ABSTRACT

In 1970 the Royal Institute of British Architects attempted to define the function and status of the newly emerging discipline of urban design. They stated that it is an integral part of the process of city and regional planning and is essentially concerned with the three dimensional design and the non-visual character of an area. Its major task is the arrangement, in external space, of the physical ob­ jects and human activities which make up the environment. Urban design is not only concerned with the relationship of new develop­ ment to existing city form, but also to the social, political, and eco­ nomic demands and resources available (Gosling and Maitland, 1984).