CityLab, AtlanticMedia. How to Design a City for Women Publication date: 2016 Ranking: useful This article looks at how urban planners have been taking the ideas of gender mainstreaming and what can be achieved when the differing needs of men…
Blog Archives
Shared space: is it evidence based?
University of the West of England (UWE): Simon Moody and Steve Melia Shared space – research, policy and problems Publication date: 2012 Ranking: essential The authors’ introduction states: “Shared space is an approach to street design which minimises demarcations between vehicles…
Tagged with: access, disability, Independent living, planning, public realm, Transport, visual impairment
Posted in Disability, Highways, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Disability, Highways, Planning, Urban Design
Building dementia friendly communities for everyone
Geraldine Green, Senior Policy Officer and Louise Lakey, Policy Manager, Alzheimer’s Society Building dementia friendly communities: A priority for everyone Publication date: 2013 Ranking: useful This report describes the views of people affected by dementia and their carers. It explores the barriers…
Tagged with: Dementia, Independent living, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Streetscape audits
Dept. of Transport and Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/11: Quality Audit Publication date: 2011 Ranking: essential This leaflet explains the Quality Audit process. The Quality Audit process can be applied to highway, traffic management or development…
Crossings and pedestrian walking speeds
Transport Research Laboratory Report prepared by M cRabtree, C Lodge and P Emmerson. A Review of Pedestrian Walking Speeds and Time Needed to Cross the Road Publication date: 2014 Ranking: useful Living Streets commissioned Transport Research Laboratory to bring together…
Shares space experience in Ireland
Tom Grey and Emma Siddall, with contributions from Eoghan O’Shea; TrinityHaus, (Trinity College, Dublin). Shared Space, Shared Surfaces and Home Zones from a Universal Design Approach for the Urban Environment in Ireland Publication date: 2012 Ranking: useful The research was…
Guerrilla Wars in Everyday Public Spaces
Kin Wai Michael Siu, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Guerrilla Wars in Everyday Public Spaces: Reflections and Inspirations for Designers. Publication date: 2007 Ranking: useful This research offers designers a new perspective for examining how city users are tactically living in their cities.…
Building for Life
Building for Life Partnership Building for Life 12 (BfL12) is led by three partners: The Design Council, Design for Homes and the Home Builders Federation, supported by Nottingham Trent University. Building for Life 12 Publication date: revised 2012 Ranking: essential…
Tagged with: Co-design, design, housing, National Planning Policy Framework, planning
Posted in Housing, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Housing, Planning, Urban Design
Want to be a dementia friendly community?
Alzheimer’s Society The dementia friendly communities Publication date: various Ranking: essential The Alzheimer’s Society are working nationally to … as a part of their …five year plan. Use these links to find out how to work towards becoming a dementia friendly…
Tagged with: Dementia, inclusive access, Independent living, local councils, public realm
Posted in Disability, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Disability, Planning, Urban Design
Superdensity
Superdensity – The sequel Written and published by HTA Design LLP, Levitt Bernstein, Pollard Thomas Edwards and PRP Architect in partnership with David Birkbeck of Design for Homes. Publication date: 2015 Ranking: useful Building on Living at Superdensity, this report shows through a series of essays…
An alternative age-friendly handbook
Sophie Handler; UK Urban Ageing Consortium | Age Uk | Royal Institute of British Architects | Age-friendly Manchester | Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing. An alternative age-friendly handbook Publication date: 2014 Ranking: useful This handbook provides practitioners with a series…
Tagged with: age, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Play Street Orders
Playing Out – Bristol City Council Playing out – applying for temporary street orders Publication date: current. Due to be reviewed 16/06/2015 Ranking: useful Here is an example of how one council has set up the administrative process to close a street…
Playing out
Playing Out A Dutch view of playing out Publication date: December 2013 Ranking: useful A film made in 1972 documenting the efforts of a group of Dutch children to create a play street. Portrays group of children with quietly supportive…
Child-friendly City
UNICEF Building child-friendly cities: A framework for action Publication date: 2004 Ranking: useful This document provides a framework for defining and developing a Child Friendly City. It identifies the steps to build a local system of governance committed to fulfilling children’s rights. The framework…
People with dementia and the physical environment
North Somerset Council Equality and Diversity Team Publication date: 2014 Ranking: Essential (North Somerset Council) This document focuses on the public realm at both the local neighbourhood level as well as town and city centres. It therefore may be of…
Tagged with: Dementia, design, Independent living, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
The design of streets with older people in mind: 13 part toolkit
I’DGO Publication date: 2007 and 2012 Ranking: useful The Design of Streets with Older People in Mind is a 13 part toolkit; each part addressing a different environmental feature of streets and neighbourhoods. It is based on research undertaken by…
Landscape Design for Dementia Care
Housing LIN Publication date: July 2013 Ranking: useful This Factsheet is intended to be used as a tool to further debate on the subject of design for dementia care in the specialist housing sector. The principles of landscape design for…
Tagged with: age, Dementia, landscaping, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Landscaping, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Landscaping, Urban Design
Local Transport Note 1/11
Department for Transport Publication date: 2011 Ranking: essential This Local Transport Note (LTN) focuses on shared space in high street environments but many of its principles will apply in other settings. It places particular emphasis on stakeholder engagement and inclusive…
Tagged with: design, disability, inclusive access, public realm, Transport
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Neighbourhoods for life Checklist
