contemporary urban environments

Town centre mixed development 

Many cities are encouraging the development of functions other than retailing to increase the attractions of the city centre. These include:

• A wider range of leisure facilities including cinemas, theatres, cafes, wine bar, restaurants and other cultural and meeting places. Where these offer services of different kinds and at varying prices and degrees of quality, a greater range of people will be attracted
• The availability of spaces, including gardens and squares or plazas, to enable people-watching and other activities 
• The promotion of street entertainment such as at Covent Garden in London
• Developing nightlife, such as clubbing. (There are negative issues associated with this, including the high level of policing that is necessary)
• Developing flagship attractions such as the At-Bristol Science Centre and M Shed Museum and gallery in Bristol 
• Constructing new offices, apartments, hotels and conference centres to raise the status of the CBD for business and encourage tourists to remain near the city centre
• Encouraging residential areas to return to city centres by providing flats, redeveloping old buildings (a form of gentrification) or building new upmarket…