Alison Benjamin on Britain's first attempt to assess the
quality and impact of urban design
Wednesday February 7, 2001
The Guardian
Is it possible to quantify the benefits of good building design? A new official
report makes a first stab at doing just that, assessing the economic, social and
environmental value of recent development schemes in three big cities.
The report, released yesterday, is part of a government drive
to improve the quality of urban design. It heaps praise on what it concludes is
good and spares few feelings in damning what it sees as bad.
Office block developments accessible only by car, making no
attempt to fit in with the surrounding environment or adding anything to the
local community, are singled out as examples of poor design. Standard Court, in
Nottingham, is branded "a disconnected place that does not welcome people
in and offers them little once they are there".
By contrast, developments that are inviting, make an effort to
blend with surroundings and offer a range of uses score highly on the report's
system. Barbirolli Square, in Manchester, is described as "a gently
animated public space with its own distinct character and sense of place and
with a good quality of enclosure".
The report, The Value of Urban Design, was drawn up by
researchers on behalf of the commission for architecture and the built
environment (Cabe), the new government agency set up to boost building design,
and the Department of the Environment. The study was launched at a conference,
in London, held to build on Cabe's Better Public Buildings report, launched last
October by Tony Blair.
The conference highlighted the role of central and local
government in delivering good urban design beyond the regulatory planning
process. Andrew Smith, chief secretary to the Treasury, told delegates that
quality design did not necessarily cost more to deliver, but offered strong
competitive advantages.
The new report suggests that good rental returns and enhanced
capital values go hand-in-hand with well-designed schemes. It calls on investors
and developers to take on board the commercial evidence and on tenants to
recognise the increased prestige that high quality, integrated architecture
commands with clients - not to say the favourable impact it has on staff loyalty
and health. Public authorities also benefit, it says, when run-down areas and
amenities are returned to public use and urban centres are revitalised.
Researchers, from the Bartlett school of planning at University
College London, compared pairs of predominantly commercial developments built at
roughly the same time and chosen for their similarity in all respects except
urban design. These were: Standard Court and Castle Wharf in Nottingham;
Barbirolli Square and Exchange Quay in Greater Manchester; Brindleyplace in
Birmingham and the Waterfront business park in nearby Dudley. Each development
was gauged against a range of quantitative and qualitative measures such as
rental returns, energy consumption, traffic generation and assessed vibrancy.
Exchange Quay, a Dallas-style development on the banks of the
Manchester Ship Canal in Salford, is described as "a bland, faceless
development with bland, faceless buildings and spaces" which makes little
attempt to connect itself to its hinterland. "Very heavy security guard
presence confirms this is predominately a private, rather than public,
place," says the report.
Whereas Exchange Quay turns it back on its waterfront,
Nottingham's Castle Wharf and Birmingham's Brindley Place both scored highly for
openly embracing their canal settings, locating pubs and restaurants to maximum
effect.
However, according to Esterre Property Management, which
manages Exchange Quay, the very features on which it is marked down are its
selling points. Darren Tyson, estates supervisor, says: "There is only one
fence. It is 7ft [2.1m] high, but there aren't any spikes. There is an estate
right next door. I'm not saying everyone on it is rough, but you only have to
speak to the police to know we have a need for security and our tenants [mainly
insurance companies] demand it. They are paying for security, maintenance and
landscaping."
The Manchester branch of Masons law firm moved out of Exchange
Quay just over three years ago - to Barbirolli Square. Comprising two office
blocks on one side of the square, with the Bridgewater concert hall on the
other, the development is praised by the report. "The clever use of levels
allows the central space to step down to a re-established canal basin on to
which a new cafe opens up," it says.
Edward Davies, a partner at Masons, cites expansion as the
reason for the move to Barbirolli and says most clients would have preferred the
firm to stay put. "Exchange Quay was conveniently located just off the
motorway, had surface parking and good security, and the Copthorne hotel was
across the road for lunch. They thought it was wonderful."
While Exchange Quay offers investors returns of just 1% to 3%,
Barbirolli commands the highest rents in Manchester and the office project is
now valued at £60m, compared to its £27.5m cost. Such financial facts back up
Cabe's argument that better design adds economic value. "Good urban design
definitely pays back," says Jon Rouse, Cabe's chief executive.
Many have yet to be convinced. John Gilder, property director
of the Mill Group, which developed part of Nottingham's Standard Court, insists
he is content with his scheme's performance, despite the report's critical
appraisal. Particularly scathing comment is passed by the researchers on the
development's hardly used public arena. Gilder admits that the only people
making use of the arena are skateboarders - and they are doing so illegally -
and he concedes that Standard Court lacks the warmth, closeness and pleasant
environment that make nearby Castle Wharf a "destination location".
Such shortcomings are said to illustrate the crucial role that
local authority planning departments have to play in urban design and delivery
of economic, social and environmental benefits. Departments can and should be
proactive, says the report, and should positively set the design agenda through
clear development plan policies, making funding conditional on good design and
using the leverage offered by ownership of brownfield sites.
Significantly, two of the report's three lower-scoring
developments had minimal local authority input, having come under the remit of
either development corporations or enterprise zones. Cabe intends to work to
ensure that the private/public urban regeneration companies proposed in the
urban white paper learn from such mistakes.
