What is urban design?

artists impression of St Margarets Road under the Augur Buchler proposals

Urban design is concerned with making places work better for people; it is as much concerned with how a place functions, as it is with how it looks.

It addresses the relationships between people, places, movement, buildings and the natural environment; protecting their past and creating a future which gives people pleasant and sustainable places in which to live and work.

The role of urban design is recognised in the government's main planning policy document which sates that "...good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, is indivisible form good planning, and should contribute positively to making places better for people" (National Planning Policy Framework 2012).

Urban design in Cheltenham

Urban design in Cheltenham is delivered by the townscape team which has skills in landscape architecture, urban design, transport, heritage, trees, engineering and business and economic development.

The work of the urban design team includes:

Projects