design guidelines that inhibit creativity and may prevent organic growth of the urban fabric through different phases
This said, it is important that before we put the guidelines , we are extremely clear about what is the main driving principles in design that we want the guidelines to address
The plot guidelines document rarely these days are modeled. It is. A written text with various two dimensional sketches . Recent technology tools enable us to test the consistency of the guidelines . By modeling the materials finishes, we can understand more easily the overall pattern and texture of the space. It will also place in context color , a factor usually put on the side in design guidelines although cognitive research has proved that it is one of the important experiential factors of perceiving space and classifying it.
Testing guidelines in terms of urban form , the impact it has on the fabric and the typologies it can engender is bother tool of verifying integration.
Building a virtual mock up of a street interpreting the guidelines is another important tool to observe if the emphasis on massing has lead to a monotonous space and that buildings response became too constrained to form an interesting fabric.
As reviewed, urban design guidelines are the tools to implement an urban design strategy but unless this tool is tested in our drafting virtual studios, we my be at risk of the tool becoming the end not the mean
