Good design: the fundamentals

Richard Simmons, CABE

Year of publication: 2008

This essay focuses on the importance of good design. Simmons believes people must be at the heart of strategy for the built environment. Places which delight tend to be valued and cared for - those which do not tend to cost more in crime, high maintenance, poor health and social exclusion.

The author notes that the costs of poor design are rarely borne by those who were responsible for it. Their common objections to good design – cost and subjectivity - are myths.

Leadership is crucial to securing good design. Decision-makers need not only to demand good design but to understand what it is and how to achieve it. Simmons suggests three simple tests:

1. Is this a beautiful place that people cherish?

2. Does it work well and lend itself to easy management?

3. Will it last and be sustainable?

The essay asserts that users should be involved in the design of buildings and place, helping establish what outcomes are required from them, and that post-completion evaluation has an important role to play in assessing success and informing future practice.