3. Context | studiorooprai

Context

Recognize buildings, places and spaces as part of entire built environment

Local Identity

Acknowledge and build on cultural identity, landscape context and built form.

Public Realm

Maintain and enhance the public realm to provide a safe, high quality and inclusive places.

Health

Consider the wellbeing of the people who live and work within and around the development

Local Identity

Identity of a particular place includes the time (age) physical, natural, historical and socio-cultural characteristics of a particular place, which make the place identifiable or unique – the genius loci which refers to a location's distinctive atmosphere, or a ‘spirit of place’. Understanding and appreciating the local identity becomes an important issue in the conservation of its character.

Regional & Settlement Scale: Analyse the physical, functional, social, cultural, historical, economical, administrative aspects of the region. Evaluate the region and the settlement within the main characteristics and aspects that define the values.
Environmental: Analyse the environmental aspects and values such as panoramic points, natural and geographic features, national and/or international routes, historical, archaeological and natural sites
Study Area Scale: Physical, social, economic, administrative aspects of the site and the functional values such as landmarks, monuments, conserved streets, places and buildings for collective memory and nodes.
Building scale: Physical and socio-economical correlations. The uses of the buildings and deriving from, economical and administrative aspects. Potentials of buildings. Functional and social values such as buildings with their functions associated with town identity

Public Realm

The public realm maintains and enhances the City’s built environment and provides a safe, high quality and inclusive place in which to work, live and enjoy life. A high quality public realm should:

Sense of place: Help to build a clear sense of place and identity.
Image: Boost the City’s image
Multi model Interchange: Take account of current and future integrated multi model transport interchange.
People: Improve the provision, layout and comfort of spaces for pedestrian, and where appropriate, cycle flows, taking cognisance of the needs of people with a visual and mobility impairment, whilst retaining good accessibility for public transport and other essential vehicles.
Local Culture: Respond to cues found in the architecture, public realm and cultural history of the surrounding area
Landscaping: Incorporate tree planting and soft landscaping.
Sustainability: Integrate sustainable drainage solutions, which slow the release of rain waters to the sewer system
Street Furniture: Display an integrated approach to the design and siting of street furniture
Materials: Should be carefully chosen to help define street and space hierarchies, spaces of differing functions, public/private spaces and changes
Maintenance: Designed to minimise the maintenance burden by using materials that are hard wearing and easy to replace

Health

Healthy urban planning focuses on the positive impact that urban planning can have on human health

Incorporating the following design principles to promote better health and wellbeing:

Accessibility to green places: Biophilia Theory maintains that humans have a biological need that is sated when we are in contact with other species. Green space encourages exercise and social interactions that both promote good health. Green space has been associated with reduction of depression and stress, and improved social and cognitive functioning
Integration of activity: Designing active transport options, including safe and convenient pedestrian and bike paths, which harness not just the benefits of exercise but also reduction of stressful, sedentary commutes.
Creating pro-social places: Create features within projects that facilitate positive, safe, natural interactions amongst people and foster a sense of community, integration and belonging. Develop public spaces for flexible use street furniture for resting and chatting.
Safety and security: In the city, constant low-level threats can keep the body in an unnatural habitual state of preparation, which can affect mood and stress in the long term. Relevant urban dangers can include risks posed by other people risks from traffic and the risk of getting lost. Appropriate design of roads, good street lighting, and distinct landmarks and wayfinding cues are some of the design features that can increase perceptions of safety in a neighbourhood.