TY - JOUR
T1 - Beauty in the eye of the design reviewer: The contested nature of UK design review
AU - Black, Philip
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/9/10
Y1 - 2018/9/10
N2 - Design review is an independent expert-led mechanism, employed to evaluate the design quality of proposed developments. It claims an objective and transparent approach, yet has limited guidance on how, or what, reviewers should evaluate. Few studies focus on these reviewers or their attitudes and perceptions to the process. This research, using interviews and Q-Methodology, reveals key differences in how reviewers conceptualise and evaluate design quality within review. The paper argues design review is a contested mechanism, where subjective appraisal plays out alongside more objective approaches. Four competing reviewer priorities on the process are presented: sustainability; people/public; function; and visual aesthetics.
AB - Design review is an independent expert-led mechanism, employed to evaluate the design quality of proposed developments. It claims an objective and transparent approach, yet has limited guidance on how, or what, reviewers should evaluate. Few studies focus on these reviewers or their attitudes and perceptions to the process. This research, using interviews and Q-Methodology, reveals key differences in how reviewers conceptualise and evaluate design quality within review. The paper argues design review is a contested mechanism, where subjective appraisal plays out alongside more objective approaches. Four competing reviewer priorities on the process are presented: sustainability; people/public; function; and visual aesthetics.
KW - design review
KW - design quality
KW - design control
KW - agency
KW - urban design
KW - architecture
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85053331829&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13574809.2018.1511973
DO - 10.1080/13574809.2018.1511973
M3 - Article
SN - 1469-9664
VL - 24
SP - 556
EP - 574
JO - Journal of Urban Design
JF - Journal of Urban Design
IS - 4
ER -