Governance Arrangements in Commercial City Districts. Some thoughts from the UK

Transcription

1 Governance Arrangements in Commercial City Districts Some thoughts from the UK

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3 The UK Placemaking and Place Management Journey Street associations - Networking; social; lobbying - Objecting City centre management groups - Council/business partnerships - City centre strategies & projects

4 City centre managers - Executive function - Champion/leadership - Budgets & seniority issues Incorporated partnership bodies - Not for profit/limited by guarantee - Powerful business-led boards - Driving the agenda

5 Weaknesses of that approach Sources of finance - Voluntary giving and low-level commercial activity - Turf wars - Freeloading - Difficult financial planning - Points of influence Seniority of executive resource - Too low - Insufficient gravitas

6 New models and approaches Business Improvement Districts - Legal organisations - Founded on democratic vote - Compulsory financial levy on business - Formal business plans years terms Weaknesses with application - Wrong priorities - Inflexible - Short termism - Bureaucratic BIDs consolidation

7 Some examples of practice [a personal perspective] Dundee Strategic placemaking and place management, followed by - that box is ticked - Only local promotion and security activities retained - Relative decline; growing strength of competitors - Failed BID ballot Strong council: weak business group

8 Some examples of practice [a personal perspective] Edinburgh Strategic placemaking and place management, followed by - Patchwork of BIDs - Focus on very local issues - Inadequate strategic overview and coordination by the BIDs and its business community - Growing consolidation/coordination of city BIDs Local groups/local thinking/local issues. Moving to greater strategic coordination

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14 princes street regeneration concept String of Pearls Creation of a specific identity and character to each of the city blocks to form a varied shopping experience along the length of Princes Street and Rose Street. Link together these identities using the linear pedestrian route of Rose Street. Accommodate service access into the proposed retail developments off the perpendicular North South routes. Retain the bus route to the National Galleries as a tourist drop off point. Use established landmark buildings in conjunction with St Andrews Square and Charlotte Square to form anchor points to the East and West of the pedestrian string. Pedestrianize the West side of Princes Street allowing the gardens to push up to the pavement edge and create an appropriate environment for viewing the Castle, changing the characteristic of the shopping area and improving the connectivity of the different shopping experiences. Waverley Square Waverley Station Key High nodal activity Document Issued Client For Edinburgh City Centre Management Company Architect Broadway Maylan abc

15 princes street regeneration site 5 - comparative information Circa Circa 1800 Circa 2000 Existing Elevation New 2004 Proposal Document Issued Client For Edinburgh City Centre Management Company Architect Broadway Maylan abc

16 princes street regeneration site 5 - section Document Issued Client For Edinburgh City Centre Management Company Architect Broadway Maylan

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18 Some examples of practice [a personal perspective] Manchester Strategic place management - Strategic place management across sectors - Retail BID - Managed branded quarters - Poor placemaking overview Powerful council: controlling the agenda

19 19 Major Store Organisation

20 Heart of Manchester BID The BID has four main areas of focus 1. Launching major new events in the city centre to attract footfall 2. Launching a city centre hosting scheme to improve the customer experience 3. Developing a stream of activity to boost midweek and evening trade 4. Delivering promotional campaigns and partnerships to attract more affluent shoppers. These will increase the attractiveness of the city centre to potential shoppers and visitors, entice new shoppers, increase repeat visits and provide a direct return on investment.

21 Some examples of practice [a personal perspective] Leeds A new BID with a strategic outlook in terms of scale, but limited in range

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23 UK BID Results Over 200 BIDs 94% of UK BIDS renewed at ballot 55,000 UK businesses investing 155 million annually injected into local economies Heart of London BID 75% of all businesses voted 92% in favour of another 5 years

24 Reflections [based on 28 years of practice] It s the economy, stupid Core aspects of creating the conditions for individual businesses and the CBD to prosper: - Place mending - Place making - Place management Presentation (clean; tidy; vitality; safe; friendly; welcoming; customer focused; etc) Marketing and promotion (increasingly by social media; events; festivals; etc) Accessibility (getting people there; making it easy to move around; information; legibility; etc) Big data (knowing and growing your customers; how the city works; what your competitors are doing; etc) Evening and night time economy People places

25 Reflections [based on 28 years of practice] Core requirements of effective governance models - Clear purpose and objectives - Strong partnership & mutual respect - Democratic foundations/participatory - Adequate resources - Sound and fair finances - Strong, respected and effective leadership - Stability - Scale - Rapid delivery

26 Scale Option 1: network of precincts and mainstreets Each promoting and managing their own place. Why compete with each other when the real competition is: - Out of town malls - Other state capitals - Internet - Suburban mainstreets

27 Scale Option 2: CBD level A strategic partnership company delivering a strategic placemaking and place management plan. Building the CBD of the State Capital as a nationally competitive destination. A destination that is greater than the sum of its parts.

28 Scale Option 3: Layered approach LEVEL 1: A strategic partnership company leading and coordinating the delivery of a placemaking and place management plan. LEVEL 2: Subsidiary partnerships at precinct/mainstreet level focusing on localised place management. TOGETHER: Building the CBD of the State Capital as a nationally competitive destination though coordinated action to create pride in place at the city and local levels.

29 Competitive Places The Information Age Easy to gather information about how others do it Easy for the competitors to see your published plans First Mover Advantage? In a competitive market, partnerships that have delayed have missed the opportunity to be innovative Evolution vs revolution P l a n n i n g & retailing

30 A Concluding Thought Adelaide Market District has the potential to be one of the world s best and most renowned urban food quarters. If the current plans for the Market District are realised, it will be a great place to shop, live, work, visit and invest. You have an inspirational plan. In a competitive environment, choose your governance and funding models quickly and wisely. If you don t make the move, someone else will.

31 It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin