Comment

It’s nowt without clout!

Better Places - A Matrix for Measuring & Delivering Placemaking Quality

Head of Design, Stephen Taylor welcomes the Policy Exchange matrix for Better Places, but questions whether it comes with the necessary heft to make a difference.

It feels like the current Government have some ‘think tank’ budget to spend. But has it been worth it?

Personally, I am not afraid of the idea of a placemaking matrix, no doubt if a scheme complied with every criteria in the Better Places document it would create a good place. I won’t spend time here analysing the relevance of each of the 258 criteria, mostly they appear to be sensible, with a few frivolous outliers; ‘Does the development contain fountains?’

So, in principle, I welcome the matrix and support the Building Beautiful movement that has created the context for this document and continues to champion good placemaking.

Better Places does, however, need a little more self-confidence. Paradoxically, it references the ‘intangible’ qualities of good design several times, before plainly setting out how to measure it…tangibly!

Those working in the field of masterplanning and urban design know what elements are needed to create good placemaking, so the author needn’t be apologetic about codifying this. In fact this is the latest in a long line of guidance documents that have sought to do just that. The matrix aims to become a ‘universal assessment tool’ then caveats there will be, ‘substantial variation’, more commitment and bravery is needed here.

Inexplicably Building for a Healthy Life doesn’t get a mention. Currently it is the industry standard tool for measuring good placemaking. It’s easy to read, understand and implement. I’m slightly baffled!

Against the objective of raising awareness and the importance of good placemaking, well I’m writing about it so to some degree Better Places is already working. However, as stated:

“The Placemaking Matrix seeks to play a full and dynamic role within the planning process therefore the intention is that planning authorities will ask for it to be calculated during the planning process and before planning submission.” I’m afraid it won’t.

The primary reason it will fail is that the Matrix has not been released amid a generous programme of public sector funding. When it comes to implementing design, local authorities are yet to use the National Design Guide (which celebrates its second birthday) to influence decision making. The National Design Code, also released in June 2021 asked local authorities to prepare design codes, and this simply hasn’t happened. Why? Because councils are still under funded, they can barely afford an urban design officer. Throwing more guidance into the mix now is a waste of time.

When the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission emerged in 2019 I was delighted. It had the hallmarks of the Urban Renaissance 20 years previous, prioritising good design to create places we can be proud of. However, 20 years ago the renaissance was led by CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment); a govt backed and Government funded organisation with clout. I remember preparing of CABE presentations in the early 2000s, it was a big deal, improving design quality and really influencing an applications chances of success. This movement gave rise to a flurry of useful guidance documents, primarily the Manual for Streets and the Urban Design Compendium, both sat on my drawing board as a young designer and helped to positively shape the masterplans I designed, and against which our schemes were measured. 

The status of good design has weakened over the decades. Local design review panels are well intentioned but no match for CABE and the 4-year-old ‘Living with Beauty’ report has a host of undelivered objectives including: “20. appoint a Minister for Place 21. appoint a Chief Place-maker in all local authorities”.

I have spent over 20 years as an urban designer trying to do my bit for good placemaking. I love my job and desperately want to see good design meaningfully prioritised. However, without mandatory status and without funding for local authorities to lead, enforce or steward the matrix; it will quietly fall into the growing pile of forgotten guidance. 

I am keen to hear thoughts and opinions on the Better Places document and would love to keep the debate going, so please get in touch to discuss further.

3 July 2023