26 Y E A R B O O K 2 0 1 4 Caroline-von-Humboldt-Weg in the Friedrichswerder district of Berlin: an example of ‘fine grain use’ in which the streetscape is marked by a variety and rhythm of building frontages. (Photo: ©iStock.com/elxeneize) document as it sets out the project’s terms of reference with a statement about the expected outcomes. Prospective consultants are asked to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire. Many managers seek to limit the number of bids and manage the risk by favouring bidders with a high turnover. This can work against small practices which are otherwise well-placed to fulfil the brief. The master planning process involves the professional skills of architects, urban designers, landscape architects, town planners, engineers and quantity surveyors. The success of the process depends on the effective integration of these disciplines, often led by those with pan-professional skillsets who understand the context and significance of historic places. The IHBC Yearbook, the Urban Design Directory, and The Building Conservation Directory provide ideal source books for those who commission master plans, helping them to locate practices with specialist skills. Professionals involved in master planning should also be familiar with publications such as Understanding Place: Historic Area Assessments (2010), Understanding Place: Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management (2011) and The Changing Face of the High Street (2013) (see Recommended Reading). The latter observes that ‘our town and city centres are representative of wider economic and social dynamics and there is a renewed commitment to the identification of strategies to support their renewal and vitality in the current challenging economic landscape’. RESPONDING TO CHANGE Over the past five years historic towns and cities have been hit by a combination of prolonged economic downturn and the challenges presented by the loss of many town centre retailers, much of it driven by the rise of internet shopping and out-of-centre retailing. Local authorities and town centre partnerships for historic towns and cities have had to identify strategies for regeneration with reduced budgets, creating an emphasis on obtaining better value. Historic towns and cities are often better placed to deal with recessions because of their significance as social and cultural venues. Specialist retail outlets, cultural events and tourism will be key factors in shaping the economic revival of these places. The master planning process continues to evolve in response to the dynamics of economic growth and social change. Examples include the Mayor of London’s ‘opportunity area planning frameworks’ and ‘public realm strategies’ for Oxford and Westminster. Westminster’s public realm strategy strives to reconcile the often conflicting demands on the streets and open spaces of the city, while seeking to preserve local distinctiveness. Strategies promoting public realm investment in de-cluttering, creating a quality streetscape and well-managed, well-maintained streets can inject confidence into historic places that will often stimulate private investment in buildings. The historic significance of streets and public spaces is that they are the ‘glue’ of towns and cities and will remain unchanged for hundreds of years, outlasting the buildings that front onto them. MASTER PLANNING IN ACTION At a different scale, a public realm scheme at Poynton, Cheshire, a small town of 16,000 people, was completed in 2012. It centred on improving accessibility and connectivity of the retail high street to its surrounding community. Following extensive local discussions with residents and traders, a radical master plan was drawn up by Hamilton Baillie Associates with support from Arup. The plan proposed radical streetscape improvements, de-cluttering, narrowed carriageways and bold courtesy crossings. One year after the scheme began the Macclesfield Express reported improved traffic flow and a doubling of trading activity in local shops. At Worcester, meanwhile, the initial preparation of the 2012 master plan focussed on bringing stakeholders together. An urban design ‘charrette’ (a community planning meeting) is often used, with facilitators working with groups of people representing a wide spectrum of the business and residential community. Bringing stakeholders together enables the discussion of such issues as changes in living patterns, changes in consumer demand and other economic factors affecting the functionality of places. At Worcester the development of a consensus among stakeholders was a key step in the process of establishing a vision of what the master plan describes as ‘a bold Worcester, where sustained investment in economic development, aligned with successful advances in sustainable travel, lead to a vibrant and diverse city centre’. RHYTHM AND SCALE It is also useful to consider the design of the infill sites of the past. How often
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