URBAN UPDATE
25th September 2015
Main news
from the Urban Design Group
New Jobs: London, Manchester, Bristol, Surrey, Southampton, Oxford,
Abingdon.Reading
7 days to book for the National Urban Design Conference 2015
Torquay Harbour Regeneration – Urban Design Directory Project of the Week
Lyme disease ticks found in South London parks
Everyone-based design
Freyberg Square plans – worth look
Trees make you younger?
Tender Alerts – Bolsover Regeneration Frameworks
A free service for all individuals and organisations who care about life in cities
towns and villages ………
planners – landscape architects – architects – conservation practitioners –
engineers –surveyors – masterplanners – managers – urban designers - urbanists
– health professionals - politicians – public
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The National Conference on Urban Design 2015 - Bristol 8-9-10 October
Development, Design and Profit in C21
Supported by
RICS - RTPI - RIBA
RSA - LI – AoU - ULI
7 days left to book!
50 speakers
2 book launches
2 travelling exhibitions
1 report launch
4 recent books featured
Exceptional
Networking and
Learning
Opportunity
“the most beautiful, interesting and distinguished city in England“ John Betjeman, 1961
“Best City to Live in 2014”– Sunday Times
Most Liveable City in UK - 2013
NB Bristol is a popular venue. Please book your accommodation early.
George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, Stephen Hodder, RIBA Immediate Past President, Noel Farrar, President
Landscape Institute
Chris Sharpe, Holistic City Software; David Swallow; Debbie Sorkin, Leadership Centre; George Grace, TownCentred;
John Buxton, Cambrian Transport Ltd; Julian Dobson, Urban Pollinators; Julian Hart, Lancefield consulting; Johnathan
Shifferes, RSA; John Worthington; Mike Roberts, HAB; Rob Cowan, Urban Design Skills; Robin Hambleton, UWE, Roger
Evans, Studio | Real; Richard Hayward & Louise Thomas; Yolande Barnes, Savills, Dan Black and many more
Sessions on Governance and Planning; Energy; Health and Design; Infrastructure; Profit and Funding, Data and Smart
Cities
Book now for the conference
http://www.udg.org.uk/events/national-urbandesign-conference-2015
Urban Design Awards
Main sponsors
Gregg Latchams Solicitors
Broadway Malyan
Trees take years off how you feel - latest research
An academic report published this summer in the journal Scientific Reports found that adding just ten trees to a single city
– Developer Award
– Public Sector Award
Do you know any developers or
public bodies who you think
should enter the 2016 awards?
block can improve how healthy a person feels by as much as if they were seven years younger or US$10,000 a year
better off. The study controlled for demographic and socioeconomic factors and also found that residents of areas with
higher tree density are less likely to have conditions like hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
What the study did not however discover was the reason for the links between health and tree-lined streets. Said senior
author Marc Berman: “"Trees remove pollutants from the air, so it could be the cleaner air, or it could be that adding more
trees on the street encourages people to go outside and exercise more," Berman said. "Or it could be that the
environment is more beautiful, and that contributes to health."
For further details please see…. http://www.nature.com/articles/srep11610#close
if so
please let them know and
please encourage them to enter!
The VW Air Quality Scandal
With the world’s press currently raising the issue over emissions testing, and the economic consequences,
here’s some background on this important issue.
Full details of how to apply:
Real-world exhaust emissions from modern diesel cars
http://www.theicct.org/real-world-exhaust-emissions-modern-diesel-cars

Developer Award
Deadline 30 October 2015
http://www.udg.org.uk/content/urban-designdeveloper-year-award-2016-opportunity-enter

Student Award
£600 Francis Tibbalds Prize
Deadline 9 November 2015
This is paper is the starting point for the scandal. Researchers used PEMS – Portable Emissions Measurement Systems
to measure the production of pollutants by vehicles while being driven on the highway; the results were very much worse
than those obtained in official test conditions.
Nitrogen Oxides – How they are formed?


