Urban design involves coordinating all elements that define cities and towns, including buildings, public spaces, streets, transportation, landscape, and other supportive elements like signage and lighting. The document discusses several of these elements in more detail, noting that buildings, public spaces, streets, transportation, and landscape are particularly important in defining a city's physical form, aesthetics, and functionality. It also lists some common urban design principles like character, continuity, quality of public realm, and sustainability.

1. Urban Design Elements
Design Seminar
-Kruti Desai
-Jinal Pathak

2. Urban Design and Urban Planning
• Urban design discipline emerged as
a reaction to the situation of urban
planning and architecture
relationship with the city.
• While the planning discipline was
more focused on creating solutions
that “fits all” for the city, Urban
design concepts had their focus on
the buildings rather than the
relationship with the public realm.
• Urban planners are the ones
perceived with the power to make
decisions about the city while urban
designers are more concerned with
the daily needs of users, and solving
tangible problems.

3. Urban Design Elements
• The Urban Design Element provides additional direction, beyond that of
the Land Use Element, regarding the planning area’s development pattern,
form, structure, and sense-of-place.
• The Urban Design Element also provides the basis for aesthetic regulation
of public as well as private land and structures.

4. THE ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN
• Urban design involves the design and co-ordination of all that makes up
cities and towns.
• The things influencing the physical form, aesthetics and functionality of
these cities and towns are called the elements of urban design.
•Buildings
•Public space
•Streets
•Transport
•Landscape
•Other supportive elements
Urban Principles:
Character
Continuity and enclosure
Quality of Public realm
Movement
Legibility
Adaptability
Diversity
Sustainability

5. Buildings
• Buildings are the most important elements of the urban design
• Well designed buildings and group of buildings work together to create a
sense of place.
• The composition, articulation of facade, detailing and treatment of
buildings can render character and continuity of streetscape

6. Public space
• Great public space are the living room of the city the place where people
come together to enjoy the city and each other. Public open space ranges
from grand central plazas and squares, to small local neighbourhood
parks.
• Public spaces makes high quality life in the city possible.

7. Streets
• Streets are the connections between spaces and places.
• They are defined by their physical character as well as the size, scale and
character of building that line them.

8. Transport
• Transport system connects the parts of the cities and shape them and
enable movement throughout the city
• The best cities are the one that elevate the experience of the pedestrian
while minimizing the dominance of the private automobiles.

9. Landscape
• The landscape is the green part of the city that is in the form of urban
parks, street trees, plants, flowers and water in many forms.
• The landscape helps define the character and beauty of a city and creates
soft contrasting spaces and elements.

10. Other Supportive Elements
• Signage
• Lighting
• Parking
• Service area
• Fencing
• Building material
• Street furniture

11. Signage
Signage a powerful communication tool it:
• Helps orient residents and visitors so they
can easily identify places and landmarks.
• Provides clear direction to pedestrian and
drivers.
• All signage should be architecturally
integrated with their surroundings in
terms of size, shape, colour, texture and
lighting too.

12. Lighting
• Lighting is an important element in urban
design. The types of light needed may vary as
per the specific purpose of the site.
• A proper lighting design and maintenance can
enhance security to the property
• Aid drivers by increasing visibility on roadways,
or use simply to illuminate sign

13. Parking
• Parking is an essential elements in regards to urban design and traffic
circulation. The type and number of parking spaces should reflect the desired
uses of each site
• Parking structure are generally constructed using asphalt, concrete or concrete
tiles. Proper location and distribution of parking area and facilitate the traffic
movement and ease the pedestrian as well.

14. Fencing
• Fences are constructed as barrier between two different modes of uses to
reduce the disturbances resulting from their mixing. eg vehicular to
pedestrian, indoor to outdoor, private to public etc.
• Barrier may be solid, transparent and open. Proper manipulation of
barrier in terms of material, types and height can increase safety, privacy
and different pedestrian experiences.

15. Service Area
• Service area as a part of urban
amenities
• Should be easily accessible
• Service area should be screened
from public view

16. Building Material
• Building materials contribute to the character of a building and street too.
• The size, colour, texture, finishes of materials and their composition.

17. Street Furniture
• The small fixtures like street lamp, bus stand, the street benches, street
dividers, public telephone booth, flowerbeds, dustbins, sculpture, street
bars, hand rails etc.
• The design, position and layout, colour of these elements can also render
a quality space for the street users.