Redefining urban design through public-private partnerships

Abstract

This thesis started with a search for an expanded framework of urban design and an observation on the way projects were implemented and how downtowns revitalize themselves. The search showed that the expanded framework of urban design should be thought of as both a product and a process. As a product, urban design addresses the urban environment's hardware (the physical attributes and characteristics) and software (the social and perceptual experience of places). As a process, urban design consists of the design and management aspects. To design is to formulate and develop plans and schemes of actions. To manage is to facilitate the outcomes and ensure that they are well kept and would last. The observation on project implementation revealed that successful urban developments require both a good design mechanism and a good management mechanism. A successful development would result in an increase of activities for the area; it can be measured using pedestrian counts, number of new businesses, retail sales, etc. The good design mechanism is the urban design plans that are used to formulate, execute and regulate the hardware and software of urban environments. The good management mechanism is provided by institutions that could develop and market an area or the city itself (including events and activities), manage spaces and places and provide services to the downtown. A look at how most downtowns have responded to the changing needs showed that downtowns are looking at institutional arrangements that embodied public-private partnerships to carry out developments and redevelopment plans, to revitalize themselves and promote growth and to compete with each other and the suburbs. The examples are the business improvement districts (BIDs), downtown associations/alliances, and city center corporations. These institutional setups bridge the interest and needs of the public and private sectors, allow stakeholders in the downtown to work together to shape and create the desired urban environment, and allow the city to market itself as an entire area or a combination of small areas to compete for the share of residents, employment and revenues.