At its worst, it's merely a fulfillment of zoning requirements. Architects and planners must find ways to weave new construction back into the old fabric of the community without letting the seams show. A formulaic and prescriptive design approach to urban master-planning is no match for the richness and patina deposited by layers of accumulated history. Successful urban master-planning depends heavily on the application of several key factors.
Buildings typically outlast their owners, their architects and even their original uses.
Ways of living and working change. Accordingly, buildings should be conceived as long-term, nondisposable projects relevant to changing circumstances and conditions. Multiple uses can evolve over the course of a building's lifetime - each one changing, growing, disappearing and reappearing. It should also address important issues such as entry, maintenance and infrastructure as well as provide for a variety of circulation patterns that encourage pedestrian linkages and connections. Plan for evolution Along with anticipating changing uses, an urban master-plan must also be designed to serve a changing constituency.