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Urban Management

Mixed use precinct functions

General considerations
The view that precinct management is limited to crime, grime and greening is narrow and outdated. The success of a precinct depends on how well it is designed, how well it is managed, and the ability to continue to find ways to ensure that the precinct is a desired and favoured location. This requires an ongoing, multi-pronged collaborative approach between all stakeholders. Successful precincts ensure inclusion and full accessibility for all. Some specific considerations include:
Disabled persons
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Young people
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Women and girls
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Diversity
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The elderly
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Newly established or revitalised precincts often cause disruption. Planned mixed-use and higher density precincts offers many benefits but creates social networking, integration and capital creation challenges due to the large influx of new owners and tenants into the area. Active efforts and opportunities are required to develop social networks, systems and capital. Some of the key focus areas of urban management to improve community wellbeing and social capital include providing facilities and opportunities for healthy, active lifestyles in a safe, sharing environment, promoting and fostering community participation and creating economic opportunities, social support and care. The establishment and strengthening of social capital is not an add-on activity of urban management, it lies at the core of creating a vibrant, inclusive and well-functioning precinct.

Mixed use precinct management function framework

The following precinct management framework describes eight precinct outcomes expressed as experiences, each requiring a range of precinct management functions to generate the experience. It recognises that not all precincts are equal – the vision, development status, revenue base, funding capacity and other factors influence the potential, capacity and objectives for each precinct, requiring a maturity approach to precinct management.

Figure: High-Level Precinct Management Framework For Mixed-Use Precincts
Good access to precinct
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Clean experience
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Safe experience
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Everything works
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Smart precinct
PRECINCT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
Green precinct
Welcoming public space
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Good access within precinct
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Attractive and vibrant experience
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Community wellbeing
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Accordingly, these experiences are categorised into Level 1 (basic experience) and Level 2 (advanced functions).
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2
Experiences are basic experiences or hygiene factors. They include:
  • Good access to the precinct;
  • A clean experience;
  • Safe experience; and
  • Everything works (well-serviced).

All urban precincts, regardless of their status and location within the urban network hierarchy, should generate the full suite of Level 1 precinct experiences, though the means, technology and processes by which functions are performed will naturally depend on the resource base of the precinct and the extent to which partnerships can be forged. 		Experiences generate the enjoyable, memorable experiences that contribute to full inclusivity, urban participation, networking and an overall sense of fulfilment and belonging. Level 2 experiences include:
  • A welcoming public space;
  • Good access within the precinct;
  • Attractive and vibrant experience; and
  • Community well-being

