DEVELOPMENT & PLACE

WELCOME O ur urban places are the powerhouses of the UK economy. So, it is perhaps unsurprising that views on how best to maintain and regenerate these valuable spaces are diverse and many. The debate is focused most sharply on our shopping environments in the areas most visible to, and frequented by, a sizeable proportion of the UK population. Here, the issue has moved steadily away from a singular focus on retail mix towards how many uses can work together for mutual benefit. Growing recognition that the physical lines which once rigidly separated the functions of living, working and shopping are becoming increasingly blurred, is now accompanied by uncertainty about how best to respond to these shifts. How well urban locations adjust to the changes already and irreversibly underway will be defined partly by how they respond to that most fundamental of human drivers: the desire and/or need to be in a certain place. In the following pages we identify key regenerative components from cultural strategies to next-generation urban living. And we present useful learnings from those operating in both public and private spheres. The overriding message from our contributors is clear: there is no simple off-the-shelf answer. But, for those charged with curating urban places across the length and breadth of the UK, all of which will need to adapt to an increasingly challenging and competitive economic environment, they suggest some of the right questions. JOHN PERCY HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT & PLACE, UK 03 DEVELOPMENT & PLACE

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