ATLAS guide to creating successful new environments through 'creative and inclusive design-led process' goes live

Stage one of ATLAS Guide: Planning for Large Scale Development has been launched by the Advisory Team for Large Applications to provide advice and help guide Local Authorities, other public sector bodies and private stakeholders (including land owners & developers) through the town planning process in relation to large, complex or strategic development projects.

ATLAS strongly believes that successful new environments are created through a creative and inclusive design led process. Urban design is, it states, central to the art of ‘placemaking’, with successful places characterised by quality, both in terms of function and in terms of experience. A project is highly likely to fail if it does not produce a vibrant and attractive sustainable environment for all to live in, work and visit.

Urban design is therefore not just about physical outputs, but about the relationships between people and places, particularly at an emotional level in terms of identity and understanding. It also addresses functional components in terms of movement and connections on foot and other forms of transport, and is also about urban form, i.e. the layout of streets and spaces and how these are addressed and enclosed by buildings.

The ATLAS Guide is being published online through a two stage process. The preliminary content includes a detailed process zone explaining the overarching process from project inception through to implementation, complimented by more detailed information relating to a number of key topics including urban design, community engagement and participation, Environmental Impact Assessment and dealing with heritage matters.

The Guide will evolve rapidly over coming months, and when complete in the Autumn, the resource will be fully interactive, allowing users to exchange knowledge and share best practice. Additional topic papers will be added to cover issues specifically relating to housing,social infrastructure, transport, planning obligations, financial viability and environmental sustainability.

Simon Leask, Head of ATLAS, says: The ATLAS Guide illustrates the learning from our experiences in terms of the key factors behind successful planning processes. We hope that it can continue to evolve and learn from real world experiences of good practice to become an invaluable ‘live’ resource for both the public and private sectors.'

The information contained in the Guide has been compiled by drawing on the experiences of the ATLAS team in dealing with large development projects across a variety of locations and contexts. It brings together a wide range of information and signposts users to relevant policy guidance and best practice across a number of specific subjects. Underpinning much of the information presented is the promotion of the principles of sustainable development and the appropriate consideration and embodiment of such principles within final development concepts.