Beyond Level 2 precinct experiences, a truly mature and progressive precinct will look to and adapt to pressing climate change risks and opportunities, and will further embrace the smart precinct concept, where the precinct is optimised in terms of its digital/built environment interface. This is a Level 3 precinct.
This mixed-use precinct management framework defines the scope of precinct management and furthermore:
  • serves as a checklist of precinct management functions and activities to be performed, for consideration in designing precinct level customer service charters, precinct-level programmes and initiatives, in developing the scope of potential city improvement district improvement plans, and for allocating precinct management responsibilities;
  • provides the basis for precinct management rating and maturity assessments by providing levels of sophistication and maturity; and
  • enables monitoring, evaluation and improvement planning.
Next level functions (level 3)
Some advanced precincts will perform not only level 1 and level 2 precinct management functions and activities, they move beyond these to become truly exemplary precincts, demonstrating climate resilience, offering a blended digitally-enhanced physical realm and other advanced features.
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Disabled persons
Similarly, special attention is required to the needs of the disabled and ensuring that there is no barriers (physical, social and other barriers) to their use of and participation in precincts. As with women and girls, it is not sufficient to consult with the disabled or even to implement good precinct management practices on their behalf, they should be actively involved in decision-making and other aspects of precinct management.
Young people
Special attention is required to ensure inclusion of young people. Amongst other concerns, there is a belief amongst many young people that the internet and social media have become “the new public spaces”, so much so that traditional, physical public space is regarded as “irrelevant” or at least “outmoded” (INU, 2013: Charter of Public Space).
Women and girls
Special attention is also required to the needs of women and girls in the use and enjoyment of precincts, infrastructure, movement networks and public space, but perhaps most critically, in matters of safety and security. Gender mainstreaming is consistently and repeatedly emphasized in current urban literature and is high on the global agenda (Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, 2004; UN Habitat, 2016 and UNOPS, 2020). Gender mainstreaming applies from initial design through to urban management.
Diversity
The general intent is to create 24/7, dense and vibrant precincts, with diverse people across age groups (and other demographic markers) actively participating and enjoying public space.
The elderly
The general intent is to create 24/7, dense and vibrant precincts, with diverse people across age groups (and other demographic markers) actively participating and enjoying public space.
Good access to precinct (level 1)
Good access to the precinct means that precinct users and residents have physical access to the precinct through a range of transport modes, but also that they have digital access to the precinct.
Figure: Precinct management: Good access to precinct functions and activities
Precinct functions Multiple, regular & reliable transport mode access to/from precinct Interaction and arrangements with tourism boards/agencies and tour operators Parking Management Online access and social media presence
Precinct activities
  • Liaison, negotiation, coordination & scheduling with public transport operators
  • Provision and allocation of drop off/pick up points
  • Inputs into metropolitan Integrated Public Transport Plan
  • Active precinct marketing and promotion
  • Register on electronic tourist advisor website
  • Communication of precinct events
  • Negotiation with tour operators to include the precinct in tour routes/destinations
  • Provision and allocation of drop off/pick up points e.g. for city tourist buses
  • Demand assessment for parking space for private vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, taxis and delivery vehicles
  • Calculation, balancing and allotment of parking allocation by type
  • Determination of parking fees and related rules
  • Provision of electric charging points (optional)
  • Dedicated precinct website
  • Establishment of social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter etc.) and active account utilisation
  • Linking with related websites to improve precinct visibility
Multiple, regular & reliable transport mode access to/from precinct
A well-designed urban network should ensure that precincts are connected into the urban structure through primary transport linkages and activity corridors. This however only enables connectedness and on its own does not ensure good access to the precinct. Those linkages and activity corridors must be activated to ensure that transport modes such as trains, busses and taxis are operated, and with sufficient frequency and reliability to ensure that precincts users and residents have continuous access to and from the precinct. This involves negotiations with public transport operators on route schedules and the timing thereof. It also requires that taxi routes exist, that transport operating licenses are issued and fully (but not overly) subscribed. Naturally, there should be demarcated drop off/pick up points for buses and minibus taxis. These points need to be decided and communicated.
Interaction and arrangements with tourism boards/agencies and tour operators
Precincts may hold tourism potential and tourism results in an inflow of cash and spending within the precinct, that in turn may result in increased economic and employment opportunities. Some precincts hold permanent tourism potential and have continuous value to offer to tourists. In other instances, the tourist potential of precincts may be event driven, such as a street festival. To ensure that precincts realise their full tourism potential, they need to communicate their potential and offerings to tourists, tourism boards, tourism agencies and tour operators. This involves marketing, promotion and communication, and registering the precinct as a tourism destination point on tourist advisor websites. It also requires precinct management to negotiation with tour operators to include the precinct in tour routes/destinations, agreeing routes through the precinct and the provision and allocation of drop off/pick up points for city tourist buses.
Parking management
An assessment of the demand for parking space must be done for precinct users not making use of public transport. This includes parking space requirements for private vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, taxis and delivery vehicles. Once demand has been determined, parking allocation by type must be allocated, appropriately balanced between the type of transport use. It is also necessary to determine parking fees and related rules, and the means and processes through which these will be enforced. In future, some precincts may also provide electric vehicle charging points and the location, costs of charging and timeslots need to be determined, implemented and managed.
Online access and social media presence
Physical accessibility is not sufficient. It should also be possible to access precincts digitally, and precincts should have dedicated websites as well as operational and active social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter etc.). Visibility and connectedness should be enhanced by linking the precinct’s website with related websites to improve precinct visibility.
Clean experience
Refuse removal, street bin cleaning and street cleansing services are most associated with clean precincts, and all of these are established municipal service functions. However, a clean precinct experience requires more than the removal of refuse.
Figure: Precinct management: Clean experience functions and activities
Precinct functions Cleansing services Solid waste management services Clean air
Precinct activities
  • Street and sidewalk sweeping and cleaning
  • Scheduled window washing of street facing buildings
  • Street bin cleaning and replacement of plastic bin liners
  • Scheduled solid waste removal (trolleys and skips)
  • Solid waste minimisation and reclamation
  • Demand assessment for parking space for private vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, taxis and delivery vehicles
  • Calculation, balancing and allotment of parking allocation by type
  • Determination of parking fees and related rules
  • Provision of electric charging points (optional)
Cleansing services
Cleansing services involve waste removal, street cleansing and sidewalk sweeping. Additionally, to create that clean experience, it also requires that street facing windows are regularly cleaned – this latter function is not a municipal service function, except of course where the municipality’s owns or operates a street facing facility in the precinct, and therefore requires agreement with precinct property owners.
Solid waste management services
Precincts are multi-use, higher density environments. Restaurants, fast food outlets and supermarkets generate high volumes of food waste on a daily basis with the potential for rodents, insects and bacteria to flourish. Precincts also generate higher volumes of foot traffic. Accordingly, precinct refuse collection and street bin cleaning should be done at frequencies higher than on a weekly basis, and this must be arranged. Responsible precinct management will ensure not only sufficient refuse removal arrangements for safety reasons, but will also promote and institute solid waste recycling regimes.
Clean air
Clean air contributes towards the overall experience of a clean experience. Air quality can be improved by planting trees and caring for them and by limiting vehicle use and movement in the precinct, through rules and the enforcement thereof. Air quality should be monitored at appropriate frequencies and results acted upon.
A safe experience
Most people assume that precinct safety refers to crime prevention and security, and this is of course critically important. But a safe experience extends beyond a crime free environment. It also includes pedestrian safety, safety in relation to the built environment and its operational and management practices and risks, as well as safety in terms of exposure to unhygienic and unhealthy factors.
Figure: Precinct management: Safe experience functions and activities
Precinct functions Security and crime prevention Health and safety Pedestrian safety Pest control
Precinct activities
  • CCTV camera monitoring
  • Regular, highly visible patrols
  • Precinct specific public use rules (e.g. alcohol consumption), communication and enforcement
  • Well-lit areas and continuous monitoring to ensure that streetlights are functioning
  • Youth programmes
  • Baseline risk assessment
  • Preparation of risk register
  • OHS plan formulation
  • OHS plan implementation
  • OHS committees
  • OHS audits, monitoring and evaluation
  • Pedestrian safety assessment
  • Formulation of rules prioritising pedestrian safety and movement (e.g. vehicular traffic restrictions)
  • Enforcement of pedestrian safety rules
  • Preventative control: proofing of building elements and refuse disposal
  • Trapping, baiting and poisoning
  • Removal of bees
Security and crime prevention

