Urban Design Practice. An International Review

Contents

Foreword by Amanda Reynolds, iv Acknowledgements, v Contributors’ biographies, vi

Introduction

1

Great Britain

3

Section 1 Europe

13

France

14

Germany

30

Italy

46

The Netherlands

64

Spain

80

Sweden

96

Czech Republic

112

Section 2 Africa and the Middle East

131

Dubai

132

Egypt

146

Morocco

162

South Africa

178

Section 3 Asia

195

China

196

India

218

Section 4 The Americas

237

Argentina

238

Brazil

256

United States

274

Section 5 Oceania

291

Australia

292

New Zealand

308

Conclusion

325

Notes, 337 Bibliogrpahy, 339 Index, 343 Image credits, 346

contents

iii

Detail of the new development areas

charts defining the

In addition, the municipality wanted to develop a

overall planning legislation and the Plan General.

new local centre with public and private services.

In this case, however, the municipality was both the landowner and the developer. All design decisions

Once the Plan General had established the

therefore involved the mayor and his team, and they

framework, the Plan Parcial could develop the

wanted to create a unique urban space, attractive

design for the area. The first step was to define

to young families and professionals and with a

the character of the new neighbourhood. Usually

percentage of housing for students and for seniors.

the municipality manages this process, but the

An additional planning objective was to include as

developers and their consultants are relatively

much landscaping as possible, in order to obliterate

free to decide on the design while respecting the

the neglect of the past.

8

s pa i n   ~   Case study: the youth park in Ponferrada

90

Initial analysis of the SSUD

Image showing the layout, the diversity of typologies and solar efficiency

Initially the urban design concept aimed at

Working in close collaboration with the local

establishing a visual order, connecting the dwellings

planning committee led by the councillor in charge

with the new park and resolving the articulation

of urbanism, the urban design team (architects

between new and existing urban spaces. The

assisted by a firm of civil engineering consultants)

second objective was to generate life at the ground

put forward three alternative proposals, variations

level. Two well-defined public areas were proposed:

on the same theme but with different building

the park and a commercial area along the new

typologies. The objective was to define the local

streets, as an extension of the existing avenue.

constraints and to establish a design concept. After

Case study: the youth park in Ponferrada   ~   s pa i n

91

conceptual masterplanning (DKP), masterplanning

detailed masterplan for the area (excluding the

for the downtown area (Gensler), retail consultancy

downtown); Degla, to provide project management

(Colliers International), landscaping (HJA Design

and engineering services; and New Giza Design

Studio) and golf course design (Thomson, Perret

Studio, for architectural design.

and Lobb). Nevertheless, Al-Gammal has also created Egyptian teams in order to liaise with the

Contrary to the European models that inspired

international agents, including Earth Architecture

Egyptian designers in the past, such new

and Planning (EAP), commissioned to develop the

developments are strongly Americanised. The

Masterplan of the New Giza community by Earth Architecture and Planning for New Giza Real Estate Development Company

e g y p t   ~   Case study: New Giza urban extension

154

Open spaces network at the core of the New Giza masterplan

majority of consultants are either based in the US

of interconnected parks created to enhance the

or are multinationals. Unsurprisingly, they bring to

public enjoyment of each neighbourhood. Many

Egypt the ideas and models they learned in the US.

of these are strategically located in order to

DKP, designers of the New Giza masterplan, have

provide an uninterrupted view from the private

close connections with EAP, whose president, the

terraces of homes, and will be accessible to families

Egyptian architect Ibrahim Mohasseb, trained in

and visitors. The park system also connects the

urban design at the University of Miami and worked

neighbourhoods to adjacent shopping centres,

with DKP for four years before setting up his own

schools, recreation facilities and mixed-use centres.

practice in Egypt. Inspired by the prevalence of the New Urbanism (NU) school of thought in Miami,

EAP’s design intends to accommodate 30,000

New Giza reflects NU principles.

people at low densities with generous setbacks, 30% built-up area and large open spaces and

