Do We Have What It Takes to Make Good Decisions?

URBAN UPDATE 31th July 2015

Main news from the Urban Design Group Jobs – New Zealand, Guildford, Bournemouth, Cambridge, London, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Hertfordshire, Southampton, Oxford A free service for all individuals and organisations who care about life National Urban Design Conference - Introductory Brochure Available in cities towns and villages ……… Global Population forecast to rise yet further planners – landscape architects – architects – conservation Weather in the City – How Design Shapes the Urban Climate – New practitioners – engineers –surveyors – masterplanners – managers – Urbannous Video urban designers - urbanists – health professionals - politicians – public Five urban design mistakes that create unhealthy and inactive communities Switching off street lights at night does not increase car crashes and crime Child obesity reduced when they spend more time with friends

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The National Conference on Urban Design 2015 - Bristol 8-9-10 October “the most beautiful, interesting and distinguished city in England“ John Betjeman, 1961

Conference introductory brochure available to download http://www.udg.org.uk/events/national-urban-design-conference-2015 Do we have what it takes to make good decisions? Over the past week the BBC reported on research on how ants cooperate to move heavy items of food (Cheerios) back to their nest. Apparently when undertaking the task, around 10 percent of ants at any one time work as leaders and 90 percent cooperate as pushers or pullers, with the roles rapidly changing and interchanging, as new information on the right direction is made available. (see…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/33692054) This striking demonstration of cooperation is in extreme contrast to human societies, which, while critically dependent on cooperation and well-informed decision making, can find it hard to deal effectively with anything other than pressing short-term issues. Government by crisis is often the default, and knee-jerk policy making the norm. To deal with long-term challenges such as resource depletion, climate change, energy shortages seems very difficult. A review article on decision-making published in New Scientist provides an explanation of why decision making is so difficult. The problem is often that people who know the way to go are ignored or distrusted by the majority; (it has also been suggested that some people are naturally disposed to conspiracy theories and their thinking is characterised by dogmatism, gullibility and closed mindedness which in turn makes them more likely to listen to extreme "alternative" sources of information). In larger groups, the information known by the majority tends to acquire a uniformity which drowns out the insight which only a few individuals may have. So if the knowledge and understanding of the majority is wrong or unreliable then the wrong decisions will be made. By contrast, smaller groups naturally have a diversity of opinion and information and are likely to make better decisions because they are attuned to dealing with that diversity intelligently and rationally.

For work in the built environment this research implies that large multidisciplinary teams formed of silo-based specialists are likely to perform less well than smaller teams of well-trained professionals with a broader Urban Design Current Edition – Available skills-base. It also qualifies the value of community involvement. There will be some issues over which the to UDG Members by Subscription community are expert and others where their knowledge will be limited. Skill will be needed to get the right balance.

For decisions at a policy level there is a further problem. The knowledge on which decisions are based is embedded in policy and guidance, and this would be fine were policy and guidance to be kept up to date, and Urban Design Awards regularly challenged and refined in the light of latest research. But this is rarely the case. Instead the pattern – Developer Award is for policy and guidance to trail best practice by 10 to 20 years or more. Some practitioners feel that far from encouraging best practice in the built environment, the administrative operation of governments can be – Public Sector Award obstructive and uninterested. It is something that should concern us all.

Do you know any developers or Further reading New Scientist - Decision Making – lessons from Behavioural Science public bodies who you think should https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22730310-300-after-the-crash-can-biologists-fix-economics/ enter the 2016 awards? Decision accuracy in complex environments is often maximized by small group sizes http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1784/20133305 Conspiracy theorists - Study commencing at the University of Warwick http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/what-turns-someone-into-a-conspiracy-theorist-study-to-look-at-why-some-are-more-receptive-to-such-theories-10427940.html if so please let them know and please Where do you read Urban encourage them to enter! Design? Photo Full details of how to apply: competition!! The Urban Design Group will award two prizes to the best photographs taken during this Summer and submitted before Developer Award 5th September 2015. The idea is to show  Deadline 21 August 2015 interesting or original places in which http://www.udg.org.uk/content/urban-design- members have read the journal. The developer-year-award-2016-opportunity-enter competition is open to individual UDG members and the photograph (only one  per member) should be submitted as a jpg  at 300dpi for a minimum size of 190mm  Public Sector Award width, with your name, and the location of  Deadline - 21 August 2015 the photograph . The author of the best http://www.udg.org.uk/content/public-sector-award photograph, to be chosen by the Editors, will be given a year's free subscription to the journal; the runner-up will be sent a recent book about urban design and invited to review it for the journal. Both photographs will be published in the journal and online on the UDG website. Deadline 5th September - please email your entry to [email protected]

