Cranbrook Healthy New Town
March 2019
Anna Rose, Director
Health and Built Environment Outcome-Focused Planning Integrated Urban Modelling
Key parameters in spatial planning Movement between things
Street and transport networks
Land use distributions
Population/density
Open spaces
Science Vale UK Integrated Urban Modelling Asking questions that matter
What matters to people’s quality of life and health: Planning data inputs:
How many jobs can I get to Transport networks in half an hour?
Landuses / amenities Can I walk to a decent school or doctor? Population
Am I close to shops, cafes, parks? Open spaces
What is better for Census data everyone?
Make better urban design and policy decisions by measuring how systems interact and impact daily patterns of use Integrated Urban Modelling What do we know about healthy places?
Exeter Integrated Urban Model
Adult obesity and urban form Integrated Urban Modelling Tombolo Project General walkability Mixed land use The land use categories examined are:
1. Retail shops 2. Food shops & markets 3. Services 4. Community facilities 5. Open spaces 6. Leisure 7. Residential
Designated town centres
Number of different land use types within 5 minutes walking Access to jobs Car dependency
Car Dependence (Car access vs Walking/Bus Access) UK New Towns vs Historic Towns
Space Syntax models have been used to analyse a number of New Towns to compare the characteristics of their spatial hierarchies with those of historic towns.
Key characteristics of the New Towns are: Pedestrian movement all day average • Separate networks for vehicles and (weekend) pedestrians people per hour
1,250 to 4,000 • The treatment of the road network 750 to 1,250 and the distance between uses 450 to 750 creates an environment which is 150 to 450 difficult for pedestrian to move around 50 to 150 and interact with each other 0 to 50 • Town Centres do not overlap with Colchester the parts of the route network that are most accessible.
• Residential areas are formed from low density, small urban blocks, that create inward-looking urban ‘islands’ separated from the wider network.
• Pedestrian movement outside the centre is very low.
Cranbrook repeats some of the characteristics of the New Towns – separating movement networks by mode and the breaks in the urban form created by the landscape corridors.
Skelmersdale
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 10 NACH2,000m Refined Savills masterplan masterplan Savills Refined Exeter Airport Exeter Cranbrook Local spatial accessibility spatial Local Rockbeare Cobden Spatial accessibility Spatial low h hig Savills masterplan revised Regional and local spatial accessibility
Regional spatial accessibility Local spatial accessibility
Town centre Railway station
Spatial accessibility hig h
low
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 12 Savills masterplan revised Multi-scale spatial accessibility
The Refined Savills masterplan revised creates a more legible grid-like internal route structure in the expansion areas.
The realignment of the north-south connection (1) in the eastern expansion area creates a strong local route and improves overall connectivity of the expansion area, including the east-west connection to the north (2). A more 2 continuous internal route structure between the different parts of the expansion area starts emerging. Cobden 1 The local centre to the west (3) is isolated. Links to the existing Cranbrook route structure across the open space Cranbrook could help improve that.
Rockbeare
3
Town centre Railway station
Exeter Airport Primary route Regional and local
Regional
NACh10km > 1.2 , NACh2,000m > 1.2 > NACh2,000m , 1.2 > NACh10km Local
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 13 Savills masterplan revised - Crannaford crossing closed off Multi-scale spatial accessibility
Closing off the Crannaford crossing significantly reduces spatial accessibility along the diagonal, which becomes important only at the local scale. This reduces the potential of the diagonal to support footfall dependent town centre uses.
Southbrook Lane becomes part of the multi-scale network of streets that can support town centre development. However moving the town centre to this location is not recommended as it is to Cobden the east of the development and a minimum of 15min walk from approximately a quarter of the residential units (A). Cranbrook
A Rockbeare
Town centre Railway station
Exeter Airport Primary route Regional and local
Regional
NACh10km > 1.2 , NACh2,000m > 1.2 > NACh2,000m , 1.2 > NACh10km Local
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 14 Design guidelines Land use
Multi-scale Route hierarchy Urban blocks Land use/Density/Frontage Match land use to accessibility accessibility Town centre land uses (especially retail) require exposure to footfall. They should therefore be located in the places with multi-scale accessibility (high citywide and local accessibility). Primary Smaller blocks Town centre uses (routes that are 240-400metres Retail (mixed) Public transport stations and stops should be in spaces that important at both perimeter Commercial are highly accessible at the citywide scale. This will enable regional and local 3-5 minute walk Public transport them to be reached by a wider set of users. scales) Public space Residential Social infrastructure that serves the local population, such as (higher density) schools, should be located in places which have high local scale accessibility.
Match density to accessibility Secondary Social infrastructure Higher densities should be located in areas which are more (Routes that are Retail (convenience) accessible at the city scale. This will enable them to be important at local Residential accessed more easily from a wider area and place less scale only (medium density) pressure on the local network.
Tertiary Larger blocks Residential (Routes that are 800-1200metres (lower density) not important at perimeter any scale) 10-15-minute walk
Regional connections (non-urban routes)
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 15 Recommendations Savills masterplan revised Land use and landscape
Land use Recommendation The designated town centre Landscape & public realm (1) is not located at the The diagonal should be designed as a street that most highly accessible combines all modes of transport in defined areas, location. lined with active frontages, while other local level streets could work as shared spaces.
