Why Design?
The 20th century will go down in history as the century we lost the art of city design. The modern movement over-reacted to the impact of industrial cities and adopted urban design philosophies that concentrated on individual buildings rather than the quality and experience of the public realm. This led to the gradual deterioration of the urban fabric of our cities and thus diminished the social and cultural experience of our increasingly urban existence. The major contributor to a city’s public realm – the streets – ceased to be the primary meeting space for citizens and instead became conduits for the automobile.
To design good cities we need to design good streets – streets for people.
Professor Rob Adams AM
Director Design & Urban Environment, City of Melbourne
8 April 2008