The Role and Value of Theory in Urban Design: Can They Truly Shape the City?

Abstract

This paper critically examines the role and value of planning theory in urban design, using the evolution of the Neighbourhood Unit and its reinterpretation within the 15-minute city model as an analytical lens. It first situates theory within two key debates: urban design as a temporal process of spatial-social change and as a form of activism. The study then explores how the Neighbourhood Unit operates within interdisciplinary frameworks, assessing its theoretical contributions and limitations in the face of socio-spatial complexity and postmodern fragmentation. Ultimately, the paper argues that theory both constructs and contests the order of urban design, marking a shift from static, prescriptive models toward dynamic, adaptive frameworks that reshape how cities are imagined, negotiated, and transformed.