Achieving Mixed-Use

Locating a mix of uses within a neighbourhood can promote sustainability through encouraging walking to shops and facilities, providing a critical mass of customers for local businesses, creating opportunities for people to work locally, and making places for a wide range of people to participate in activities and meet each other. A mix of uses is required successful, vibrant places.

To make mixed-use work consideration must be given where uses are located. Uses requiring the most footfall should be located in places with the best connections, where they are easily accessible. They should be:

• At the junctions of movement routes
• Served by public transport
• Easy to access and pleasant to use
• Near to community facilities
• Convenient for parking

Uses should be reviewed to ensure that complementary and contrasting uses are identified and located in the most appropriate location.

Mixed-use centres can provide a heart to a new community however careful planning is required to ensure that they can be provided early to meet the needs of initial residents. Consideration should be given to subsidising rents for an initial period and designing buildings with flexible uses to grow with the development.

Employment space can be provided through a range of options including offices, commercial outlets, factories (where carefully designed) and live work space. Where a mix of uses is provided in a single building ensure buildings meet all users requirements they need effective management.