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Building Blocks
By
Anthony Breach
,
Rebecca McDonald
| 26 June 2018
Building Blocks
By
Anthony Breach
,
Rebecca McDonald
| 26 June 2018
Select Chapter
Executive Summary
Introduction
How does the supply of commercial property vary across cities?
Box Figure 1: Composition of commercial floor space in city centres and suburbs, 2017
Box Figure 2: Composition of commercial floorspace in Leicester, 2017
Box The property offers of city centres and suburbs are determined by their exporting base
Box Figure 3: The size and make-up of the exporting base in city centres and suburbs
Box Successful city centres are dominated by office space
Box Figure 4: Composition of commercial floorspace in different types of city centre, 2017
Box Figure 5: Office stock quality and quantity by city centre, 2017
Box Many weak city centres have too many shops
Box Figure 6: High street services vacancy rate for each city centre, 2017–2018
Box Figure 7: High street services vacancy rate, by type of city centre
Box Strong city centres have more diverse high street services
Box Figure 8: Supply of food and leisure space in city centres and vacancy rates of high street services, 2017 – 2018
Box Box 2: Commercial property in the city centres of Leeds and Doncaster
Box Figure 9: Composition of commercial floor space in the city centres of Leeds and Doncaster, 2017
Box There is less variation in the make-up of suburban commercial space
Box Figure 10: Composition of commercial floor space in different types of suburb, 2017
Box Office quality is better in suburbs than in city centres, even though high-skilled firms preferring suburban office space are rare
Box Figure 11: Office quality in city centres and suburbs, by type of city centre, 2018
Box Box 3: Why is some high knowledge work in the suburbs?
Box Industrial space is in decline but logistics is becoming more important
Box Figure 12: Change in total industrial and logistics floor space, by city, 2001 – 2016
Box Box 4: Commercial property in the suburbs of York and Northampton
Box Summary of findings
What are cities currently doing?
Box Many cities are taking active steps to improve their office stock
Box Case study 1: Firms choosing to move back into Bradford city centre
Box Cities are keeping up with changing demand for office space
Box Cities are using lots of small interventions to ensure there is a variety of city centre office space available
Box Case study 2: Flexible occupier criteria key to office success in Huddersfield
Box Case study 3: Using the University of Liverpool’s estate to deliver research space
Box Less is being done by cities to reduce reliance on retail
Box Case study 4: Retail scheme success difficult even in Oxford’s strong city economy
Box Cities are supporting their high-skilled suburbs and strengthening their city centres
Box Case study 5: Warrington’s high-skilled suburban business park
Box Brownfield land is being remediated
Box Cities are allocating land in suburbs for logistics space
What role should the public sector play in delivering this commercial space?
Box Policy recommendations for national government
Box Policy recommendations for city centres
Box Policy recommendations for suburbs
02
1: A typology of city centres and suburbs
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