MAG Principles papers
The Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) is producing a series of short documents that examines our built environment and identifies important design issues that we need to address in making our cities, towns, villages and rural communities better places to live, work and play.
About this series
How do we protect and create the best built environment? While opinions on style will vary, it is essential that we consider context in design decisions and how the resulting design contributes to our public spaces. Everyone needs to be involved in these decisions from home occupiers to developers, architects to engineers and planners to policy makers.
These documents illustrate key principles that help create public spaces that are sustainable, support social interaction, the local economy and improve individual and collective wellbeing. To do this, MAG has documented three completed projects in each Principles document which are considered successful by a broad range of design professionals. These projects are then used to illustrate practical design principles advocated by MAG.
These documents are structured around three key themes:
Sustainability: Reducing the environmental impact and carbon output when designing, building. Refurbishing, and maintaining our built environment.
Economy: Supporting wealth-generating activity that attracts investment, provides meaningful employment for everyone and makes goods accessible.
Well-being: Creating a built environment that supports human health and happiness.
Good design is not enough. Great places to live require stewardship, which means that everyone from home occupiers to property managers need to contribute positively to creating vibrant, safe, beautiful, and practical places to live. Great design should facilitate these characteristics.
MAG Principles - Inclusive Places
This particular document considers the role of inclusive places and spaces in terms of how we protect and create a quality-built environment for all. The document illustrates key principles that help create public spaces that are sustainable, support social interaction, the local economy and improve individual and collective wellbeing.
MAG Principles - Quality of Residential Space
This particular document considers the role of housing in our built environment. This document illustrates key principles that help create building and spaces that are sustainable, support the economy and improve our well-being.