ABSTRACT
Design has become a central aspect of contemporary urban life. Design can make things not only more attractive but also more efficient and more profitable. It is deployed not only in the development and redevelopment of neighbourhoods, buildings and interior spaces but also in the production of every component of material culture. Indeed, the claims that can be made on behalf of design extend to every aspect of urban life. Design can make urban environments more legible and can assist people in wayfinding (Gibson 2009). It can help people with physical disabilities through codified ‘universal’ design (Herwig 2008). It can promote and ensure public health (Moudon 2005) and bring order and stability to otherwise complex, chaotic and volatile settings (Greed and Roberts 1998). It can make transportation and land use more efficient (Wright et al. 1997; Levy 2008). It can be deployed for the benefit of women (Rothschild 1999), children (Gleeson and Sipe 2006), elderly people and those with disabilities (Burton and Mitchell 2006), minority populations (Rishbeth 2001) and social diversity (Talen 2008). It can prevent crime, protect built heritage, foster a sense of place, engender community,
encourage conviviality, contribute to sustainability and combat climate change. It can signal social status and lifestyle, reflect taste and spearhead cultural change. It can make places more appealing, buildings more striking, clothes more stylish and objects more efficient.
