Antoine Zammit, full-time lecturer within the Department of Spatial Planning and Infrastructure at the University of Malta has just been awarded a PhD with no corrections for his final thesis entitled Urban design quality through development control: the case of Malta. In their comments, both examiners had words of praise for Dr Zammit’s work describing it as “an immaculate piece of work fully serving the award of PhD".
In his thesis, Dr Zammit takes Malta as a case study and questions the role of development control in delivering urban design quality. “Authors have acknowledged the significance of this relationship, however, few studies have tried to assess both sides of the story, focusing instead on the study of either the planning process or final design outcome in isolation,” explains Dr Zammit.
“Using a new approach and a mixed methodology comprising both quantitative and qualitative research tools, I developed analytical frameworks to assess both key themes within the planning process and the quality of urban design outcome on the ground. My aim was to determine their possible relationship and provide recommendations to stimulate a rethinking of planning practice,” added Dr Zammit.
Dr Zammit’s PhD, which was partly funded by the Malta Government Scholarships Scheme, was primarily supervised by Professor Matthew Carmona, an internationally-acclaimed and best-selling author in urban design and his examiners were Professor John Punter from Cardiff University, one of the most eminent scholars in the field of urban design and Professor TanerOc, editor of the Journal of Urban Design.
In his final assessment, Professor Punter said: "The thesis is written in very clear English and is almost flawless in terms of expression of ideas and research methods and outcomes. There are virtually no typographical errors and the referencing and appendices are exemplary. The reader cannot fail to be impressed by the breadth of readings, the assimilation of key ideas and methodological niceties, and the well-structured and methodologically sophisticated enquiry."
On his part, Prof. TanerOc described the work as a very well written piece where “the methodical presentation throughout the thesis – literature survey, methodology, the research and the conclusions is exemplary. This is a praise worthy study and clear evidence of the candidate's intellectual capabilities and commitment and the thesis makes an important contribution to knowledge both in terms of our understanding of planning in Malta, the role played by the development control process in delivering urban design quality and the use of research tools to gain this understanding”.
“I wanted my PhD to be more than academic research and relevant to our profession and the phenomena we are experiencing in Malta. The intense residential development that characterised the past decades occurred at the expense of broader qualitative considerations. The Maltese planning system is currently experiencing very interesting times because now is the time to emphasise quality in our built environment. Too much is at stake and we cannot afford to repeat some past mistakes. In my view we need a culture of bottom-up participatory planning, which involves a wide spectrum of individuals and involves communities in the creation and design of quality public open space. We also need to give more attention to our streets and to the sustainable conservation and reuse of vacant dwellings,” concluded Dr Zammit.
Dr Zammit graduated in 2002 with first class honours from the University of Malta as an architect and civil engineer, and has been practising since. In 2005, he obtained a Masters with Distinction in planning and urban design from University College London, pursuing this area, professionally and academically, locally and overseas.