22375H urban design MASTER:22375H urban design MASTER 2 appreciating the context 01/08/2007 10:23 Page 30 2.5 feasibility The feasibility of a project, both in economic and practical terms, requires an assessment of: • community need; • market supply and demand; • funding sources; • site capacity; • land ownership, assembly and tenure; • integration with surrounding context; • construction costs; • engineering constraints; • local planning policy context. The proposals will need to relate to their location and context, and will vary with the type of project, whether infill, brownfield, urban extension or regeneration. Appropriateness is the key; a highly urban solution will not be appropriate on a suburban edge-of-town site, and vice versa. Urban design studies for the Greenwich Peninsula have had to address a wide range of engineering constraints An early assessment of the factors likely to affect a project’s feasibility will form the basis for preliminary designs and testing. These will then require continual iteration and re-evaluation. Table 2.5 provides an inventory of considerations for undertaking an economic appraisal and feasibility review. Sketches such as this can help evaluate urban capacity potential Table 2.5 Feasibility appraisal inventory Subject area Considerations Market • Existing feasibility studies • Ownership and tenure • Current development pressures • Supply and demand (in relation to competition, socio-economic profile, regional context etc.) • Cost • Funding sources (public/private/partnership) • Grant regimes Engineering • Existing services and utilities • Existing obstructions (such as foundations and basements) • Major constraints (such as culverts or gas mains) • Ground conditions (such as contamination and subsidence) • Geology • Archeological investigation • Drainage • Man-made structures (such as bridges / roads) • Requirements of other bodies (such as utilities) 30 urban design compendium
