Urban Design within the City of Hull

Hullnow.co.uk is a website that looks in simple terms at urban design and the facts behind all the specialist skills to deliver a successful design. We have used our home city of Hull as an example to help highlight a better understanding of this process.

Urban design can be extremely controversial and has often involved the destruction of businesses and the demolition of priceless historic buildings and structures. It can also involve the relocation of people through a legal process known as eminent domain, more commonly known as compulsory purchase in the United Kingdom. This is a legal tool is used to reclaim privately owned property for city and rural re developments. The importance of getting it right is critical for affected communities. It also has major implications on future generations if a proposed design fails to succeed.

Good urban design is a key to making places that are economically and socially successful. These are desirable places in which to live and work and offer environments that are attractive to visit. Creating an identity within a community is essential to a successful urban design. In-depth planning and background study within that community can contribute to a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour.

The skills required for effective urban design are vast and complex with a strong commitment when working across many professional boundaries.

These include:

Above all, it includes the ability to communicate and present a design that is clear for all to understand. These are just a few of the skills required. It is very unlikely that just one organisation could offer all these specialist disciplines so effective communication between bodies is the key to making the end result work.

If this website inspires or influences anyone to bring about a better quality of life through the application of good urban design then we have achieved our goal.