Understanding mixed use space; the good, the bad and the ugly
Among the most notable effects of higher-density urban life is the return to – and increase in – mixed-use developments. Tapping into an idea that dates back as far as the Roman Empire, mixed-use focuses on the concept of neighbourhood, combining work, commerce and leisure in a single site intended to be used throughout the day and across multiple purposes.
“As affordability becomes more difficult, responsibility to the planet grows and social value is demanded, the nexus point becomes mixed-use vertical solutions over continuing the horizontal spread,” says Caillin Howard, Managing Director of Hames Sharley. “Mixed use enables a daytime driver to be added through the workplace, education, sport and medical economies, transforming intense residential and retail developments to create activation closer to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.”
“Great mixed-use developments flip the lid on the notion of the central business district and introduce the central lifestyle district in its place,” says Alex Hall, Associate Principal at Woods Bagot. “They intentionally integrate plazas, parks and sidewalks that foster interaction among community members and visitors – interaction that wouldn’t normally be possible traditionally.
“Developers heavily curate these spaces to ensure a vibrant destination that appeals to all walks of life. In urban areas, the blending of uses creates an interesting sense of place: there are numerous places to shop, dine, work, live and gather and there is an expectation to be ‘on all the time’.”
But a successful mixed-use development isn’t simply a case of throwing together some offices, a supermarket and a gym, then standing back and waiting for the people to start using it. The balance of components needs to be far more delicate and considered.
“Bad mixed-use seems to occur consistently when the uses are designed and driven independently, with a bias of top-down rather than bottom-up,” says Caillin. “The ground plan must create special opportunity where activation naturally occurs, and not be an afterthought – the leftover opportunity from the rhythm of the towers above.
“The ground plain needs to beat like a heart, equally sending activation out to its adjacencies and equally bringing it into itself from those same adjacencies. It is selfless, not selfish.”
“What makes mixed-use appealing is that it is a catch-all sector,” Alex adds, “but one of the challenges with this approach is that if you design a space for everyone quite often it will work for no one. There is always one component driving a development as its anchor. The challenge now is to define the best mix of anchor and supporting uses given current and future market conditions.”
While the goal is a vibrant and exciting hub in which to live, work and relax, however, fusing together the relatively disparate elements of society, environment and economy is not without its problems, and can lead to less-than-perfect results.
“In uglier mixed-use developments, both the economic/financial requirements and the leasing/sales timelines are contradictory to one another,” Caillin explains. “The ability to build in the same sequence is inefficient, and the financial third-party valuations of vertical changes of use are, in some instances, heavily risk-averse and therefore naïve.
“These drivers of ‘ugly’ also drive the siloing of skills within the industry, which means most developers derive comfort in parts of the opportunity but face great risk in others. However, with ‘ugly’ always comes opportunity. Those who take on the complexity and educate themselves beyond the current realms of safety – and so work to educate the financial sector – have an opportunity to deliver highly-desired and rich outcomes.”
For Alex, one of these rich outcomes is The Ivy on Sydney’s popular George Street, which epitomises the best of mixed-use design. “It successfully creates a hidden world compactly contained within its envelope and a blueprint for mixed use development,” he says. “Comprising 12 boutique shops, 18 bars, nine restaurants, two penthouse suites, a rooftop pool, a garden atrium and one of the city’s largest ballrooms, it celebrates and adds energy to its location. The intricate hospitality ensemble seamlessly reinvigorates previously neglected pedestrian areas and presents a holistic complete experience traversing urban, architecture and detail.”
As to the future of mixed-use developments, for Alex, one thing above all is having a marked effect.
“COVID-19’s impact has quickened the pace of unique and innovative mixed-use development trends,” he says, “charting new and sometimes challenging territory in designing these spaces. But upon emerging from the darkness of the chaotic pandemic, recent developments in mixed-use should give consumers greater control in their choices, allowing them to experience live-work-play in a manner that complements their daily lives.”
Caillin agrees. “Places should not simply protect and function but rather nurture and develop those who live within them,” he says. “To achieve this, the lower activated levels need to glue together. That enables the uses above to feed and drive the economy of activation equally, extending the adjacent paths of travel and uses.
“The aim is to create a greater value than the sum of the parts.”
Written by members of the Property Council’s Mainstreets and Retail Committee