The transformation of Durham city centre from congested streets to a haven for pedestrians is praised in a new book on the most successfully designed places in Britain.

The Good Place Guide describes over 120 areas that people are likely to enjoy using or visiting throughout Britain, including several in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The guide focuses on places which have been created or significantly changed over the last 50 years, from well known tourist destinations such as Newcastle's Quayside to lesser known areas such as St Peter's Riverside in Sunderland.

The book was compiled by John Billingham, who edits Urban Design Quarterly and Richard Cole who was director of architecture and planning at the Commission for the New Towns. They said the areas they had picked were all good examples of places that are well designed and a pleasure to use or visit.

Nominating historic Durham City the authors write: "Durham's centre changed over five years from a dangerous, highly congested and environmentally decadent area to one where, on the peninsula and its bridges and the new shopping centre, it is a delight to walk, shop and admire a townscape of distinction."

Grainger Street in Newcastle, which runs from the city's train station to Grey's Monument, is also featured after being transformed from an area with poor maintenance of its buildings and traffic problems to a place of "immense improvement."

The early to mid-19th century architecture has been preserved, write the authors, while better pedestrian access, public art and furniture have made the area more "vibrant".

The city's Byker estate, which was awarded the Harvard University Urban Design Award in 1988, is commended for its architecture by Ralph Erskine who worked with residents on the estate.

St Peter's Riverside, next to The National Glass Centre and on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland, is singled out in the book for the "qualities of location and sense of place".

The riverside at York is also praised for making an "important contribution to the city's revitalisation" with the re-use of existing buildings such as the City Screen Cinema development created from the former Yorkshire Herald building.

Other areas to feature in the book include St Mary's Square in York which was created in 1984 as part of the Coppergate development and is described as "one of the city's finest streets."