[en] The luminosity requirements for future high-energy linear colliders calls for very low emittances in the two beams. These low emittances can be achieved with damping rings, but, in order to reach the design goal of a factor 10 improvement over present day machines, great care must be taken in their design. This paper emphasizes the need to address simultaneously all of the factors which limit the operational emittance in the ring. Particularly since in standard designs there is a conflict between different design parameters which makes it difficult to extrapolate such designs to very low emittances. The approach chosen here is to resolve such conflicts by separating their design solutions. Wigglers are used predominantly in zero-dispersion regions to achieve the desired damping rate, whereas in the arcs high dispersion insertions are made in regions of zero curvature to allow for easier chromaticity control