Better quality built environments: design review panels as applied in Cambridge, England

Abstract

This paper describes how design review panels operate in England, focusing on three panels operating in Cambridge. It considers two questions: whether design review panels contribute to improving the quality of the built environment, and whether they are an important element of the design process. The analysis focuses on the quality and process of urban design, based on face-to-face qualitative interviews with planners, developers and panel members. In conclusion, despite the several shortcomings, the paper argues that the panels contribute to better dialogue between the different actors of the process, and hence can improve the quality of built environments.