ABSTRACT
‘Design governance’ has been defined as: The process of state-sanctioned intervention in the means and processes of designing the built environment in order to shape both processes and outcomes in a defined public interest. In modern times, however, practices to intervene in the design of the built environment have become ubiquitous and universal. The clamps are broad, but at their heart is a perceived failure to prioritise a high-quality built environment in the governance of urban areas, substituting vision and commitment for well-intentioned but ill-conceived public regulation. Ben-Joseph traces the evolution across Northern American cities of what he refers to as these ‘hidden codes'. ‘Design quality’ is invariably a problematic concept that will mean different things to different people, not least to the different professionals involved in development projects as well as to the many individuals that make up the community affected by them.
