The Design Companion for Planning and Placemaking

4Legislation, planning and decision-making

Planners need to approach design in a way that fits within the framework of legislation, regulations and processes.

Design shapes the physical form of development. Alongside important planning work around housing targets, land availability, viability assessments, workspace audits, environmental impact assessments and so on, a planner needs to have a grasp of how a place will be in three dimensions, and how planning and related requirements and decisions will affect the physical form of development. A somewhat controversial example of this is the impact that the requirement for step-free access to homes has on the design of residential buildings. Does this discourage or prevent the traditional semi-basement/raised-ground-floor ...