Narrative is about storytelling.
Narrative is the weave between activity and context. The need for narrative is not limited by size: the design for the workings of a gate latch could benefit from narrative as could the master plan for a new town. While narrative is commonly viewed primarily as the means for facilitating presentation, it is actually essential for the framing of ideas: the guiding of aesthetics with activity and context are its subtle agendas. Monitoring the workability and aesthetics of a project, narrative serves to organize project elements and guides the character of the development.
At a small scale, narrative makes for holistic design.
On a large scale, the outcome and resultant public identity of developments are in fact dependent on the appropriate and considered responses which a development narrative provides.
Generally speaking, good narratives result in successful projects and developments. Critically considered, narratives bring about specific character and differentiation to the work they describe, that uniqueness so very sought after in these times of homogeny.