2 1 4 5 6 7
Recommendation Recommendation Land use/Density/ Frontage 7 Land use Landscape & public realm Potential to support Opportunity for London Road to be 3 retail use, but requires transformed into a street that combines change to public realm all modes of transport in defined areas. Town centre uses of London Road (7). Signalised junctions that prioritise Retail (mixed) pedestrian movement are preferable, as Commercial opposed to roundabouts that prioritise Public transport speed of traffic over pedestrians and Public space public realm character. Residential (higher density) Recommendation Recommendation Recommendation Land use Land use Landscape & public realm Social infrastructure Locations 3 and 4 Locate leisure and civic The design of key gateways to the Retail (convenience) have the potential to uses along the locally masterplan and particularly of the two Residential support the local accessible routes of town centre gateways (6 and 5) is crucial (medium density) centres of the the designated town for its activation and for encouraging expansion areas. centre (1). movement towards it. Residential (lower density)
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 16 Recommendations Layout Savills masterplan revised
Legibility Improve north-south connectivity between different parts of the expansion area and avoid creating cul-de-sacs.
Legibility Create some connections through the open space between the western expansion area and the Cobden existing structure of Cranbrook.
Cranbrook
\ Rockbeare
Legibility Extend connections between the eastern expansion area, Phase 3-4 and the town centre.
Exeter Airport
Recommended links
Proposed route network hierarchy Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 17 Refinement of Development Parcels Key principles
Based on Space Syntax analysis and experience the following urban design principles have been produced for Cranbrook:
• Create a continuously connected secondary and tertiary network and minimise dead-ends.
• Ensure that the secondary and tertiary network is within two steps from the foreground network.
• Create smaller blocks (250 - 400 metres perimeter) around local centres and larger in the residential areas at the perimeter (400 metres - 1km). Over permeability is created where small urban blocks are in inaccessible locations and this results in very low pedestrian movement, reduced natural surveillance etc.
• Locate the short edge of the block along the primary network where possible – especially in centres. This improves access for more residents.
• Higher density building typologies should be on the block edge located along the most highly accessible routes (higher density is shown by darker grey in the diagram).
• Mix modes of transport (vehicle, cyclists and pedestrians) on the same streets. Cyclists should be segregated along high speed roads – e.g. designated cycle lanes along London Road- and integrated in low speed roads.
• Design street sections to accommodate on street parking.
• Residential entrances should face streets to activate them and increase natural surveillance. Hidden access to properties (such as access through alleys or car parks behind back gardens) should be avoided.
• Avoid blank frontage, particularly along pedestrian paths or residential areas with low movement levels.
• Green spaces should be overlooked by residential entrances and should be embedded in the movement network.
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 18 Refinement of Development Parcels Building densities and street treatment
Semi-detached Shared space
Segregated but adjacent
Multi-occupancy
Terraced
Integrated but dedicated
Detached
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 19 Summary Refinement of Development Parcels
Number of plots 131 Total street length 827m Street length per plot 6.3m
Car parking spaces 131
Number of plots 137 Total street length 848m Street length per plot 6.2m
Car parking spaces 176
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 20 Proposed masterplan Bluehayes and Treasbeare Secondary network
Bluehayes
Treasbeare
Smaller blocks and higher density around the neighbourhood centre.
Primary and secondary streets
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 21 Access to neighbourhood centres 10 minute walk Hub model
The centralised Hub model places services in the town centre.
The analysis shows that this provides access to 21% of the population within a 15 minute walk and 12% within a 10 minute walk.
Cobdens
Grange
Bluehayes Rockbeare
Treasbeare
Number of health services 10 minutes walking 0 1 2
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 22 Access to neighbourhood centres 10 minute walk Distributed model Option C
Option C places the neighbourhood centre at Treasbeare, at the crossing point of the existing roundabout on London Road.
This option provides better coverage than Options A and B, with 38% of the total population within a 10 minute walk.
Cobdens
Grange
Bluehayes Rockbeare
Treasbeare
Number of health services 10 minutes walking 0 1 2
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 23 Access to neighbourhood centres Summary
The Distributed service model gives 120 better access to more people than the Hub model, with more facilities 98 available. 100 79 79 In the Distributed model 98% of the total population has access to at least 80 one neighbourhood centre within a 15-min walking distance, as opposed 60 to only 21% in the Hub Model. 41 Further to this, the effect of breaks in
% population population % 40 urban form created by the landscape 21 corridors is reduced. 20 12 6 2 0 0-5 0-10 0-15 >15 Hub model Hub model Distributed model - Option C
Distributed model - Option C
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 24 Access to schools Summary Primary schools
Option B provides better access, 120 however requires an additional primary school. 9898 100 In both options 98% of the population 78 are within 15 minutes walk. 80 65 60
% population population % 40 33 26 20 2 2 0 0-5 5-10 10-15 >15 Option A
% population Walking time Option A Option B 0-5 26 33 5-10 65 78 10-15 98 98 >15 2 2
Option B
Space Syntax Limited © 2017 Final Report Draft 03 Cranbrook New Town East Devon District Council 25 Outcome-based approach People at the heart of planning and design
Data-driven decision making Transparency, accountability, confidence
Holistic approach to issues Collaboration across domain siloes