The Library Shelf

The Library Shelf is a curated list of key public documents that are valuable to urban designers but are becoming increasingly difficult to find online.

You can now browse the full list of documents and read a short description of each one, but to download them, you'll need to be a UDA member.

If you're already a member, please log in below to access the full library.

  • Centres Design Guide front page

    Centres Design Guide

    Department of Planning (2011)

    • A concise guide, specifically for the typical town and district scale centres in NSW.

    • Includes urban structure information, not just public domain ‘dressing’.

  • Good Design for Medium Density Living title page

    Good Design for Medium Density Living

    Department of Planning (2011)

    • Uses Sydney case studies to show long standing principles with project data, plans, sections and photos.

    • Good for considering more than architectural style and showing development in some context.

  • Residential Density Guide title page

    Residential Density Guide

    Landcom (approx 2010)

    • Practical guide about calculating different types of residential density.

    • Explains the use (and misuse) of density measures.

    • Explains implications of controls like parking and dwelling size on net density, and suburban land use conventions on gross density.

  • 21st Century Living by Landcom cover page

    21st Century Living

    Landcom (approx 2014)

    • Project based exploration of low to mid rise residential typologies. It contains examples of Torrens title terrace housing built using the house and land package delivery model.

    • Significant for establishing standard lot widths for greenfield subdivision for terraces.

    • Honest appraisal of lessons learned with detailed delivery insights normally not considered in architectural guides such as the extra knowledge needed in small lot housing to deal with services.

  • Recommendations for living at Superdensity

    Design for London (2007)

    • Early publication on delivering good higher density housing.

    • Time tested principles that recognise living in more intense and compact built environments involves complex design considerations across neighbourhood scale, family housing, residential amenity, project delivery and management.

    • The sequel (2015) is also available here: tps://www.pollardthomasedwards.co.uk/download/SUPERDENSITY_2015_download.pdf

  • Urban Design Compendium

    Llewelyn Davies and the English Partnership

    • Useful practice and teaching resource explaining the fundamentals of urban design across scales and the design of urban structure, connectivity, public spaces and place qualities.

  • The Value of Public Space

    Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)

    • How high quality parks and public spaces create economic, social and environmental value.

    • A reminder in a time where housing is an intense focus that the public spaces of our cities are critical to our personal physical and mental wellbeing, our collective public life and a more resilient future for all.