There are six key “pillars” that are critical to ensuring the UK’s towns, cities and retail destinations remain relevant for their communities, according to a new report produced by CACI and P-THREE.
The ‘Six pillars of success: building resilient places’ report examined what places typically provide and what consumers actually want and need, and found there was a disconnect.
The report identified six pillars to help retail-led destinations to evolve and thrive in the future: right-sizing retail; offering unique offline experiences; providing “community spaces to love”; supporting social cohesion through better residential design; “working near home”; and creating great places.
Tolga Necar, principal consultant at CACI, said: “Property only has value and purpose when it relates to people, and these six pillars identify everything a place needs to serve its community effectively. Breaking the ‘clone town’ mould requires a bespoke approach and balance is key. Plenty of places, new and old, are doing this effectively, so the ones highlighted in this report serve as a great roadmap for the UK as a whole.”
Justin Taylor, co-founder of P-THREE, added: “Many of the projects we work on arise from the need to unravel the oversupply of underperforming retail space in towns, cities and centres that have lost their identity, purpose, and connection with their communities. Resilience is within our grasp, but we must be thinking beyond the traditional commercial drivers to create balanced communities that will thrive for the long-term.”
