An assessment of the roles and relationships of the area or site to its strategic context, together with an appreciation of the individual characteristics of form and the way a place is used, will lay the foundations for a unique design response. The key components are: 1, regional identity; 2, linkages to surroundings; 3, local character; 4, morphology; 5, natural features, and 6, socio-economic profile.
See the table below for a more detailed project appraisal inventory.
Source:https://webapps.stoke.gov.uk/uploadedfiles/Urban%20design%20Compendium%201.pdf(P28)