Ebbsfleet Public Realm Evaluation Framework

This design tool can be used by design teams and stakeholders to collectively review and quantify the design performance of streets and public realm projects across across 9 key indicators.

Introducing the Ebbsfleet public realm evaluation framework

This new tool provides a methodology for evaluating and bench-marking the design performance of streets across a wide range of design areas, to encourage street designs that are healthy for both ourselves and nature, no matter how we choose to travel.

The tool sets provide a comprehensive evaluation framework that encourages an integrated approach to safety, functionality, biodiversity, water management, social sustainability, maintenance and stewardship, to deliver lovable and long lasting public spaces. 9 indicators have been identified which cover all the design specialists involved in the design of our streets and public realm, and allows the design and consenting teams to come together to collectively review design performance.

The framework is designed to be used in the following ways:

• Interpret the principles of the Healthy New Towns and Garden Communities programme into a comprehensive set of design objectives and associated guidance for public realm projects.

• Provide a self-evaluation tool for project design teams during the design process.

• Provide an evaluation tool for Planning Officers and the wider consenting teams within the planning process, to structure discussions during the designed audits and enable the quality of the design to be assessed.

How to use the framework

The evaluation framework is structured around the 9 public realm health check indicators and is designed to be used as a Q&A checklist.

The checklist is to be scored on a simple ‘traffic light’ system with green representing the objectives have been meet, yellow representing the objectives have been partially meet, and red representing a failure to meet the objectives.

The requirement for future public realm project should be to ;

• Secure as many ‘greens’ as possible,

• Minimise the number of ‘ambers’

• Avoid ‘reds’

A public realm scheme may not achieve all ‘greens’ for a variety of reasons, particularly as in many cases the indicators may need to be balanced against each other. This is especially the case in the design of streets as they require a balanced design approach.

When it is determined that improvement beyond a red may not be possible, the reasons should be recorded as a part of the design audit and agreed amongst all stakeholders.

Variations in Size & Scale

We believe the objectives for each of the 9 indicators are achievable within a single neighbourhood masterplan, but it is worth noting that the scale of the planning application / proposal may also affect how the submitted design scores using the evaluation framework.

For example, a planning application for a neighbourhood should be able to successfully incorporate and balance all 9 of the healthy public realm indicators ,while an application for a single street may not be able to accommodate all of the outlined objectives of the 9 indicators. In the case of small scale proposals, the design team should present the adjacent context and demonstrate where the indicator is being met in the immediate context as part of the design audit.

An integrated design approach

The evaluation framework is represented as a circular diagram of 9 healthy public realm indicators, as the ambition is to balance the complex decision making factors related to the design of the public realm. This means that no specific indicator should be prioritised to the detriment of others.

Emphasis should be placed on designs that can facilitate multiple indicators at the same time. An example of this may include the use of traffic calming build outs to add in a layer of biodiverse understorey planting or a public square that correctly positions activities to take advantage of the local environmental context.

9 Public realm health-check indicators