Understanding and balancing mixed-use schemes: The key to creating successful communities

Abstract

The right balance of uses within a scheme may make a mixed-use scheme successful and financially viable in its own right, but it is necessary to ensure that these types of development genuinely contribute to the sustainability of an area, and that they relate to their immediate setting and assist in the regeneration of the surrounding vicinity. This paper will investigate how these types of scheme can and should be integrated into the street scene without creating monolithic developments that cannot be broken down into varieties of scale and form. It will consider the term 'mixed use' and dispel its simplistic definition. Mixed use can equally be a combination of single-sector uses and work just as effectively, as long as the wider picture is appreciated. These developments need to become more outward looking and create a sense of place. With finite space available the paper will also look at how existing developments, particularly traditional shopping centres, can be augmented and improved and how businesses themselves can assist in the regeneration process to benefit both themselves and the local population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]