http://www.udg.org.uk/content/national-urban-designawards-student-award

Shortlisting of practice awards is currently
underway


Air comprises 78 percent nitrogen (N2) 21 percent oxygen (O2), and .9 percent Argon – an inert gas, and a small but
ever increasing amount of carbon dioxide
Nitrogen oxides are formed
o when fuels containing nitrogen are burnt (most do), and
o when air is heated to high temperatures leading to the oxygen and the nitrogen to react. The higher the
temperature the more rapid the reaction
In petrol engines the ratio of fuel to air is adjusted so that most of the oxygen in the air is used up by the burning fuel.
Because there is little oxygen left to react with nitrogen the emissions of nitrogen oxides are relatively low . In diesel
engines the fuel is burnt using “excess air”, and the surplus oxygen reacts with the nitrogen to form nitrogen oxides.
The laws of thermodynamics predict that engines become more efficient as the temperature of combustion increases.
But with the increase in temperature comes an increase in emissions of nitrogen oxides. This seems to have
tempted engine designers to manipulate the engine management systems.
Catalytic converters are supposed to convert nitrogen oxides back into nitrogen and oxygen.
The elephants in the room – Deaths and Serious Injuries due to collisions; death and illness
caused by sedentary lifestyles
Air quality is unquestionably a health issue. See below for a recent overview article published by the Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/02/air-pollution-may-cause-more-uk-deaths-than-previously-thought-say-scientists
Research reported in Urban Update earlier in the month identified additional risk of cardiovascular incidents in males at
NOx levels below the current limit. The newspapers also talk of 30,000 premature deaths in the UK from air pollution. It
is however important that we don’t disregard the main health impacts of the vehicle use -.
- Collisions and,
- Sedentary inactive lifestyles leading to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, blindness, loneliness and depression.
On average road deaths take over 40 years off an individual’s life; compared with the 1-2 years claimed by air pollution.
All deaths are not the same. It would be wrong to focus solely on air pollution and neglect what can be done to address
these wider issues.
How Urban Design can help refresh city air
View Sanda Lenzhollzer’s excellent presentation on UrbanNous
http://www.urbannous.org.uk/climate-and-city-design.htm
Dutch designer builds world’s first smog-fighting tower
http://www.property-report.com/dutch-designer-builds-worlds-first-smog-fighting-tower/
Urban Design Current Edition
The City as Master Developer
Available to UDG Members by Subscription
Other events
Latest Lectures
on UrbanNous
The number of events is on the wane as we
approach the holiday period, but there are still
events to go to for those that seek them…
New
Weather in the City – How Design Shapes the Urban
Climate
Sanda Lenzholzer
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
http://www.urbannous.org.uk/climate-and-city-design.htm
Academy of Urbanism
http://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/events/
18 September
Event / East England – a regional urbanism
September 24 @ 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
http://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/events/event-east-england-a-regionalurbanism/
Learning from Europe
All urban designers, architects planners, and highway
engineers should have a knowledge of this subject.
Urbanism: Improving quality and value
The importance of product, land and money
Yolande Barnes - Savills
http://www.urbannous.org.uk/urbanism-quality-and-value.htm
Garden Cities Past and Present.
Harbourside Regeneration
Torquay
Kay Elliott
November 5
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
The Urbanism Awards Ceremony
November 6 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
BOBMK Events
Potential morphologies explored.
Dominic Papa S333 Architecture and Urbanism
http://www.urbannous.org.uk/garden-city-morphologies.htm
Garden Cities: Is there a Business Case?
Jim Coleman, Buro Happold
http://www.urbannous.org.uk/garden-city-economics.htm
http://bobmk.org.uk/our-programme/
Next events autumn
Health and Urban Design
Lucy Saunders, GLA, TFL
Landscape Institute
http://www.urbannous.org.uk/health-and-urban-design.htm
Rethinking the Urban Landscape Exhibition
At the National Urban Design Conference
8-10 October
http://www.landscapeinstitute.co.uk/events/
UrbanNous Catalogue available on-line
Highlights include Christopher Alexander, George
Ferguson, Hans Monderman and scores of others.
