14 Nov 2022

98

The 7 Key Elements of Urban Design

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Urban Design elements support the land use and transportation, economic revitalization, and generally add the aesthetic appeal of Luis Obispo’s Downtown. In most cases, Urban planning influences the implementation of all elements of the broad-spectrum strategies as it establishes design and development of scale and the nature of the environmental behaviour. Urban design proposition is needed to make sure that the developed surroundings continue to be a factor that influences the qualities that characterize San Luis Obispo downtown as a unique residential and commercial space. Also, urban design Visual qualities are the most important for field survey in SLO the enclosure, complexity, legibility, transparency, human scale, coherence imageability are needs in design. 

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With San Luis Obispo’s distinctive feature resulting from its unparalleled natural surroundings, including trees and natural landscape which permit the development of geographical distinctiveness (Deasy & Laswell, 1990). A solid, effective, and environmentally responsive design of progression becomes little by little more vital as the SLO downtown hub keep on developing. Also in urban planning human being have become the centres of the entire element involved in the design. The urban design element would be null and void if it majors in obstruction of human interaction, therefore the design should provide ample space for a human to create an environment where human needs are catered for without any barriers (Presentation, 2019). The urban design is represented by the design theme based on the human interaction social interaction, personal space, wayfinding and safety and territorialism. 

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In San Luis Obispo’s streets we can see little to no human activity in the public space, the major thing dominating the scenery are cars. From the images, we can see two or three pedestrians on the sidewalks and the pavements, this tells a lot about the social class of the people in SLO (Colding & Barthel, 2017). An outsider can conclude that people around the town are mostly from the middle to the upper class. There is little human interaction almost a lifeless town as somebody from one end of the street can see what is happening in the other end. 

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Wayfinding is one of the major influences of urban design when it comes to behavioural science. The streets have wide use of the road sign for road users’ safety. The pedestrian has a physical expression that controls the spatial movement. At this point is the only space for those by foot to move on to the other side of the road (Deasy & Laswell, 1990) . Also, landmarks present features of d esign that enhances one's memory. By nature, landmarks are meant to attract and capture attention which is its aspect of communication to the observer. For example the tree trunk in the image above, it shape height give someone a reference point. The good urban design considers way finders for directionality, safety, location and generally a way of communication. 

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The public places in SLO are quite limited. Even with the positioning of the side bench, it is a brief waiting place where little social interaction can take place. With the nature, spacing and positioning of the seating, it has several limitations as the same place is used as a pavement for people on foot (Mehta, 2013) . The triangulation spot in SLO where it provides the place of interaction is in cafes and food joints which are enclosed. The urban design lack place where the free space for that permits social activities and interaction, the environment only accommodate official interactions and creates a mood of solemnity (Presentation, 2019).  The greatest function of public space is that it offers delight comfort and sense of belonging and protection. By human interactions, SLO is quite reserved, as we can tell people maintain their public spaces and personalize their space considering the public arrangement of sits and their location (Colding & Barthel, 2017) . There is no random public positioning, and from this, we can deduce that SLO people value their personal space and intrusion will not be taken lightly. 

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The intersection points focus on two paths overlap. There are several locations in SLO where the traffic level and other activities intensify since the location is at two main roadways intersection (Mehta, 2013). In many of this occasion, the surrounding environs and spaces will be underused as well as develop at lower densities, regardless of greater traffic volumes using the adjoining roadways. However certain locations, require particular attention in that they need to be conspicuous from their surroundings due to dense traffic as well as the concentration of the pedestrians. Strategic urban designing elements interrelated to the intersection focus on design that cultivates or develop the nature and feature of certain crossroads in SLO for instance at the meeting point of Chorro and Higuera Streets. In a visual enhancement of certain crossroads, there is strong the aesthetic impression of those intersections in the creation of a sharp balance and arrangement on otherwise custom paths. 

Part two: The Street Design impact 

S an Luis Obispo has many paths which are used as a means of travel and movement from one place to another. Paths include streets, freeways; walkthrough, as well as bikeways. One more significant role of paths is that it creates link connecting street intersections, and other destination points. This connection might be fortified by view corridors linked to landmarks, natural representation, plus open places. The Major urban design element related to “paths are freeways and key thoroughfares which operate as the SLO framework for the urban structure. Two of these paths, Higuera Street alongside the Broad Street, as well act as the “axis” for the SLO street numbering structure. 

These through street are the main east-west, along with the north-south path of transportation at the core intersecting at downtown San Luis Obispo (Presentation, 2019). Paths have both regional and local function as they convey progression impression as people travel across the township, providing movement sensation across warmth, administrative centre and business zones or across residential and commercial. Some instance comprises of Monterey Street along with South Chorro Street which appears to be constricted and more concentrated at the SLO central part. Certain streets do not have key feature, for instance, a well-defined evident of hierarchy, balance, and buildings density (Deasy & Laswell, 1990). Lack of the contextual correlation linking the street and the adjoining space utilization results into inconsistencies and lack of harmony and distinctiveness connecting commercial zones plus neighbourhoods in close proximity. Various main street in the SLO does not characterize their importance as major routes. Major streets consist of interference of the progression and development pattern context. These disruptions diminish the sense of the rhythm of a walkway from less reinforced areas to the more intense City core (Colding & Barthel, 2017). The surface parking lots existence and automatic sales lots on the key path as the South Broad Street or mid-Higuera Street forms visual chaos. The incompatibility involving a building’s primary functions and its existing uses which diminish the quality and path continuity in a direct mode.  

References 

Colding, J., & Barthel, S. (2017). An urban ecology critique on the “Smart City” model.  Journal of Cleaner Production 164 , 95-101. 

Deasy, C.M & Laswell, T. (1990).Designing places for people. A handbook on Human Behaviour for Architects, Designer and Facility Managers. N. York:Whitney Library of Design 

Mehta, V. (2013).  The street: a quintessential social public space . Routledge. 

Presentation (2019). Environmental behavior and Urban Design Pdf 

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