HPP about the transformation of city centres
General news
In the cities, and not only in the G5, there has been an absolute deforestation. Before the corona crisis, every empty space in the streets was filled with bars and restaurants. Now that temporary catering has disappeared and more retail is disappearing, gaps mark the street scene. Practically every city and village in the Netherlands has this problem… How are we going to structurally bring the inner cities back to life?
Jeroen Lokerse (Head of Cushman & Wakefield) stressed the importance of protecting the unique design of the Dutch cities. In many other countries, retail has been removed from the inner city, including living and working. An irreversible change…
According to Jeroen, the problems in retail are not due to corona. On the contrary, 2020 was the year with the highest turnover. However, purchases are now taking place mainly online and this trend is expected to continue. He fears the still hidden vacancy of stores in fashion and shoes.
To tackle the problems structurally, the city centre function must be restored. He advocates cooperation between banks, municipalities and all other relevant parties to bring living and working back to the centre. In this way, we can protect our unique urban design and keep everything within a pleasant walking and cycling distance.
Huib Boissevain (Owner Annexum) also confirmed this time as a golden opportunity for transformation. He outlined the problem that vacancy is not only spread throughout the city, but also has many owners. His suggestion is to bring all vacant properties together and transform them into housing. Municipalities and banks should take a leading role in this.
He also argues for more offices in the shopping street. Especially now that working from home seems to be a permanent change, it is ideal for self-employed people to have a (shared) workplace around the corner. Bringing the manufacturing industry back into the inner cities would also create more excitement.
To achieve these changes a new zoning plan is required. Not assigning a property to a specific use, but creating more freedom by only saying what is not allowed.
The general conclusion of the meeting is that the vacancy rate for stores is a long-term trend and that we should revitalize the inner cities with a mix of working, living and manufacturing. The role of government is leading in this.