Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment

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Design Control and Regulation
Punter, John. 1999. Design Guidelines in American Cities: A Review of Design
Policies and Guidance in Five West Coast Cities. Town Planning Review
Special Studies 2. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.
This book provides an overview of urban planning policies and design initiatives
in five cities located along the west coast of the United States: Seattle;
Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; Irvine, California; and San Diego. The chapters
on Portland, San Francisco, and San Diego include analyses of guidelines
used to regulate the design of new buildings in historic environments. For
Portland (chapter 3), the history of preservation activities since 1988, when general
historic development guidelines were prepared, are summarized. In addition,
this chapter presents the decision-making process defined by those
regulations. The Albina Community Plan (adopted in 1993, with full implementation
expected by 2015) is presented as a case study illustrating the historic
preservation aspect of urban planning in Portland. San Francisco, the first
American city to develop citywide urban design policies, is the subject of chapter
4. Various city policies are presented, including the 1972 Master Plan, which
introduced the first limitations on new building design; the 1985 Downtown
Plan, which was prepared to manage downtown office development; and specific
neighborhood guidelines for residential areas and historic commercial districts,
such as the Union Street Design Guidelines. Detailed information is
provided on the 1985 Downtown Plan’s objectives and design policies, impact
assessments, performance guidelines for open spaces, and application of transferred
development rights (TDR). Chapter 6, on San Diego, explains the design
content of the city’s General Plan (first adopted in 1978 and later updated in
1989) and Community Plans for 40 of its 58 communities (at the time of the
book’s publication). The General Plan, prepared to manage urban growth, gives
consideration to conservation of the city’s landscape and natural features.
Punter notes that community participation in the development of Community
Plans is quite remarkable. Among five community plans presented, the Old
Town San Diego Community Plan and the Golden Hill Community Plan address
new design in historic environments. Sample pages of many of the guidelines
discussed are reproduced in the book. (M.D., S.L.)
Scheer, Brenda Case, and Wolfgang F. E. Preiser, eds. 1994. Design Review:
Challenging Urban Aesthetic Control. New York: Chapman & Hall.
This book is a result of the International Symposium on Design Review, which
took place in Cincinnati in October 1992. Each chapter corresponds to a paper
presented at this symposium; together, they reflect different professional backgrounds
and positions regarding the effectiveness of design control instruments
in promoting high-quality design. Additionally, these papers reflect experiences
from various international localities. Several authors analyze the relationship
between design control and preservation of historic sites. The book discusses
the advantages and challenges of implementing some degree of design control,
such as guidelines and design review boards. (A.P.A.G.)
Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment: An Annotated Bibliography - Getty Conservation Institute - 2015