DKP’s conceptual masterplan proposes eight

streets. New Giza has been conceived as a middle-

neighbourhoods of distinct character based upon

class suburb with very little social mix, as the

their location within the site, their topographic

masterplanners argue that the neighbouring new

features and natural views. Most neighbourhoods

town, 6 October City, provides for all social groups.

will be residential, featuring single-family residences

At least the mixed-use downtown, located adjacent

and town houses, laid out in a system of blocks

to the Cairo–Alexandria motorway, is accessible to

and streets that respond to the natural topography

a wider public. It includes New Giza University, a

of the site. Their design carefully balances the

sports club, a medical centre, two hotels and a mall.

desire for long views with that of privacy and the

The commercial buildings, however, though not

need for a street grid to ensure walkability. An

gated are controlled through front-door access from

important feature of the project is the system

a podium.

Case study: New Giza urban extension ~ e g y p t

155

The large projects in the centre of Casablanca

quality of the public realm. As a new centre for the

existing natural spaces have informed the design;

Casablanca metropolis, Anfa aims to be a symbol

the largest public space is based on the landing

of the city’s transformation. The new district will be

strips of the old airfield and is bookended by two

an intense and attractive service centre including

towers that will be urban landmarks. The major

housing, major urban amenities, universities,

institutions and the high-intensity activities will be

retail units, parks and gardens, and a multimodal

located along this main symbolic axis, around which

transport node with the arrival of a new TGV-style

five neighbourhoods will be created or renewed,

rail line. Its specific geographical character and the

each one with its identity and form. A range of

m o r o c c o ~ Case study: Casablanca, a laboratory of urban design

172

Anfa 03-21 – The Strategic Plan by Reichen et Robert architectes-urbanistes

Anfa 03-21 – The Strategic Plan

by Reichen et Robert architectes-urbanistes

typologies adapted to the character of each of the

In summary, the Anfa 03-21 project wants to be part

parts and emphasising the role of open spaces has

of the new image of Casablanca, using international

also been defined. Equally, the building heights

architectural models but adapting them to the

are prescribed according to the area: the lower

local context. It aims to attract a wealthy clientele,

town adjacent to public spaces, 10.5 m; the middle

predominantly from abroad, and is marketed

town, introducing the concept of green roofs, 20 to

accordingly. It hopes to help position Casablanca

25 m; and the taller town with heights of 50 m for

nationally and internationally within the ‘circle’ of

apartments and 150 m for offices.

global metropolises.

Case study: Casablanca, a laboratory of urban design ~ m o r o c c o

173

Chengdu citizens love to take their meals of incredibly spicy local cuisine on the streets or next to the water. The riverfront of the eastern area is therefore the perfect place for the locals to congregate at the various waterfront restaurants and bars. These will undoubtedly attract people at lunchtimes and in the evenings, thereby contributing to the goal of creating a vibrant 24-hour district rather than a monofunctional area that falls dead after office hours.

The island The island in the middle of the Fuhe river is home to the International Financial Forum. Its centrepiece is a very tall hybrid tower with offices, hotel and serviced apartments. At the bottom of the tower, a major conference venue provides its services to the business community. The larger part of the island is otherwise kept as public green space, and is connected to the business areas by several The main street in the eastern part of the site with wide sidewalks, a relatively narrow road space, mixed-use podiums and active ground levels with shops, cafes and restaurants

View of the International Financial Forum from the south-west, with the island and the ‘signature’ tower at the centre

c h i n a ~ Case study 1: Chengdu Financial District (CFD)

208

footbridges and the elevated tram line.

Evaluation What sets this scheme apart from other business

Unfortunately at the end of the second stage, the

districts in China is its distinctive mix of uses with

clients decided to go with a competing scheme

strong leisure, entertainment and residential

which had shown more detailed architectural design

components, as well as the strong connection to

and – more importantly – a taller landmark tower.

existing and proposed public transport options.

This blurring of the lines between urban planning

The sustainable urban planning and design

and urban design on one hand, and architecture on

approach is therefore going well beyond the usual

the other is not uncommon in China, often to the

‘greenwashing’ (showing cliched ‘green’ architecture

detriment of genuine urban design solutions.

and a couple of wind turbines in the background) to

This is not the end of the line though: the plan

tackle sustainability at a fundamental planning level.

will go through (many) further modifications and adjustments, and there will be further competitions for smaller parts of the site.

