This is a recap of the material covered in Module 3. Here is a summary of what was presented, why it matters, and how you can put to practice the knowledge and skills from this module.
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Le Corbusier created models to accommodate large populations and improve the life of people living in crowded cities through urban design ideals.
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Urban design encompasses ideas for new model cities or gradual redesign of existing cities.
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In defining good city form, Lynch identifies five performance dimensions, which are: vitality, sense, fit, access, control; and two meta-criteria (efficiency and justice) that operate on all five dimensions.
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Lynch's urban design theory is based on the connection between human values and the physical city.
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Jane Jacobs emphasizes the use of sidewalks, parks and neighbourhoods.
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Generators of diversity according to Jane Jacobs include mixed uses, small blocks, aged buildings, and concentration.
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A deep ecology approach to the redesign of cities emphasizes the synthesis of biology and architecture, which is applicable not only for urban design, but also for restoration of pure water, bioremediation of wild aquatic environments, and food production.
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John and Nancy Todd develop nine precepts of biological design to guide the development of eco-cities and living machines that are grounded in the principles of biodiversity and systems-wide ecological thinking.
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According to the Netzstadt model, the four leading principles for the long-term process of redesigning the city are shapeability, sustainability, reconstruction and responsibility.
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The five criteria of urban quality that constitute the Netzstadt method include identification, diversity, flexibility, degree of self-sufficiency and resource efficiency.
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Vanessa Watson cautions that future city plans for African cities disregard the African context in which they are planned, and widen and deepen the resulting inequality, and are not sustainable.
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In Vanessa Watson’s review of seven future city plans, many of them override existing formal city plans, generally do not have a legal or governance structure, and show no indication public participation in their planning.