Urbanism is a scientific field that deals with planning and designing urban settlements and their surroundings for existential, long-term human use and needs by global environmental potentials. Educating new urbanists or more popularly named Urban Designers is no different than broadening the knowledge of architects and engineers with relevant accreditation.
Urbanist creates places fit to service new technologies, new yet undiscovered transport, new needs, and habits of their future inhabitants. Urban Design made easy. Have you ever been swept away by the ease of Development Plan creation?
The answer is closer than you think.
Current Situation
When presented with the land parcel, environment, heritage, views, council overlays, and a myriad of other caveats on the land you are about to develop, there is one thought on your mind – who can help? Now although your problem may be a difficult one, there are some possible solutions to it. You might have already considered a few options, but why don’t we take a closer look at them? These are simple choices, and we will guide you through your journey.
Your initial option would be to engage an educated professional, but what is that? Similar to some complimentary services i.e. Master Builders Association or Registered Architects Association; Urban Design Australia does not have specialized accreditation nor an association that you can contact for a list of professionals. But here are a few tips you can follow.
Problems and dilemmas
Urban Design Made Easy:
You would imagine someone experienced enough that have dealt with similar projects would be the right person for you; however, it is not that simple.
For one to become an Urban Designer it requires a few quick steps:
- Preferably one shall be aware of its preferences by the end of the college graduation.
- Now, the next step would be to complete an architecture degree. If you are in Victoria Australia you might inquire here at Unimelb or at RMIT or Deakin
- Above all to finalize formal education with at least one master’s study in the subject of Urbanism with enough worldly examples: history, heritage, movements, and trials that teach one professional to rely on past experiences but to keep being visionary. You can find relevant courses here Unimelb. Why?
Urban Design is the science and a skilled profession/technique of designing places for the future not too different from James Bond’s research laboratory for new gadgets and tools. In short, Urban Design creates places fit to service new technologies, new yet undiscovered transport, and new needs, and habits of their future inhabitants.
- Relevant and applicable experience of a few years working in the field of Urban Design is preferable but not compulsory for the application of good urban design expertise.
Now that all the above is in place, how do we then design?
We invest in learning about your culture, your expectations, and your business. If you are in the business of subdividing land it would create a different approach from the position if you are in the business of selling or building houses. If you are protecting existing heritage or minimizing the impact of the toxicity on a landfill. Such a list can go on forever – there are so many unique cases to discover and be engaged to help with.
We apply ourselves to passionately participate in what it is your surroundings, your topography, your history, and your aim. Good Urban Designers shall take into consideration all elements of local without turning them into a colloquial. ‘Genius Loci’ is just another phrase to understand but also to click with it and to deliver.
One shall be prepared to admit incompetency rather than damage spaces for future dislike of its users.
We discover places only known to you and tell the story to many. We capture those rare visual and spatial moments, frame them and present them in a new and interesting light good enough to create momentum, “a must-know secret” or place to be discovered on the way to your first date with that special person and experience to tell your grandkids about.
We link place language to a web, strong enough to bring you back home when the time comes to hang those boots. In a nutshell that involves great traffic and transport, walking and cycling, pushing the pram, or catching the boat. All that can take you places and continue the journey so you can if you like living in the city but drive to the coast then decide to go skiing and sidetrack to some wineries and cheese factories along the way.
Consider also connecting the pearl necklace of restaurants and cafés for all tastes along that road.
We consider the consequences of further growth or decline just in case. Potential land pockets are reserved wisely so as not to be developed. That creates the right ratio for future projects.
- The fifth easy step to follow in becoming a good Urban Designer would be the best possible collaboration with all specialized fields involved in bringing the research and design process to completion with some implementation strategies in place.
Why the fifth step you would ask?
Well, we would otherwise rest our pretty drawings away from the eyes of those who could act on them as it was intended and that would only be someone’s dreamed future.
So now that you are all inspired to follow this journey of becoming an Urban Designer or meeting the good one, do not hesitate to take this advice along the way.
