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Strategic Urban Design
Masterplanning and Architecture
Town and City Centre Regeneration
Research Guidance and Training
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Strategic Urban Design

Decisions about the location and directions of growth can have a radical impact on the ability to deliver high-quality urban design. More than half the battle is getting development in the right location in the first place.

Strategic urban design must bring together the large and the small scale in achieving the social, economic and environmental benefits of new development.

Our approach is interdisciplinary, co-ordinating the findings of a range of disciplines around the unifying aspect of urban form. We combine rigorous analysis of the locality with an understanding of landscape, movement and urban form to create lasting, memorable places that are fully integrated into both town and landscape.

Masterplanning and Architecture

A ‘master’ plan is the key co-ordinating document which guides change for large areas. Its role is to translate local aspirations into a three-dimensional vision, bringing together architectural, landscape, engineering, transportation, planning and commercial solutions.

We have extensive experience producing masterplans for existing urban areas, urban extensions and new settlements. We know a masterplan must be both robust, to guide development throughout the lifetime of the project, and flexible enough to meet changing needs. It also has to anticipate delivery mechanisms: who will build out each part of the masterplan, in what sequence and for what reward. The plan also has to take into account how the development will be managed and maintained to encourage the incoming community to take ownership of their environment.

In order to achieve these aims, our work is rooted in a deep understanding of how places work and what gives them character. In turn, this ensures our projects stand up in the long run in terms of both quality and land values generated within the project and also in the wider area.

Town and City Centre Regeneration

Vital and viable town and city centres are critical to the social, economical and environmental well-being of our society, yet many centres struggle in the face of increased mobility, changing shopping behaviour and competition from out-of-town retail and leisure destinations.

We believe that investing in our town and city centres is one of the most sustainable forms of development. We prepare plans laced with exciting and innovative ideas that seek to help and inspire the local communities, politicians, developers and other stakeholders to make REAL change.

Research Guidance and Training

Creating a better environment that meets our social and economic needs can be a matter of overcoming barriers. Sometimes those barriers are not physical but are a question of knowledge, understanding and skills.

Thinking around a problem can remove it. Questioning common assumptions can release potential.

We are committed to building capacity in urban design through research, guidance and training. We take a pragmatic but intellectually rigorous approach to asking how we can create better places. Our research informs our practice and our practice informs our research. Using our combined experience we provide up-to-the minute guidance and highly relevant training.

Example Projects