www.urbannous.org.uk
MADE
http://made.org.uk/events
Rights of Light and Party Walls 1/10
Masterplans Frameworks and Briefs 6/10
Jobs
Senior Urban Designer - Barton Willmore
West Midlands Urban
Design Forum
Friday 2nd October at 3pm
Improving Urban Street Design - Link and
Place
Peter Jones, UCL David Harris BCC
@MADE, 321 Bradford Street, Birmingham, B5
6ET – Booking see link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/improving-street-design-link-and-place-tickets-18745660776
Reading, Berkshire
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/london-and-south-east/senior-urban-designer-barton-willmore
Urban Designer - SLR Consulting - Bristol
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/south-west/urban-designer-slr-consulting-bristol
Urban Designer - West Waddy
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/london-and-south-east/urban-designer-west-waddy
Funded PhD - Bioregional and University of Westminster
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/funded-phd-bioregional-and-university-westminster
Museum of Walking
Director/Associate Director, Urban Design or Landscape
Architecture - WYG – Manchester
Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 October
#CanterburyCultureRush
Associate Director -WYG - London
http://www.museumofwalking.org.uk/events/
PTRC
https://www.ptrc-training.co.uk/Training/UpcomingCourses.aspx
An Introduction to Highway Design &
Construction
The Principles of Traffic and Transport 20-Week
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/north-west/directorassociate-director-urban-design-or-landscape-architecture-wyg-manchester
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/london-and-south-east/associate-director-wyg-london
Urban Design Graduate - Hamilton-Baillie Associates Bristol
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/urban-design-graduate-hamilton-baillie-associates-bristol
VIA Consultant/ Senior Consultant, Turley - London
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/london-and-south-east/consultant-senior-consultant-turley
Kay Elliott are developing a proposal for Torquay's
waterfront which includes 150m of prime water frontage,
and creates a unique opportunity to establish a new high
quality destination for the region.
The Grade II listed Edwardian Pavilion building, a key
feature of the adjacent registered gardens, will be fully
restored to become the reception, restaurant and spa for
a new 65 bed, 4* hotel situated on the adjacent
harbourside. A residential tower, with exceptional views
across the bay, forms the termination of the inner harbour,
marina and promenade and creates a legible landmark at
the heart of the town.
New restaurants and improved public walkways and
Evening Lecture Series, London and Bristol
Urban Design and Conservation Officer (Job No. 000712)
Oxford City Council
seating areas will line the revitalised harbourside encouraging new levels of use and activity throughout the
day.
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/london-and-south-east/urban-design-and-conservation-officer-job-no-000712-oxford-city-council
Urban Design London
Events coming up – extensive programme some
free, some charged/ £175+VAT (Free for
subscribers)
Cycling Infrastructure Skills: Visiting and
Learning from Proposed and Completed
Schemes - 2nd October
Opportunities for creative Urban Designers - Savills
Urban Design - Southampton - Oxford
Challenging Practice: Evolving Suburbs
6th October
Bolsover District Regeneration Frameworks Shirebrook
and South Normanton
Design South East / Kent
Design
Bolsover District Regeneration Frameworks Bolsover
and Clowne
http://www.kentdesign.org/events/
http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/opportunities-creative-urban-designers-savills-urban-design-southampton-oxford
Tender Alerts
http://www.sourcederbyshire.co.uk/contracts/show/id/13081
The scheme has been designed to take account of
climate change, incorporating flood prevention measures,
enhancing the current protection to this area and create
distinctive areas of public realm.
Read more
http://www.urbandesigndirectory.com/projects/harbourside-regeneration-torquay
Call for Papers
Regional Urbanism in the Era of Globalisation
Deadline 15th October
http://www.hud.ac.uk/schools/artdesignandarchitecture/research/conferences/regional-urbanism/
http://www.sourcederbyshire.co.uk/contracts/show/id/13085
Event Calendar
http://www.kentdesign.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Event-Calendar-2015-16-edited-14.4.15.pdf
Garden City II Eastgate,
Springhead Park
28 October
Architecture and Design Scotland
Designing Kent's Infrastructure
Maidstone
19 November
Landor
Place Alliance
The Big Meet
27 October
CIRIA
Valuing urban ecology and city resilience
3 November 2015, London
https://www.ciria.org/CIRIA/Navigation/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=E15232
http://www.ads.org.uk/category/news/
ESpace to Succeed – 24th
Parking World – Car in the City - Space and Place
11 November
http://landor.co.uk/parkingworld/programme.php
Silk Cities Exchange Workshop
Free one day event
29/10 UCL
http://www.udg.org.uk/events/silk-cities%E2%80%99-exchange-workshop
The importance of the Linear Forest
A day devoted to the possibility of creating a tree-lined
roadscape against the conservatism of highway design
and road safety audit.
