design
West Elm neighbourhood stores in Brooklyn, NY
Proposed ‘solutions’ to the present crisis, what’s needed in the future and how best to deal with the ‘new normal’, are voiced daily. For some it’s a leasing matter, for others, new approaches to retail planning. The list goes on... How about ‘re-imagined spaces’?
Accelerating innovation HAROLD PERKS Director Hames Sharley
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othing accelerates innovation as fast as a significant necessity. As an industry and sector, we are currently working our way through and out of a once-in-a-lifetime event and must innovate effectively for the long term. A lot of commentary has been made about how long and how deep the effective impacts of COVID-19 will be, and nobody truly knows. In the pandemic aftermath, shopping centres have a monumental task ahead to reposition and support retail to navigate this unparalleled climb out of this sharp bricks-and-mortar decline, with Victoria being the last out of the starting blocks. Arguably, suburban centres may have been afforded a headstart, compared to CBD retail, as virus restrictions forced short-term changes to our behaviour, and encouraged the general populous to stay local. Without CBD workplaces back up and running,
customers are generally absent within city centres. Industry bodies, (such as the Property Council of Australia’s Retail Committees), recognise the challenges facing CBD retail due to public apprehension to fully re-engage with public transport and, once again, move freely through tightly organised city grids.
It is quite ironic that our beautiful city grids – once celebrated for their eclectic qualities, intrigue and draw – are now subject to density and social distancing scrutiny. They are all considerations that seem to be keeping the suburban mass at bay, for now, and will likely fall away over time. There is no question that our CBDs COPYRIGHT©
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16/11/20 3:49 pm
