Leeds City Centre Design Strategy

Leeds City Centre Urban Design Strategy -
Improving our streets, spaces and buildings
Leeds City Council 2000

It is always encouraging to see examples of Urban Design Strategies being prepared by towns and cities to add to the existing range of knowledge and experience in drafting such documents. The Leeds Strategy is one of the latest examples.

The report begins with a summary of its approach which is based on the themes of form, movement, space and use. It then lists a set of principles, identifies the quarters of the centre, refers to good practice examples and then restates in more detail the summary of urban design principles. The second section contains an Introduction covering objectives, context, approach and themes. The next section examines form, movement, space and use on a City Centre-wide basis and makes useful recommendations concerning elements such as skylines, landmarks, scale, topography, the grid, gateways, connections, street furniture, landscape, active frontages and re-use of buildings.

The case studies section illustrates work in Leeds that has been completed or is proposed which accords with the principles. This is followed by detailed proposals for nine study areas indicating aspirations and issues reflected in a diagrammatic plan applying the strategies to the area with illustrations relating to its form, movement, space and use.

The participation and consultation involved in the process of drawing up the strategy is covered, referring to the large number of interest groups and the way in which students from Leeds Metropolitan University have carried out studies related to the objectives of the report. The student work is included as appendices together with reports about a workshop, the overall City design framework, contributors and a bibliography which while well illustrated may divert readers from the main purpose.

The aim of the document is to provide a working tool to encourage good distinctive proposals appropriate to Leeds City Centre. I did not find the ideas in it communicated well or clearly; this is due in part to repetition in the early stages and, regrettably, graphics which hinder the readibility. Other readers may find the array of different colours and fonts and random illustration layout helpful but I did not, and it can be compared unfavourably with reports which are more direct with simpler graphics - did the authors look at some of the well considered US examples?. For example the area plans, the equivalent of framework plans, use a lot of colour but this does not help to convey essential messages such as the street form; by contrast the sketch plan of connections by John Thorp, Civic Architect, reveals more of the feeling behind the strategy.

Leeds is an interesting city which has attracted a significant amount of recent development and the strategy is intended to help by emphasising the principles the city wants to see adopted. The latest initiative, the Millennium Square will provide an attractive addition to the City's spaces and will be of particular interest to urban designers. This has now been completed, to much acclaim, but time will tell if its overall size is right and the detailing appropriate for its setting. #

John Billingham

Available from Leeds City Council Department of Planning and Environment.
Tel: 0113 247 8000
website: www.leeds.gov.uk/planning