25th November Kew
http://treeworks-seminars.co.uk/seminar/tree-lined-routes-the-linear-forest/
Urban Design around the World
Latest Research, Policy and Practice
Global
Movement
African Presidents meeting hears UN stress importance of urban planning
and consequences of failures in urban design
More and More Towns Are Falling in Love With Golf Carts
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/09/more-towns-are-falling-in-love-with-golf-carts/406081/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51961#.VgTz199Viko
Calgary Car Share falters – ageing fleet – dwindling revenue
http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/2015/09/23/calgary-carshare-poised-to-close.html
Australia
Urban Design Forum Australia
Chalked-in guerrilla bike lane marks spot where cyclist was killed
http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/taking-back-streets-urban-repair-squad-builds-bike-lane-where-cyclist-was-killed.html
http://www.udf.org.au/
What they said: Australia’s first minister for cities and the built environment
Leicester’s Cycle City Action Plan Celebrated
https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/46546/celebrating-cycling-s-champions
http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/politics/politics-politics/new-minister-for-cities-and-the-built-environment-the-reactions/77455
Brisbane: Queens Wharf development threat to ‘historic fabric
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/brisbane-queens-wharf-development-threat-to-historic-fabric/story-e6frgczx-1227537525111
Success of EcoMobility effective when urban design and planning for a
pedestrian friendly environment is a forethought
http://www.eprop.co.za/commercial-property-news/item/19220-success-of-ecomobility-effective-when-urban-design-and-planning-for-a-pedestrian-friendly-environment-is-aforethought.html
Canada
Play Street
http://www.kawarthanow.com/kawarthanowguide/2015/09/24/play-street/
Economics Politics Philosophy
Matthew Carmona: Urban design adds value
Vancouver needs a masterplan
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=cs&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-
http://www.vancourier.com/opinion/saint-petersburg-needs-master-plan-so-does-vancouver-1.2067256
8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archiweb.cz%2Fnews.php%3Faction%3Dshow%26type%3D8%26id%3D18251&edit-text
=
How to make new homes more popular – Create Streets
China
Architecture professor sees lessons in changing Chinese cities… “Field
Urbanism”
http://www.citymetric.com/politics/how-do-we-make-new-homes-more-popular-nine-lessons-councillors-and-planners-1412
City Planners Must Practice Everyone-Based Design
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/city-planners-accessible-design-american-with-disabilities-act
http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/09/22/architecture-professor-sees-lessons-in-changing-chinese-cities/
“Field urbanism” –is defined thus… “the word “field” refers to shared relations — the
ways in which parts act upon each other, connect. and propagate. “Urbanism” is of
course about the daily life of people in cities.”
Lecture on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5EDO1EUOU0
The cause of the better design of towns and cities will advance more quickly if both
academics and practitioners use language that normal people can understand.
India
Why London's Mayor is Turning to Crowdfunding to Support Public Projects
http://curbed.com/archives/2015/09/22/why-londons-mayor-is-turning-to-crowdfunding-to-support-public-projects.php
Defensive architecture takes public space
“As corporate prerogatives win the day in urban planning, access to public space
shrinks alarmingly”
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2015/09/19/defensive-architecture-takes-public-space/14425848002381
It is certainly fashionable to complain about the privatisation of public space; however
we must not forget that the main issue is the way in which pedestrians and cyclists
have lost virtually all public space to vehicle use and parking.
