Many of the urban “grand designs” that define the fabric of world class cities were the result of strong individual vision imposed with ruthless determination and sweeping aside any previous settlement that might have otherwise spoiled the plan.
Such design was carried out without consultation. The only transportation issues that needed to be considered involved tool, horse, carriage and perhaps water borne traffic. Heritage conservation, utility reticulation, vehicles servicing and transportation infrastructure did not feature in the urban design thinking. 
In the 21st century urban design projects are often full of complexities and conflicts, on a social, economic and environmental scale. As consultants, we apply our specialist knowledge to address existing and potential problems within an urban situation. (Pictures: Newmarket Rail Station project).
The normal approach involves the appointment of one Lead Urban Design Consultant, supported secondarily by several sub-consultants, a model which reflects the traditional role of the architect and sub-consultants on a building project. This methodology to deliver urban design can lead to difficulties.
Key input is often not gained at an early enough stage. As a result, areas of the design are compromised as crucial missing elements are considered too late in the process, ultimately creating a lack of cohesion within the design.
This tends to lead to a diluting of the initial design principles and in some cases these become lost altogether. Aside from the diminished design quality, difficulties with consents and public buy in can arise with unclear and unconsidered proposals; prolonging the process and ultimately realisation of the project.
A further issue can be the hijacking of projects by one discipline area, a problem sometimes encountered on transport projects or subdivisions, when the input on urban design issues is not always valued.
The effects on the design quality and cohesion are detrimental when cross discipline inputs are not considered early enough. Many opportunities are lost as a result which in turn cause a multitude of problems for an area in the future.
Approaching urban design projects with rigor at the start of the programme and including all relevant disciplines in the process, develops a healthier design solution. The benefits of a fully integrated approach to design are quite clear.
Specific examples might include the design of a road easement when coordination of roading design and set back requirements will lead to an appropriate street width. Another example might be the formation of a stormwater system that is part of the paving and landscape design, creating efficiencies and sustainable water management. 
The extent of the multi-discipline involvement and number of different team members can vary depending on the scale of the project, but can cover areas such as: archaeologists, architects, asset management, TDM specialists, consultation specialists, CPTED specialists, drainage engineers, ecologists, economists, geotechnical engineers, GIS, highways engineers, heritage experts, landscape architects, Maori liaison specialists, parks & recreational specialists, planners, surveyors, transport planners, urban designers.
The wide range of those who can be involved in an urban design project and the impact their input can have on a design requires coordination and management. The lead consultant who takes on this role should come with strong facilitating skills, translating divergent specialist inputs into the overall Masterplan.
This role can be performed by a variety of different disciplines; however an understanding of the overall concepts of urban design is needed to run a project successfully. The selection of this leader can be problematic.
Different disciplines argue their contribution makes them the key player in an urban design project. Architects understand buildings and scale. Planners understand land use and environmental effects.
Landscape architects are able to detail the physical environment and highway engineers can provide the traffic design to keep vehicles moving. The best urban design outcomes result from working as a team of professionals with complementary skills and strong leadership.
A totally integrated urban design team will also involve non-professionals, who have their own knowledge and understanding of the development area. These can be community members and focus groups, artists and sculptors, youth groups, local police and iwi groups.
The public involvement brings a passion to a project from those affected by a development, both positively and negatively. The issues these groups raise can help develop mitigation strategies and bring perspective to the important focuses of a project.
Paramount to continuing this thinking is the involvement of all parties’ right through the project to enable the early concepts to flourish in the detailed design stage. Often the designers change from one set of consultants at the feasibility/concept stage to another for detailed design and implementation.
Though this can bring a new vibrancy to a project, it can also result in loss in continuity to the detriment of the design. The same applies to stake-holder and community involvement which needs to continue beyond the concept stage to bring the key details into a project that anchor its popularity and success for years to come.
Within Opus we cover all areas of urban design inputs, as listed above. We aim to bring a level of continuity and specialist involvement to our projects to enhance a design. We profile below two projects that have demonstrated the key ingredients that underpin a successful urban design project:
The Newmarket Rail Station upgrade is a complex project involving numerous stakeholders, a very constrained urban environment with limited access and very tight demands on budget and timing. It is anticipated that Newmarket Rail Station will become the second busiest rail node in New Zealand once fully operational. Analysis of site opportunities and constraints, including urban design assessment, were undertaken.
This led to the revision of the original Station Concept Plan. The urban designer on this project was involved from concept to the detailed design stage, which has given a continuity to the project’s overall design.
The urban designer also brought an added value to the design process, as they were able to help the client understand how the urban context impacted on their future asset. They also carried out a peer reviewing process for the team and design, to challenge the design outputs.
The multi-discipline team developed a close working relationship to successfully analyse the urban context, propose appropriate responses and provide clear direction to the client
The project involved full documentation of the building design and its immediate environment, including architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, fire and electrical engineering, plus signage, security and acoustic engineering.
Urban design, public consultation and resource management advice contributed to the successful approval by the Auckland City Fixtures Committee of the Outline Plan of Works for the station upgrade works.
Gisborne Port Redevelopment is an urban regeneration project at concept stage. The project is a partnership between Gisborne District Council and Eastland Port Company. They have worked together with the consultant team to bring a more integrated site and enjoyable place for locals and tourists to socialise and fish.
The removal of port traffic from the area has necessitated this redesign of the urban layout, to bring positive connections back to the City. These are created through the railway bridge, used for cycling and pedestrians, and also better access into the site from the State Highway for all modes of transport.
The consultant and client team undertook consultation with Ngati Oneone, all the existing building tenants and the commercial fishermen. Open public consultation is to follow. The input from these groups has resulted in several different options for parts of the site where multi-use is overlaid.
These areas involved developing an understanding of the commercial and Coast Guard operations, and balancing their requirements against those of the restaurateurs, businesses and retail units. An outcome from working with the Port Company is that the design has worked towards providing active frontage along the esplanade in anticipation of possible future development at the south end of the site.
The consultant team was made up of planners, urban designers, landscape architects and highways engineers. The proposal was developed through design workshops, where the initial design principles were established and key concepts formed.
Every member of the team contributed with design ideas and sketches, these were discussed at conference calls, as the team was dispersed. The outcome has demonstrated great team working, listening to the stakeholders and creativity through good urban design.