community , reflecting the community ’ s inputs and aspirations , and building on inherent but perhaps underappreciated strengths to make places more relevant , useable , meaningful , 8 and economically successful .
Jan Gehl considers the success of a public space on how well it meets the criteria of Maslow ’ s hierarchy of human needs . From this perspective , successful places must first meet sufficient standards of protection ( safety and security , including from the climate ), then comfort ( including connectivity , ability to see , walkability , ease of interaction , ability to remain in the space comfortably , and to take part in activity and functions ), and finally , enjoyment ( the space is at a human scale , had a sense of identity , and appeals to the senses ). 9
Some trips are mandatory and locations with key anchor institutions , such as hospitals , and courts , have traditionally not depended on their ability to attract people for their economic potential . However , for those trips and services that are discretionary , including most retail and hospitality , the ability to attract and compete for people to spend time there is impacted by the quality of the public realm .
Placemaking activities can range from broader-scale planning and design policies to more concrete , on-the-ground actions . Broader examples include precinct planning , public space design , public realm improvement projects , urban greening initiatives , integrated design of transport hubs , and place activation strategies .
The bigger picture depends on coordinating smaller , individual elements . Smaller-scale place making interventions , sometimes referred to as ‘ tactical urbanism ’, can include pop-up parks , cycle lanes , pedestrianised areas , or temporary and / or unorthodox uses of buildings and spaces , often inspired by creative industries . The popular refrain is “ lighter , quicker , cheaper ”, allowing solutions to be tested and easily reconfigured . 10 COVID-19 saw cities worldwide embracing the lighter , quicker , cheaper ethos , rapidly rolling out temporary bike lanes , 11 parklets 12 , and outdoor dining areas 13 , with successful projects becoming permanent .
There are a multitude of benefits generated by placemaking , but it is important to note that their relationships are reciprocal , with each benefit supporting and enhancing the others , and each individual action providing benefits that spill over into many other areas . In the same way , each benefit has a range of implications for a diverse range of people . For example , adding more greenery has environmental benefits ( such as cleaner air and increased biodiversity ), personal health benefits from improvements to mental health and anxiety , and has even been shown to lower crime . From the perspective of economic development , it also attracts more people who spend more time in a place , increases productivity , raises property values , and attracts businesses . Similarly , increasing the capacity for walking or cycling has demonstrable health benefits for individuals and society , but also reduces collisions for all road users , can reduce congestion , increases social capital , has significant environmental benefits , reduces infrastructure expenditure , and improves business revenue and property values .
In urban centres , there is a wealth of studies that have demonstrated that business revenue increases after improvements to the street are carried out and , consequently , businesses prefer to be in areas that support walkability and green , high amenity public spaces .
PLACEMAKING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Placemaking is centred around the idea that the place ’ s success depends on its generation from within an invested community rather than being colonised by external interests . The interweaving of local interests that benefit the wider community has parallels to economic development and community wealthbuilding efforts insofar as sustainable economic development is dependent on a network of interrelated factors that support and enable the exchange of goods and services ( and ideas and community ), without which this exchange would suffer . Placemaking is a practice that economic development professionals can benefit from engaging with . The following paragraphs provide evidence of effective outcomes from successful placemaking initiatives .
In urban centres , there is a wealth of studies that have demonstrated that business revenue increases after improvements to the street are carried out and , consequently , businesses prefer to be in areas that support walkability and green , high amenity public spaces . 14 For example , various studies into the connection between improved public realm and economic benefits have shown that :
• Public realm improvements increase business up to 30 per cent or more15
• Retail vacancies decreased by up to 22 per cent 16
• People who walk spend up to 40 per cent more than drivers 17
• Walking and cycling projects have up to a 13:1 benefit to cost ratio 18
This is attributed to factors such as an increase in ‘ footfall ’, and studies from London and New York City to Dublin , Portland , and Melbourne repeatedly reveal that pedestrians and cyclists spend more overall than drivers ( by up to 30 per cent ) 19 with retail revenue increasing after walking , cycling and public realm improvements are made . 20
Studies in Germany and the UK reported commercial benefits from 20 to 40 per cent , with footfall increasing by a third and retail turnover increasing by up to a quarter . 21 Office rental values rose by 5 per cent over controlled areas , and retail rental values rose 7.5 per cent in improved locations while vacancy rates dropped by 17 per cent . 22
New York City ’ s Department of Transport carried out a comprehensive study on the impacts of interventions to create more sustainable streets and found that this consistently resulted in businesses experiencing an uplift in revenue . 23 Summarised in Table 1 below , sales revenue from seven different study sites were analysed , with a year of data prior to the street improvement and up to three years after , comparing the sites to the entire borough and multiple individual comparison sites . The results show drastic improvements over the performance of the borough as a whole , and with few exceptions , outperformed the comparison sites as well .
VOL 15 NO 3 2022 18 www . edaustralia . com . au