Housing Corporation Publication date: 2004 Ranking: useful This checklist gives a range of design recommendations to help housing associations improve the quality of life of older people with dementia in the outdoor environment. Download a copy here at the I’DGO…
Tagged with: disability, housing, Independent living, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Housing, Landscaping, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Housing, Landscaping, Planning, Urban Design
Neighbourhoods for Life: Designing dementia-friendly outdoor environments
Oxford Brookes University Publication date: 2004 Ranking: useful The number of older people in the UK is rising dramatically, particularly in the age group of 85 years and above. As the likelihood of developing dementia increases with age, reaching a one…
Tagged with: Dementia, design, Independent living
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Planning, Urban Design
City health check
RIBA Publication date: 2013 Ranking: useful Do our cities support healthy, active choices on a daily basis? Does the architecture and urban design of our cities impact on public health? In this health check the RIBA report compares three serious…
Tagged with: health, public realm
Posted in Auditing, Design Standards (Environment), Health, Urban Design
Posted in Auditing, Design Standards (Environment), Health, Urban Design
Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors (I’DGO)
I’DGO project Publication date: various Ranking: useful This is a link to the valuable website resource funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as a part of a project that was established in 2003. I’DGO has a longstanding record…
Tagged with: age, design, disability, inclusive access, Independent living, planning, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Highways, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Highways, Planning, Urban Design
Violence, Sexuality and Space Research summary
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Publication date: 2005 Ranking: useful Looks at how homophobic violence results in social exclusion in some geographic areas and the reasons why this occurs. Shows it is not just the way space is designed…
Tagged with: LGB&T, planning, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Planning, sexual orientation, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Planning, sexual orientation, Urban Design
The smoking ban: Perceptions of safety on Edinburgh’s scene
Brunel University Publication date: 2008 Ranking: useful Evaluates the effects on safety of gay people in Edinburgh as a result of the smoking ban. Shows that safety of gay people is compromised when having to stand outside public premises and…
Tagged with: LGB&T, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Homophobia and violence against gay people in public space
Maneo-Werkstatt 3 Publication date: 2008 Ranking: useful Report of a workshop by MANEO organisation on pan-European project to look at reporting and the way violence is treated involving gay people. Is useful for understanding issues relating to the management of…
Tagged with: LGB&T, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Access for blind people in towns
The National Federation of the Blind of the UK Publication date: 2012 Ranking: useful This document sets out the general requirements of blind people and of trained guide dogs, in order to provide assistance to planners and designers who are responsible…
Tagged with: footpaths, public realm, visual impairment
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Public Places, Future Spaces
Womens Design Service Publication date: 1994 Ranking: useful Document provides an account of a study day organised by the Womens Design Service looking at to what extent contemporary models of planning met the needs of women and what needed to change to…
Tagged with: access, planning, public realm, women
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Gender, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Gender, Planning, Urban Design
Manual for Streets: evidence and research
Department of Transport Publication date: 2007 Ranking: useful This document provides the background research and evidence undertaken by TRL Ltd for the revised Manual for Streets document looking at the relationships between speed, geometry environment and casualities. How to view a copy…
NDA 4 – Older people’s use of unfamiliar space (OPUS)
New dynamics of ageing, (NDA) a cross council research programme published by University of Sheffield Judith Phillips et al, Swansea University Publication date: 2010 Ranking: useful Older people are increasingly experiencing environments that can be unfamiliar to them. The research…
Homes for our old age – Independent living by design
Design Council, based on research commissioned by the Department of Health, conducted by the Women’s Design Service and the University of the West of England. Publication date: 2009 Ranking: useful The report will be of interest to those who commission,…
Tagged with: age, housing
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Housing, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Housing, Urban Design
The way we live now: What people expect from their homes
Ipsos MORI/Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Publication date: 2012 Ranking: useful This research project has been commissioned from Ipsos MORI by the RIBA for the independent Future Homes Commission’s investigation into how the UK can build enough of the right kind…
Tagged with: disability, gender, housing, Independent living, women
Posted in Accommodation, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Doors, Gender, Housing, Urban Design
Posted in Accommodation, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Doors, Gender, Housing, Urban Design
The value of good design
Design Council, formerly published by Commission for Architecture and Built Environment, CABE. The value of good design: how buildings and spaces create economic and social value Publication date: 2002 Ranking: useful The document draws together key research from the UK and…
Breedon gravel aggregates
Breedon Gravel Publication date: not applicable Ranking: useful Breedon Wayfarer is a gravel based material, graded 6mm to fines limestone material with self binding properties providing stability with great versatility. It is commonly used on any paths used by disabled…
Tagged with: landscaping, Wheelchair
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Highways, Historic Buildings & Landscapes, Landscaping, Paving, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Highways, Historic Buildings & Landscapes, Landscaping, Paving, Urban Design
The Access Officer 