Urban designers use a street-to-building height ratio ro express different types of enclosure. A one to one ratio means the street is as wide as the buildings are tall.A common ratio is one to three, where the street is three-times as wide as the height of the typical buildings along ir

BUILDING setbacks:Set-backs of two or three metres can work well as areas for shops and cafes to have seating or for houses to have a buffer to the pavement and to store bikes and bins. Smaller set-backs of around half a metre rarely work as the space is too small to use successfully. These smaller dead spaces often become places for litter ro garher.

ACTIVITY FRONTAGE:By contrast, a street with lots of windows and doors opening onto it, will encourage street life, feel safe and draw attention to the activity within. This is called an active frontage' and adds interest and vitality to a place.

PLINTHA very useful way of solving a number of issues is to step up to a buildings ground floor level. A step up of half a metre raises the window sills of the building above eye level and promotes a feeling of being overlooked, making a place feel safer

SIGNBoardsOur towns and cities can be overwhelmed by clutter traffic lights, endless signs, railings and benches in rhe wrong place. The reason behind much of this clutter is the motor vehicle, which has been allowed to determine how our towns look and feel, in the name of safety and rrafric flow