Bridging the gap between planning and architecture: a closer look at design collaboration

The two fields of Community Planning and Architecture have separately been dealing with the dilemma of suitable housing for many years; each have implemented projects and policies designed to improve conditions, some succeeded but for the most part, most failed. In today\u27s world, integration is the key to moving forward; disciplines need to work together, instead of separately, to solve our housing problems. After many failed housing projects and policies, we have learned that the problems can not be solved by one person, or even one entity. It is for these reasons; I believe the two professions of Planning and Architecture need to collaborate. Collaboration can be done in many forms, it can be a design team guided by a planning consultant, it can include a planning entity with a designer on staff, or it can be a full partnership between a planning entity and a design entity working equally together to form a collaborative team. In my research, I looked at how different entities are collaborating in order to develop urban infill housing. In the end, this research concludes with a framework for successful collaboration when designing housing projects; a framework which organizations can use to help implement collaboration within their own structure. Through intensive interviews, three organizations with experience in housing projects were studied. In order to qualify for my research the design organization must have finished a housing project in which they believe there was a level of collaboration between the field of Planning and the field of Architecture. Three participants within each organization were interviewed, a Project Manager, an Architect and a Planner. Interviews focused on dimensions of professional collaboration (D\u27Amour date). The four dimensions of collaboration evaluated include governance, shared goals, formalization, and internalization. Each of these four dimensions contributes to the level of collaboration an organization has participated in. The results of the interviews confirm findings from other professions that all dimensions are important in successful housing collaborations. The results also suggest areas of particular importance for the design fields. The paper concludes with discussion about how organizations can have collaboration structure within their area of practice