Urban Design: Ornament and Decoration

The aim of this book is to examine the purpose of decoration when used to embellish the city. It does not set out to advance the cause of ornate city architecture nor does it provide a manual of good decorative design. It is simply one starting point for a rational discussion about the nature of, or the need for, ornament and decoration in urban design. 

For this purpose the authors attempted to find out where and why decoration was used in the built environment. Decorative treatments were classified in terms of form and function, an essential step in any teaching or learning process. Many local authorities are preparing design briefs and design guidance notes. These documents may have something to say about materials, colours and details to be used in some parts of the city. It would be preferable for these documents to be prepared and administered by those with an understanding of the principles involved in the art of decorating the city and the flexibility of outlook which appreciates an innovative mind that challenges those principles. Such a flexible mind is more likely to result from a broad education in the principles of urban design, the fundamental aim of this and the other books in this urban design series