Mixed Use
Intricacies of the mixed use are of vital importance for our urban fabrics.
What makes them so special?
They are govern by the urban regimes yet they resolute architecturally. They are our near future most potent areas.
The benefits of mixed-use developments have been well documented, with the inclusion of multiple programs within the one design creating an opportunity for interaction that would not usually exist within a design with a single use.
The rise of mixed-use developments coincides with the desire to create cities that operate 24/7 and offer a multitude of services to the surrounding urban environment. The user benefits of a mixed-use design include: a greater variety in housing types and density, reduction in the distances between housing, workplaces and retail businesses, as well as being able to achieve a higher density while still maintaining a healthy living environment. From an economic point of view mixed-use developments are often considered to have a higher risk than single use projects due to their unpredictable timeline for payback and the increased complexity in design, planning, and construction. However, the economic benefits are also well documented, with mixed-use developments often displaying higher yields than single program developments and reduced long-term maintenance costs.
Most urban environments are projected to increase in population resulting in an increased strain on infrastructure and services. Integrated mixed-use developments provide a mix of programs and points of interest for the city and create ‘mini communities’ within the urban fabric. Well-designed mixed-use developments allow for increases in urban density that deliver amenity to residents and tenants and can provide social and civic infrastructure that serve the city as a whole. The inclusion of mixed-use developments into our cities will accommodate the shifting demographics of the city, which includes the increased desire for retirees to live close to urban centres and the prevalence of singles living in the city today.
What follows is a collection of local and international mixed-use case studies that examine their programmatic layout, land-use and density, as well as their economic value. Designed between 1970 and 2015, the projects range quite dramatically in scale and design, but are quite comparable in their capacity and programmatic density.
