RIBA President Elect's presentation on 'The role and contribution of the architect in achieving design quality'

1. Design quality in an age of localism
Stephen Hodder, President Elect, RIBA

2. Good design
Good design – functionality, use of
resources and meeting the needs of clients.
It translates needs into cost effective
solutions
Good design creates better outcomes:
•Increased civic pride and community
development
•Higher property values
•Catalyst for wider regeneration and
investment
•Reduced vandalism
•Reduced whole-life costs
•A sustainable environment

3. Design and the NPPF
“Good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, is indivisible from
good planning”
“Economic growth can secure higher social and environmental standards,
and well-designed buildings and places can improve the lives of people and
communities.”
“sustainable development involves seeking positive improvements in the
quality of the built, natural and historic environment” and that this involves
“replacing poor design with good design”
“Permission should be refused for development of poor design that fails to
take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an
area and the way it functions.”

4. Design Review
“Local planning authorities should have local
design review arrangements in place to provide
assessment and support to ensure high
standards of design.”
“In assessing applications, local planning
authorities should have regard to the
recommendations from the design review
panel.”
Key role in assessing quality of schemes
and bolstering LPA design capacity
RIBA, RTPI, Design Council, Landscape
Institute – new guidance due out in autumn

5. Delivering design quality – who’s role?
Delivering design quality across the board won’t be
easy. It requires:
Councils to show leadership – not just regulators,
but promoting high quality development
Clients who see the long-term value in investing in
investing in design
Architects – working to deliver what the client wants
and buildings which meet the needs of users
Local people – properly supported – engaging more
positively with the design/planning process

6. Who’s design is it anyway?
 Involving local people in design/planning
nothing new – but need to rekindle lost
arts
 Localism needs professionals to succeed
 Shift in working – Partnership approach
with local people
 Designing ‘with’ rather than ‘for’
communities
 Might need to adapt the design process –
but professional skills more vital than
ever
Sherry Arnstein
‘A ladder of citizen participation’
Journal of the American Planning Association,
25: 4, 216-224
(1969)

7. The role for architects?
Enabling
- Add value, not just as designers,
but as facilitators of good design
principles
Responding
- Reconciling multiple, complex
issues/concerns into an appropriate
design response
Inspiring
- advocating good design and
encouraging ambition
Designing
- adding value through good design

8. Will localism deliver good design?
Localism will have mixed results and
could go either way – promote or
prevent good design
But localism is about empowering
people and good design should be too
New landscape provides
opportunities to demonstrate how
good design offers value
By involving people perhaps there’s
an opportunity to change attitudes
about development and design?

9. Conclusions
Difficult environment within which to talk about design quality
Achieving design quality requires establishing a demand for it.
Requires clients to see value, architects to communicate it,
communities to demand it and local authorities to insist upon it.
Unclear whether localism will deliver better design outcomes.
Communities need the right support to deliver this
The prize in localism is a more informed public, who understand
the challenges of design, planning and development. Also
professionals that are re-connected and can learn from
communities