Long wrote:
A "masterplan" generally does not include design of the actual buildings
It is just a guide that says what types of buildings and other spaces should occur in what locations
It is then up to the owner to decide how that masterplan is implemented, if they want to hand off the happen.
Long is generally right, although in practice what we see in KC is that most "master plans" are not nearly specific enough. I would call most of them diagrams, as they tend to be vaguely land use based, and rely on discretionary design guidelines to implement the developments.
A true master plan actually does design all of the elements of a place, including the public realm (streets, sidewalks, landscaping) as well as each individual lot of a development. Depending on the size, it can in fact design many of the buildings, though would very rarely design all of them. It certainly should show multiple 3 dimensional drawings indicating "character" of a place, if not designing the actual architecture. Most importantly, a true master plan has corresponding legal documents, that control the development, i.e. a code. Too much of the time in KC we have "master plans" that change none of the underlying legal structure, and are essentially meaningless as a result. The code and adopted plan are the true tools, as well as an implementation mechanism (town architect or planner, for example). The code should identify specific lots and building types, with very specific rules on the urban design. If a master plan doesn't have these elements, it is only a "vision plan".
Regarding one developer or many, there are good and bad examples of each. With a good code and design, implementation by many can happen effectively and quickly. But the lot purchasers/builders need specific rules to guide them, or it will falter for lack of cohesion, fairness and expediency. In general KC has had bad experiences with development by a single hand, but it certainly can be done well - it would be dishonest to say otherwise. However, it requires a unique team that is truly dedicated to urbanism and attention to detail, who will resist the urge to simply stamp out one "product" over an entire area. We're working with one such client now in St. Louis, and the ability of the large entity is impressive and the result is quite good. However, experience shows that this is very rare.
..... perhaps a bad example of a non sequitur in this case ...... how about Beachside Village instead.
