Urban Design - foreboding term in a rural context?

Urban design -a foreboding term in a rural context?  

Even when on the face of it, the project is small scale or in a rural location the process of urban design has a role. Take an ongoing project in the heart of Lympstone, a village of 1800 people on the Exe estuary: I have been working with the landowners, architects and developers to conceive something more than just a group of houses in a prime spot. This small housing scheme has a disproportionally large strategic influence on the whole village, centrally located and opposite the grade 1 listed church, the site also contributes significantly to the landscape character of the village.

Taking a contextual approach (assessing the character and pattern of the whole village) has resulted in an integrated design and has placed the community at the heart of the planning and design process. Creating publicly accessible streets and spaces has provided something of long-lasting value for the village, creating a safe, attractive and accessible place for people to meet. Discovering identity, using the process of urban design, to help make places better is central to all the work I do, whether it’s for communities, local authorities and public bodies or private clients, there is always a wider perspective to be had - urban or rural, large or small scale.