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The Evolution of Mixed-Use Developments to Promote Experience and Connection

PAUL FIRTH

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Associate Principle CRTKL

Paul brings 30 years of unique experience designing, planning, and delivering large retail and mixed-use projects throughout the Middle East and Europe. Combining placemaking skills with retail planning knowledge is a unique aspect of his work, in parallel with a strong retail design sensitivity and an in-depth knowledge of the project delivery process. As a highly experienced architect with a background in design and management, Paul offers a unique and tested project approach with strong leadership and effective communication skills.

Mixed-use destinations are being redesigned with enhanced food and beverage options and exciting entertainment facilities to attract customers in the post-pandemic era. Single-use, destination retail is becoming less viable as traditional environments evolve to proactively respond to the modern consumer with a regained sense of purpose and identity. While mixed-use developments were previously anchored by libraries, health and childcare centres, gyms and swimming pools, later centres have placed commerciality over the community. Where previously there was a desire to make centres ‘watertight’ and retail planning became an almost anti-town centre, today experience and connection is everything.

Instead of a store anchoring a retail development, retail becomes the anchor or ‘lead’ for a mixed-use environment. Likewise, arenas, theatres or galleries have given rise to sports-led and entertainment-led mixed-use environments that may be further anchored by an office, hospital, airport, a set of privately rented homes or hotel and tennis academy. Immersive environments curated to attract, serve, and fuel their local communities first and visitors second are the future.

In many ways for the region, it is a return to the mall of 3,000 years ago and the traditional souqs that inspired them. More than somewhere to shop, these thriving places were the heart of social, artistic, athletic, spiritual and cultural expression – economic drivers that brought citizens and consumers together with local merchants and artisans. The Grove on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island is an example of a leading culturally dynamic mixed-use development designed to embrace a whole lifestyle around three worldclass museums and architectural wonders in themselves. The Grove successfully creates an authentic culture-based development that not only complements the museums but also enriches them at the same time with the signature residential and commercial community designed to enhance the value of culture by bringing it into every aspect of living, even for those that work in or just visit the destination. The Grove builds a connective fabric throughout the space, giving a cultural identity to the city and allowing residents and visitors to experience life as an art via aworld-classs public realm. A cohesive cultural fabric has been stitched together to connect the mini-city to the museums and then back to every part of the city in a truly integrated fashion. This has created a definitive cultural destination in the world, adding value to both Saadiyat Island and Abu Dhabi as a whole. Moving forward, mixed-use developments can incorporate more lifestyle concepts into the mix and place entertainment and community at the core. Even a single store with a car park can be transformed into an area that enables lasting experiences and vacant flagship retail units could be filled with electric vehicle companies to support ambitiousnetzeroo targets in the Middle East region. Many mall developers and owners have an interest in retaining some portion of the existing mall within a new mixed-use setting. From a practical point of view, they seek to hold onto the most valuable retail tenants that still drive revenue both in bricks and mortar and virtual sales environments, while reducing the overall footprint of a mall that is larger than what the current retail universe supports. While there are cases where a re-development could eventually replace an entire mall, a hybrid indoor/outdoor shopping environment provides all-weather options in a mall, where sales are strong and have the potential to be stronger, particularly in the extreme summer heat in the Middle East. The more experiences a place can offer, the more consumer traffic it can generate as it is understood that if a space is entertaining, sociable, Instagramable and varied in its offering from season to season, it will encourage footfall, boost dwell time and, most importantly, inspire return visits. The aim should be to create a fluid mix of flexible, programmable spaces that cohesively provide moments to gather, celebrate, heal, eat, restore, work, convene, live, make and buy. Exactly what this looks like should vary based on the needs of the people the development seeks to serve and what already exists within the community – they should inform the brief and help decide what is the best fit. Over the coming years, mixed-use developments can harness the pent-up demand for in-person gatherings and stimulate culture in dynamic communities. Eclectic mixeduse developments will attract the modern consumer through connection with immersive environments utilised for exciting entertainment and leisure opportunities.

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