Indo-French Architecture workshop for development of Hyderabad’s Metro
Rail stations
http://www.constructionglobal.com/infrastructure/509/Indo-French-Architecture-workshop-for-development-of-Hyderabads-Metro-Rail-stations
Indian city trials Car Free Tuesday to improve air quality
Technology
The Array of Things will be the central nervous system of cities
http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/09/controlling-pollution-in-gurgaon/
https://medium.com/backchannel/how-chicago-got-smart-about-sensors-207b6429870c
Reimagining Lutyens bungalow zone
Smart phone app detects surface defects bike lanes
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/his-master-plan-reimagining-lutyens-bungalow-zone/
Ireland
Bank incentives urged to build expandable homes
http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/now-your-smart-phone-can-track-things-go-bump-bike-lane.html
Humans Health Society
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/home-truths/bank-incentives-urged-to-build-expandable-homes-31550918.html
Ticks Carrying Lime Disease found in two south London parks (Richmond and
Bushy parks)
New Zealand
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150924082450.htm
Duncan Ecob International Correspondent
Mexico City Air pollution has detrimental effect on Alzheimer’s gene – in parents
and children
Addressing Auckland's housing crisis
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11518360
Ludo Campbell-Reid's people-friendly design helping Auckland find its
identity
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/71736685/ludo-campbellreids-peoplefriendly-design-helping-auckland-find-its-identity
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/ip-mca092415.php
Female gamers a new risk group for overweight
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/uog-fga092415.php
How urban design influences the brain
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/09/22/this-is-your-brain-on-urban-design.html
Car v people issue splits city precinct
A neuroscientist's approach to urban design
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11516156
http://archinect.com/news/article/137334672/a-neuroscientist-s-approach-to-urban-design
Freyberg Square
Further plans and visualisations of this interesting public space
Overcoming loneliness – research suggests differences in the brain response of
lonely people
Article also suggests 4steps to overcoming loneliness
1. Extend Yourself
2. Develop an action plan
3. Share good times with people who have similar interests
4. Expect the best
http://transportblog.co.nz/tag/freyberg-square/
UK
London folly winners announced
http://archinect.com/news/article/137355586/cheeky-a-folly-for-london-winners-announced
Controversy over listed Edinburgh High School Site
http://www.scotsman.com/news/kirsten-carter-mckee-royal-high-school-plans-betray-vision-1-3892465
Homes can be key to health and wellbeing
http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-research-on-overcoming-loneliness-1442854148
The question for urban design practitioners is how to design and manage the built
environment in a way that helps people meet and make friends and contacts.
Cocooning is apparently an increasing problem – where people withdraw into a private
and sometimes virtual world.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/news-features/health-homes-can-be-key-to-health-and-wellbeing-1-7474790
Built Environment
USA
A Walkability Prescription For Downtown Los Angeles
Street Art St Etienne
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/sep/19/saint-etiennes-urban-doodler-with-a-sense-of-humour
1 Plant more trees
2 Legalise street vending
3 Pedestrian Signage
Palladio: The architect who inspired our love of columns
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34143566
http://la.streetsblog.org/2015/09/22/a-walkability-prescription-for-downtown-los-angeles/
Smart-Cities initiative launched by White House
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/14/fact-sheet-administration-announces-new-smart-cities-initiative-help
Strong Towns Movement
Strong Towns is a national, no-profit group that promotes public policies to create
enduring prosperity for cities, towns and neighborhoods by moving away from the
traditional post-World War II model of "suburbanization" and community planning,
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2015/09/18/strong-towns-conference-comes-louisville/32491133/
5 Steps to Activating Your Neighborhood This Weekend
Web based guide….
http://issuu.com/mksk/docs/5_steps_to_activating_your_neighbor
Why does Philadelphia have diagonal avenues when the city is on a
predominantly grid-based system?
Energy and Climate Change
Arctic melting will cost the global economy £33 trillion by end of next century,
scientists calculate
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/arctic-melting-will-alone-cost-the-global-economy-33tn-by-end-of-next-century-scientists-calculate-10511426.html
Drax power station abandons plans for carbon capture
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34356117
Researchers reveal when global warming first appeared
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150922115452.htm
Green storage for green energy - A rechargeable battery to power a home from
rooftop solar panel
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/hu-gsf091715.php
http://www.phillyvoice.com/infrequently-asked-questions-passyunk-diagonally/
Kelowna could be a Happy City
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/local_news/article_024945e6-61ae-11e5-849f-53e4aa3f70f1.html
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