UKREiiF 2024: Supporting sustainability and net zero in urban centres

It is no secret that investment in retail and commercial spaces remains in high demand, particularly as so many are struggling to remain commercially viable and are facing difficult choices about their property portfolios. This becomes a vicious cycle as more vacant buildings crop up and areas become less attractive to businesses and developers.

Reversing these symptoms - or perhaps breaking that cycle - could certainly be encouraged through a focus on a net zero mindset, but it’s important for the sector to not become blinkered by carbon reduction methods and technology. This isn’t always feasible for many projects and areas, particularly those with listed status for example, and even in terms of material reuse, resources are limited.

Sustainability is and must be about so much more than just carbon; it’s about community, people, a circular economy, a combination of builds and natural environment, and employing different elements of being, working and living. We must look at providing spaces that people truly desire, while serving a purpose and delivering longevity.

The UK government recently announced that ten local authority areas are to receive a share of £5m in funding to revitalise high streets. It will allow residents and community organisations to work with local councils to plant new trees, green walls and green pocket spaces, as well as improve public parks adjacent to high streets. In addition, local authorities will have new powers to tackle empty units in their town centres. Permission will be given to hold auctions with no reserve price on rented units that have been empty for at least a year. Policies like this are promising to see and show the importance of both investment and engagement to making improvements.

Comfort over convenience

A topic that often comes into conversation around levelling up and enhancing the retail model is the 15-minute city concept. While based on historical ideas of walkability, it gained prominence during the pandemic and was used as a framework to “build back better” in its wake.

While there are many interesting and worthwhile aspirations of the policy, it is not without its challenges, especially when we think about supply chain dynamics. For certain businesses, it can be extremely beneficial – co-working spaces for example. But this isn’t the case for all. While nurseries and higher education seem to fit into the concept, primary and secondary schools perhaps are less of a focus.

For these reasons and others, 15-minute cities are being contested slightly more now. There is an argument that people and communities don’t necessarily want to be rallied into spaces by some deliberate design. It can be an uncomfortable setting and actually cause more harm than good. I think we are gradually learning that public perception is powerful, and it is this that should be the focus of city centre design, building steadily rather than trying to force a concept overnight.

Understanding social value is also much more prominent now to ensure the needs and wants of communities are being met by developers, designers and the industry as a whole. Investing time and money into this could certainly be a better option in making a difference to how people choose to live, work and socialise.

Reinventing the past

Re-using or redesignating buildings has also been a topic spurred on by the pandemic, as the purpose of offices, retail and other larger commercial spaces came into question. There is a sense this has begun to drop away slightly, but there will always be a case for redevelopment in line with net zero.

One of the issues is the resources needed to change a building’s use from one to another. While successfully done for some department stores becoming student residential blocks, it is certainly not happening everywhere, and even when it is, there are critics that would deem the re-developments aren’t always a success.

When we look back at history and perhaps at the heyday of the high street, possibly Victorian and into the last century, it’s clear that redevelopment is not a new idea. There was a stronger move towards multiple occupancy units, with retail, light manufacturing, makers, sellers and dwellings all in one area.

It does, however, take some imagination and a bit of bravery to set a new precedent like this, and analysis of how that would look today. For example, the modern equivalent of traditional makers may be more akin to today’s creative industries within media or IT. There is building stock available that could easily lend itself to this, and this smaller output commercial activity could sit comfortably alongside residential and retail in a hark back to times gone by.

Achieving this relies on mobilisation of collaboration; it’s very difficult to do this as a standalone act and requires central and local government, community and other stakeholders coming together, and working through the various challenges together.

Green growth

Looking ahead and assessing the current trends for sustainable cities, there has certainly been an appetite for natural environment-led principles and biophilic design. This includes parks, eco networks and greenways integrated into community projects, aiding health and wellbeing efforts.

A prime example of this is Nottingham’s Broad Marsh project ‘the green heart’, which we have played an active role in bringing to fruition over the past few years.

The council describes the new spaces as "just the start of the green transformation and... will enhance biodiversity by creating green, natural habitats and food for wildlife.”

Aligning these green values with the community aspect of sustainability will be essential, ensuring holistic approaches are used to revitalise the heartbeat of the high street that has been struggling for some time. But it is refreshing to see small changes implemented at the Broad Marsh project that have helped to transform the area while the larger work is still underway, and it certainly shows promise for Nottingham and other cities that retail and zero can be balanced.

Stuart Hills will be hosting a panel at UKREiiF, discussing further the design considerations that must be balanced in revitalising our city centres. For more information, please read our show preview.