Latest Lectures Other events on UrbanNous The number of events is on the wane as we New approach the holiday period, but there are Weather in the City – How Design Shapes the Urban still events to go to for those that seek Climate PROJECT OF THE WEEK them… Sanda Lenzholzer http://www.urbannous.org.uk/climate-and-city-design.htm All urban designers, architects planners, and highway Shorncliffe Garrison Masterplan engineers should have a knowledge of this subject. Tibbalds Academy of Urbanism http://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/events/ Urbanism: Improving quality and value Shorncliffe Garrison is a large complex of The importance of product, land and money barracks, training ground and other buildings Yolande Barnes - Savills owned by the MoD outside Folkestone. Located BOBMK Events http://www.urbannous.org.uk/urbanism-quality-and-value.htm strategically on heights overlooking the English http://bobmk.org.uk/our-programme/ Next events autumn Channel, the site has a long and rich military Garden Cities Past and Present. history dating back the 18th Century. Potential morphologies explored. MADE Dominic Papa S333 Architecture and Urbanism http://www.made.org.uk/events/calendar/ http://www.urbannous.org.uk/garden-city-morphologies.htm

Museum of Walking Garden Cities: Is there a Business Case? Jim Coleman, Buro Happold Mindfulness through movement http://www.urbannous.org.uk/garden-city-economics.htm Saturday 22 August 2015 10.30am – 12.00pm Start: Brockwell Park, London Health and Urban Design SE14 (meet outside the Lido) £15 Lucy Coleman, GLA, TFL http://www.museumofwalking.org.uk/events http://www.urbannous.org.uk/health-and-urban-design.htm /mindfulness-through-movement/ UrbanNous Catalogue available on-line Highlights include Christopher Alexander, George Ferguson, PTRC Hans Monderman and scores of others. https://www.ptrc-training.co.uk/Training/UpcomingCourses.aspx www.urbannous.org.uk

An Introduction to Highway Design & Construction Jobs Principal Urban Designer - Auckland Council, New The Principles of Traffic and Transport 20- Zealand Week Evening Lecture Series, London and http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/international-urban-design-organisations/principal-urban-designer Bristol Candidates wishing to relocate internationally are encouraged to apply. The masterplan for the 1200 home site reflects the Urban Design London site’s strong military heritage, responds to the Opportunities for creative Urban Designers - Savills Events coming up – extensive programme site’s complex topography, existing grid of streets Urban Design - Southampton - Oxford some free, some charged/£175+VAT (Free http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/opportunities-creative-urban-designers-savills-urban-design- and buildings, existing site features and key views for subscribers) southampton-oxford to the downs and the sea. http://www.urbandesignlondon.com/?page_id=3251 Design and Conservation Team Leader (Post 10.099), Central to this strategy was the retention of some Housing Skills: Reviewing Housing Guildford Borough Council of the existing open spaces and historic buildings. Design Guildford These form the focal points within the masterplan http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/london-and-south-east/design-and-conservation-team-leader-post-10099- 9th September guildford-borough-council and set the tone for the character of the surrounding development. Cycling Infrastructure Skills: Urban Designer/Masterplanner - EDP Commissioning cycling projects – design Gloucestershire A phasing strategy provides positive housing and construction? http://www.udg.org. uk /jobs/south-west/urban-designermasterplanner-edp environments in the interim while development is 10th September Urban Design Officers (x2) Royal Borough of underway, leading to a holistic development in the Kingston upon Thames long term Design South East / Kent Design London http://www.kentdesign.org/events/ http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/urban-design-officers-x2-royal-borough-kingston-upon-thames Event Calendar http://www.kentdesign.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Event-Calendar-2015-16-edited- Read more 14.4.15.pdf Urban Designer / Master Planner – Terence http://www.urbandesigndirectory.com/projects/shorncliffe-garrison-masterplan O’Rourke - Bournemouth Bournemouth Architecture and Design Scotland http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/urban-designer-master-planner-%E2%80%93-terence-o %E2%80%99rourke-bournemouth http://www.ads.org.uk/events Senior Urban Designer - Cambridge City Council Cambridge http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/east-anglia/senior-urban-designer-cambridge-city-council

Planner/Urban Designer - JB Planning Associates - Hertfordshire Stevenage, Hertfordshire http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/london-and-south-east/plannerurban-designer-jb-planning-associates- hertfordshire

Urban Designer/Senior Urban Designer - Pegasus Group - Bristol Equinox North, Great Park Road, Almondsbury, Bristol http://www.udg.org.uk/jobs/south-west/urban-designersenior-urban-designer-pegasus-group-bristol#

Urban Design around the World Latest Research, Policy and Practice Australia Humans Health Society Tropical Urbanism to Create More High Rises in Cairns UN 015 Revision of World Population Prospects https://sourceable.net/tropical-urbanism-to-create-more-high-rises-in-cairns/# The current world population of 7.3 billion is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45165#.Vbn5E7NVikp Canada Tiny Homes: Inexpensive and Cute, but Livable? “Peak Youth” should be wake-up call to world leaders http://www.alternet.org/economy/tiny-homes-inexpensive-and-cute-livable http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-worlds-population-has-reached-peak-youth-this-should-be-a-wakeup-call-to-world-leaders- 10426179.html

