EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - DECOMB – Design Concepts and Management of Building Environment

DECOMB – Design Concepts and Management of Building Environment

Introduction

DECOMB is a joint research venture for creating new innovative urban design and real estate development methods for public and private sector co-operation.

Proposition

Critical challenges in contemporary Finnish urban design and planning are unpredictability, a lack of responsiveness, and the absence of common respect. These negative effects can be seen in the constant re-planning and re-designing and in the unrealized development potentials.
The shortage of joint efforts between cities, land and real estate owners, construction companies, real estate developers and designers causes calculable economical losses, prolonged design and planning cycles and slows down the development of property supply.
There is also a spatial disconnection between land-use planning and building design. This qualitative inconvenience can be seen in the difficulties to move between different scales of design.
Urban design is often implemented without all the crucial stakeholders involved in the projects and without utilizing their creative skills enhancing simultaneously mutual added values.

Description

The subject of the research is management and direction of urban design and planning processes from the viewpoint of project-based initiatives and multiple stakeholders, Urban Design Management (UDM). We research factors affecting the quality, quickness and efficiency of urban planning and design processes especially from the viewpoint of design. The project aims to construct multidisciplinary co-operation tools for enhance the development of current practice in urban design processes (Urban Design Management Tools).

The purpose of the project is to create new project based (in distinction from a normative approach) development and land use methods in as practical way as possible, but still utilizing scientific conceptualizing and innovation opportunities. The new methods will enhance possibilities for co-operation between different stakeholders within urban design and real estate development projects.

Methodology

The aim of the research is to clarify the preconditions for a rapid, efficient and high-quality urban design process. The research concentrates on the management of urban design processes in a project-based orientation (Urban Design Management). This involves all the stakeholders of an urban design project in an atmosphere of reciprocal trust benefiting from their common interests.

The central theme of the research project is the concept of Urban Design Management and its underlying theory which can result real life solutions in better use of resources and enhanced quality of urban environment. It seems that there is a call for new kind of consulting services and culturally depended process definitions with contractual procedures.

Conclusions

A design method forming the phases of urban design processes that enable the joint urban ventures of the public and the private sector (Urban Design Management Tools).
A definition of jurisdictional development needs will be outlined, and appropriate contract procedures will be instructed for land use and real estate development purposes.
The research will establish new potentials for the efficient utilization of urban design research institutes in the real estate and construction business.
The research project creates a new kind of consulting service for urban design processes adding value for both private and public sectors.

Contact info

Helsinki University of Technology / Centre for Urban and Regional Studies
P.O. Box 9300
FIN-02015 TKK
Finland
Ms. Hilkka Lehtonen (Professor, Institute director), tel. +358 9 451 4085

Publication date

01/10/2004

Project finished

01/10/2007

Researcher

A joint research venture: HUT Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Architecture, Urban Design and Regional Planning & HUT Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, UO University of Oulu, Department of Architecture, Urban and Regional Studies, TUT Tampere University of Technology, Department of Architecture, Urban and Regional Studies, UH University of Helsinki, Department of Law, Department of Private Law, Environmental Law

Links

Helsinki University of Technology / Centre for Urban and Regional Studies DECOMB website

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Urban environment

Keywords

Land use, Urban renewal