International urban design: theory and practice

Urban design focuses on the development of unified goal-oriented development projects. They vary in scale from new towns to neighbourhoods to blocks of cities. Much of the significant work is now executed by a limited number of multi-national professional organisations on behalf of development companies that invest internationally and municipal authorities seeking an important place on the world stage. The schemes, wherever they are located, have a degree of homogeneity about them and pay little heed to local climatic conditions, ways of life and aesthetic values. They are international. In reaction there have been a number of neo-traditional schemes that draw heavily on past urban forms or design principles for inspiration. They do not, however, capture the imagination as much as the bold designs of globalisation. In addition, there has been a continuing call to work closely with local communities. All these approaches achieve much but have many opportunity costs associated with them. A neo-functional, ecological approach to design promises more. Can designers, however, implement such an approach?