Title: A scientific approach to urban and regional design: research by design

Authors: Ina T. Klaasen

Addresses: Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract: The relation between science and urban design, with regard to content, is controversial. The main obstacles for developing urban design as a science are viewing creativity as incompatible with science and regarding every design as unique – both views incorporated in a (too) limited view of the notion |science|. A scientific approach to urban and regional design involves the dissociation of objects of design from a specific context, resulting in spatial organisation principles and theoretical models. This way one can focus on generalised essentials, and designing becomes a way of doing research: research by design.

Keywords: applicability gap; application context; linear city; practical science; regional design; research by design; spatial organisation principles; theoretical model; type; urban design.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2007.015183

Journal of Design Research, 2007 Vol.5 No.4, pp.470 - 489

Published online: 20 Sep 2007 *

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