Reports & Resources
Explore our work from previous projects.
Search our extensive back catalogue to learn more about what works in design, including emerging trends and practice, as well as policy position papers about how to increase its use.
What makes an eco-town?
31 August 2008
This guide, produced jointly by the BioRegional Development Group and CABE, offers timely advice to the agencies involved in developing proposals for England’s eco-towns. Drawing on BioRegional’s work on building sustainable...
Ultimate Pint Glass
26 August 2008
The Ultimate Pint Glass, a resistant glass that causes less harm when smashed, is one of more than ten innovations developed as part of the Design Out Crime programme. It was created by a team from Design Bridge, Arc International...
Land in limbo
16 June 2008
Vacant urban open space is a valuable resource - but it’s often overlooked and underused. These derelict and neglected spaces, frozen between long-term uses, are wasted opportunities. Land in limbo looks at how to transform these...
Bristol Maid
30 May 2008
It’s easy access means loading patients’ cabinets with medicines, a daily task for me, now takes 15 minutes rather than two hours. Sagal Hashi, University College London Hospital The Design...
Artists & places
19 April 2008
Why do so many new developments seem unimaginative and lack the qualities people enjoy in established places created in the past? And more importantly, what can we do about it? Artists & Places provides practical advice for...
Evaluating housing proposals step by step
12 March 2008
Building for Life is the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods. This guide aims to help housing designers and developers achieve the Building for Life standard in their projects. It was commissioned and...
Company spending on design
22 January 2008
Company spending on design is our comprehensive guide to how much UK companies spend on design. The original survey was conducted by the University of Cambridge and supported by the Design Council. The report estimates that UK...
How Community Groups Can Improve Public Space
14 January 2008
This guide from the Cabe team at the Design Council is for anyone involved in a public space project for the first time. All over the country, community groups are becoming involved in improving outdoor spaces. This guide aims to...
The real value of public parks
14 January 2008
The Cabe team at the Design Council explain why traditional accounting methods are unhelpful when valuing public parks. Anyone who has visited a garden centre knows how much trees, shrubs, paving and other landscape features...
Civilised streets
8 January 2008
The Civilised streets report presents a future where our streets work for all and are no longer dominated by cars. Background A fundamental shift is under way in the way that streets are thought about and designed. For the last...
Inclusion by Design: Equality, Diversity and the Built Environment
8 January 2008
Design Council Cabe sets out its position on equality, diversity and the built environment. In this report we offer everyday examples from urban living that demonstrates how good design can help create places that work for...
Creating an open space strategy: a guide to best practice
6 January 2008
Drawing on Design Council Cabe's five-year history of support across England to those producing open space strategies, this guide clarifies the value and benefits of a strategic approach to open spaces. Developed jointly with the...