Design communication and aesthetic control: Architects, planners, and design review

Design review represents mt increasingly important regulatory mechanism tha t purports to provide a forum for public discussion and control over the ae sthetic quality of the built environment It also can be viewed as an import ant means for design professionals to communicate about their pi-ejects wit h others interested in the development of the built environment this paper explores issues related to the communicative character of design review wit hin a context of professional architectural and planning practice. It relie s, in part, on survey data gathered in Massachusetts and Oregon to demonstr ate the extent and variety of professional opinions and experiences regardi ng design review. Survey results als used to explore the argument that aest hetic control is too readily separated from the stated concern of providing a community voice in the design of the built environment. Design review ca n have more to do with maintaining social and cultural hegemony than with d iscussing the aesthetic mel-it of a proposed development project. Satisfyin g legal requirements for clear and objective review standards is not suffic ient to insure that meaningful and inclusive dialogue about a design propos al takes place. Design review can provide a useful forum and means to shape the quality of the built environment. Its success, however requires the de velopment of a deeper understanding of the social, communicative character of architectural and urban design, and a fuller appreciation of prescisely who is represented by the review process in a diverse social and cultural e nvironment.