The Poundbury Middle Farm Urban Code as an Example of New Urbanism Planning Practice

The text is devoted to the issues of the planning methodology typical to the very first projects of the early stage of New Urbanism. The indicated research problem was described on the Middle Farm urban code example which was the first phase of the construction of Poundbury, Dorchester in southern England. Its architecture is also considered as a representative example of contemporary New Classicism. Firstly, the original urban code prepared by the DPZ studio (Duany, Plater-Zyberk) was presented, then it was compared to the current set of regulations and conventional methods of planning. Finally, the effects of its application in practice were illustrated.

The methodology of planning techniques implemented in Poundbury was focused primarily on achieving a coherent and harmonious public space and clear principles of development. Typical zoning does not apply here because all buildings are in fact multi-functional. Traditional and classical architectural forms, which were achieved in Poundbury, are the result of strictly defined typology, building materials, detail and composition, but the result of ordering a particular historical style. The main principle of the code was the creative continuation of local tradition which here means Dorset county architecture.