View from the western side towards the eastern bank of the river, which is lined with restaurants and bars

Case study 1: Chengdu Financial District (CFD) ~ c h i n a

209

View from the pedestrian shopping street, which serves the residential community, towards the new cable-stayed bridge

c h i n a   ~   Case study 2: Yingkou Peninsula

212

An impression of the residential community with internal water landscape, community club house (foreground) and integrated commercial development (background); note that at this point in the design process, the architectural design shown here is purely notional and illustrative

The riverside At the north-eastern edge of the site, a diverse pedestrian-friendly riverfront destination is planned next to the new bridge. This area is highly visible for those arriving in Yingkou by car across the bridge. The design takes this opportunity to create an impressive new skyline along the river. At the same time, a pedestrian riverfront promenade lined with restaurants, cafes and bars offers spectacular views of the illuminated bridge at night-time. A public square surrounded by entertainment uses is at one end of the promenade, while a marina with a commercial complex and landmark twin towers is at the other end of this vibrant waterfront space.

The peninsula Previous planning options treated the entire peninsula as an undefined, potentially privatised space with limited public access and few public facilities. There were also unspecified plans for a golf course, a theme park and gated housing. This created a dilemma: restricted public access would potentially limit the environmental impact on the

Yingkou’s new gateway as seen when crossing the bridge – featuring a continuous pedestrian waterfront promenade lined with restaurants and bars

Case study 2: Yingkou Peninsula ~ c h i n a

213

CASE STUDY Tigre District

T

he Tigre district in the outskirts of Buenos Aires

capital city, and with land adjacent to water, have

has one of highest levels of development and

accelerated the expansion of the area as it responds

the largest concentration of private residential

to the demands of the market.

urbanisations in the country. Its environmental characteristics and landscape are exceptional as

From 1990 onwards, and as a result of public

it is located at the end of the Parana river delta,

investment in motorways and in the public realm,

on lowlands subject to flooding that have been

new developments appeared on the improved

made safe and buildable through major private

land of the so-called ‘new Tigre’. Two companies

investment. The advantage of being near the

operating in this area: Nordelta with 1,600 ha of

Nordelta, general plan

a r g e n t i n a ~ Case study: Tigre district

250

Nordelta, partial aerial view

land, has given its name to a new district; and

The other firm, Eidico, makes clear its requirements

Eidico, which deals with co-ownership schemes.

in choosing the location for such a neighbourhood: •

Large rural parcels of land with few owners willing to convert them into residential

Nordelta is impressive because of its size and

development

location. It includes educational facilities at all levels, retail centres, offices for high-end

•

No informal occupants or subdivision of land

enterprises, marinas and docking facilities on

•

Proximity to other large developments or other

the river Luján, and all amenities needed for a

prestigious gated communities

predicted population of between 80,000 and 120,000 inhabitants. The masterplan for what

This firm claims to ‘recycle’ the concept of

has been called the New City of Nordelta was

cooperative housing by pooling the efforts of small

prepared in 1990 by Ruben Pesci, a well-known

investors in order to convert agricultural land into an

and reputed architect–planner and founder of

equipped urban development. Legally, this is a form

the Centre for Environmental Studies (CEPA),

of trust in which Eidico is the administrator and the

working in partnership with other local architects

investors are the beneficiaries. The trust represents

– Antonio Rossi and Omar Accattoli among them.

the interests of the client from the inception of

The plan proposes the creation of 22 distinct

the scheme until the buildings are delivered. This

neighbourhoods which will be developed and

method of selling attracts a well-off clientele and

occupied in successive phases. At the centre of

guarantees the firm an early return on its capital.

the area, where the lowlands have been filled and

The buyers are attracted by short-term benefits and

raised, the design has entirely modified the local

the possibility of getting access to urbanised land at

environment and the topography.

a reasonable cost.

Case study: Tigre district ~ a r g e n t i n a

251