Welcome to the Urban Design Group
Founded in 1978, the Urban Design Group (UDG) is a campaigning membership organisation with over 1000 members who care about the quality of life in our cities, towns and villages, and believe that raising standards of urban design is central to its improvement.
The UDG website contains a wealth of information for anyone interested in urban design including details of urban design practices, university courses, publications and job vacancies, as well as future urban design events. Our regular email newsletter Urban Update is a one-stop-shop for urban design news, articles and blog posts.
Scroll down to read more about our key current initiatives:
- Strategic Urban Design
- Modernising Street Design Practice
- Increasing Local Authority Skills
News |
| See detailed Conference info here |
The Design Qulaity Summit is now fully booked - please contact administration@udg.org.uk to jon the wait list
Next Event at UDG |
How to strike a better balance between parked cars and people
A half-day afternoon conference reviewing the design and management of urban areas and the provision of parking, the economics and opportunities for better use of the land, and the potential higher development densities and better facilities for walking, cycling and public transport could have in reducing the need for car ownership and use. In partenership with London Living Streets
Visit our events page for additional future events and details of past events including the upcoming UDG half day conference in September Parking in Towns and Cities. Presentations, key ideas and recommendations...
Happy 40 Birthday UDG! |
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The UDG was formally constituted on 10 April 1979. 40 years on and we are very much still guided by the principles laid out in our original Manifesto: "To provide a forum for those wo believe that planning should be more concerned with the improvement of the design of the physical environment and the quality of places and to encourage all the professions to combine to this end. This is in the belief that society judges us primarily by the quality of the places we create..." |
Awards 2019 |
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Practice Project Award Winner: Studio Partington, Andover Estate Public Sector Award Winner: South Cambridgeshire DC, Maramalade Lane Student Award Winner: Owen Reading, Oxford Brookes University
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Reports, Surveys and Initiatives |
Strategic Urban design Initiative 2019 |
Achieving good urban form through the local plan processThe UDG is launching a service to advise local authorities on strategic urban design issues in the local plan process modelled on the design review process. The Strategic Urban Design Initiative will provide support at critical stages of the plan making process to ensure that there is a strong design input into shaping towns or city quarters. |
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Street Design in the UKPilot Survey 2018 |
Pilot survey reveals widespread failure to update highways standardsFollowing the UDG 2018 survey which showed that most highway authorities are still using 1960's street design standards, the UDG is to working to ensure that they adopt standards which reflect best practice, comply with professional codes of conduct and discharge statutory and common law duties. |
Electric Vehicles: a threat to Cities?Conference Report 2018 |
Are electric vehicles the solution to urban movement? Following presentations from 12 leading speakers, delegates at the UDG - London Living Streets conference went away in grave doubt. |
Urban Design Skills in English Local AuthoritiesUCL - UDG - Place Alliance Report Sept 2017 |
Housing delivery under threat through a lack of design skills in planning departments The UK Government, both in its manifesto and in the recent Housing Green Paper, committed itself to a step change in the delivery of high quality new homes across the country. Research supported by the UDG puts those aspirations in doubt because of worsening design skills gaps in English local planning authorities. |
Latest on UrbanNous |
@UDGUrbanUpdate |
Urban Update |
Urban Update is a regular free news service for people with an interest in the design of cities, towns and villages. It covers latest news, research, events and jobs. Sign up here.
Urban Update - Latest Research and International News
The National Urban Design Conferenceopens on Thursday next week in Birmingham, and there is still time to join the 40+ speakers and 200 delegates drawn from private and public sectors and from all...
URBANUPDATE
Next UDG London Event
Parking in towns and Cities
An unrivalled opportunity to get up to speed on one of the main barriers to efficient land-use...
URBANUPDATE
5 September 2019
· Climate change crisis
Local authorities across England threatened with legal action unless they...
URBAN UPDATE
9 August 2019
· Air pollution and asthma
· Therapeutic cities...
URBANUPDATE
19 July 2019
Windowless Permitted Development exposes Visionless Planning System
Building Better, Building Beautiful – Interim Report published
Design guidance for bus...
Recognised Practitioners
Recognised Practioners in Urban Design are committed professionals with at least five years relevant experience (or 3 years plus a diploma in urban design or equivalent). It is a designation that is being increasingly recognised by industry and clients as carrying weight.
Tailored Insurance for Urban Design Practices
In association with AIM Risk Services the Urban design Group has developed a bespoke insurance scheme tailored specifically for members’ needs.
Includies: Professional Indemnity, Office Contents, Public Liability, Employer’s Liability and Management Liability insurance
