Sowing the Seed

Close up, Bo 01, Malmo, Sweden

Good design policies are needed if we are to raise the quality of places being delivered. There is now strong support for good urban design in national policies but this needs to be carried through to local level if it is to have real impact on the places in which we live.

To achieve this:

• Good urban design requires political will, leadership, appropriate policies and a sustained determination to raise standards. It also requires a long term view, typically over a generation
• Effective policies need to provide support for urban design at every level, from the strategic to the local
• Those determining planning applications must be given the confidence and skills to evaluate proposals and demand quality