New Zealand University of Texas Health experts provide insight on causes of child Temporary projects leave long-lasting legacy obesity, tactics to end it http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1507/S00561/temporary-projects-leave-long-lasting-legacy.htm The more time children spend with friends, the more they engage in physical activity, which in turn lowers rates of obesity. Auckland faces suburban squeeze https://www.uth.edu/media/story.htm?id=96314036-5330-476c-8a9e-7b12a706a494 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11487267 The freedom of children to go outside and travel independently will be a major factor in this. Parental fear of children being killed by drivers, and stranger danger are major barriers to overcome. Conversely, free choice of schools UK leading to long travel distances will place friends out of reach, and consign a Urban designers to create proposal for empty space created by East child to a car-dependent lifestyle. Marsh tower block demolition http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Urban-designers-create-proposal-space-created/story-27500880-detail/story.html With racial segregation declining between neighbourhoods, segregation The politics of sanitation: why we urgently need more public toilets now taking new form http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/07/politics-sanitation-why-we-urgently-need-more-public-toilets While segregation from neighborhood to neighborhood is decreasing (micro- segregation) within metropolitan areas, segregation from suburban communities USA (e.g., towns, villages, and cities) to other suburban communities within the same metropolitan areas and from major metropolitan cities to their suburban World’s First Underground Park to Open 2018 http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2015/07/worlds-first-underground-park-to-open-2018/ communities is increasing (macro-segregation). http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/asa-wrs072815.php City of Chico’s online building permit system deemed success http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150729/city-of-chicos-online-building-permit-system-deemed-success The Difference between a Sociopath and a Psychopath – the ability to plan and premeditate Why Cities Must Keep Tapping Into the Wealth-Building Capacity of http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/the-difference-between-a-psychopath-and-a-sociopath-10422016.html Either way, you probably don’t want to meet them, and yet with up to 1 in every Communities https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/cities-equity-economic-development-wealth-building-communities 25 people exhibiting these traits, you inevitably will.

3 Traits Shared by New York's Most Walkable Streets Switching off street lights at night does not increase car crashes and crime http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/07/the-3-traits-shared-by-new-yorks-most-walkable-streets/399653/ No evidence of an association between reduced street lighting and night-time How Urban Designers Can Get Smaller Cities Walking collisions across England and Wales. http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/07/how-urban-designers-can-get-smaller-cities-walking/399545/ https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0715/290715-switching-off-street-lighting Other research has found that new lighting schemes reduce crime more in the What University Presses Have Done for Urban Design day time than at night, and it is suggested that people respond to a better looking https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/university-presses-urbanist-books-cities-planning-design neighbourhood with smart new lighting columns by behaving in a more mutual way – it’s the broken window theory again.

Teaching med students about health disparities builds their confidence Built Environment http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teaching-med-students-about-health-disparities-builds-their-confidence-300120879.html Five urban design mistakes that create unhealthy and inactive communities Aquariums deliver health and wellbeing benefits https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/aquariums-deliver-health-and-wellbeing-benefits  Erecting too many fences and barriers Research by the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter have shown that viewing  Failing to find out what residents really want aquarium displays led to noticeable reductions in blood pressure and  Forgetting about the extra services (eg secure bike storage, or heart rate, concierges) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3179422/Stress-getting-Try-watching-fish-aquarium-Research-shows-tranquility-rub-humans-not-boost- mood-lower-blood-pressure-heart-rate.html  Designing green spaces nobody wants This should come as a great reassurance to those of us concerned over rising sea  Failing to design a friendly neighbourhood first levels. We simply enclose our towns and cities in Perspex bubbles and relax as http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2015/jul/28/urban-design-mistakes-unhealthy-inactive-communities we watch the fish swim by. Low Carbon Neighbourhood Planning Guidebook Published by the Centre for Sustainable Energy https://www.cse.org.uk/downloads/reports-and-publications/policy/community-energy/energy-advice/planning/renewables/low- carbon-neighbourhood-planning-guidebook.pdf Movement The Keys to Designing Cities With Fewer Traffic Fatalities  Keep cities compact Politics Philosophy Economics  Reduce traffic speeds The Rise of the Second City – Report by Grant Thornton  Create streets that are for people, not just cars http://www.gtlongread.uk/  Make public transportation safe, affordable, and convenient Commonwealth games boosted Glasgow economy by £100 million,  Use data mapping techniques to identify problem spots and target design but not Scotland as a whole fixes http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/07/the-keys-to-designing-cities-with-fewer-traffic-fatalities/399686/ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/commonwealth-games-glasgow-event-provided-100m-boost-to-citys-economy-- but-barely-benefited-scotland-as-a-whole-10408714.html Full report http://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/CitiesSaferByDesign_final.pdf Chart on UK house prices and ownership http://www.theguardian.com/money/ng-interactive/2015/jul/23/who-owns-the-uks-housing-wealth

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