Crime or the perception thereof is a critical factor leading to the decline of existing precincts, or the full subscription, utilisation and enjoyment of emerging precincts. Proper urban design and the implementation thereof can do much to improve security and reduce crime. Precinct safety and crime prevention should already have been dealt with in land use decisions, building standards as well as in urban design. Urban design should create defensible space and reduce negative space, ensure target hardening including access control, improve surveillance and attend to various physical characteristics that discourage or restrict the potential for crime.

Built environment responses however are not sufficient to ensure safety on an ongoing basis – a more comprehensive and ongoing approach is required. Building orientation to increase citizen surveillance should be complimented by around-the-clock CCTV surveillance. Regular, visible patrols do much to deter criminal behaviour. Rules need to be established that reduce the potential for risks, for example alcohol consumption in public, and these should be actively enforced.

Well-lit areas do much to reduce the risk of crime, and regular inspection is necessary to ensure that streetlights function. A clean, well-maintained precinct that displays pride, a strong sense of care, ownership and territoriality also contribute to precinct safety – it signals that there is a caring, active and committed community that takes steps and apply resources to the well-being of the precinct, and this likely extends to security as well. Community programmes are often used to deal with crime by addressing underlying issues that may result in criminal activity, and by providing the target group with alternatives and generating in them a sense of community and belonging.

Health and safety
Safety also includes being safe from hazards in the built environment. Hazards that may cause physical harm to users of the precinct must be identified and dealt with. Examples of such hazards may include:
  • Missing manhole covers, creating the risk that someone may fall into it;
  • Blocked stormwater inlets that may cause aquaplaning on road surfaces and that may also result in pedestrians being sprayed by vehicles; and
  • Dead or damaged tree branches that may fall and hurt people, vehicles and other property.


Baseline risk assessments, identifying all hazards and risks in the precinct public realm, should be conducted and appropriate responses should be planned, resources and responsibilities assigned, and monitoring and evaluation practices implemented.
Pedestrian safety
Precincts must be walkable and pedestrian safety must be prioritised. This requires that a pedestrian safety audit is conducted and that rules and operating arrangements are designed and implemented to enhance pedestrian safety. Examples of such rules and operating arrangements may include:
  • Lowering speed limits on selected roads or road segments within the precinct;
  • Rules that limit vehicle movement within the precinct;
  • Instituting traffic calming measures; and
  • Placing traffic ushers/controllers at key pedestrian intersections.
Pest control
Precinct users should furthermore be safe from attack by bees, rodents and pests. Improved building regulations and inspection can proactively limit or reduce such problems through the proofing of building elements and refuse disposal. Health and safety standards, especially for food producers, restaurants, butcheries and supermarkets and regular inspection are necessary arrangements. Suitable arrangements must be in place to trap, bait and poison as necessary, and beehives should be removed when they form.

Everything works (well-serviced)
(level 1)

To generate this experience, the precinct must be well-serviced in terms of utility services and infrastructure, and street facing buildings and the public realm must be in good working condition and well-maintained.
Figure: Precinct management: Everything works’ experience functions and activities
Precinct functions Utility services (water, sanitation, energy and telecommunications) Roads, stormwater, sidewalks, street furniture and general public realm General
Precinct activities
  • New connections
  • Supply
  • Metering
  • Reconnections
  • Fault detection and reporting
  • Fault fixing
  • Operational activities e.g. repainting of road markings, cleaning of stormwater inlets and replacement of streetlight bulbs
  • Infrastructure repairs e.g. fixing of potholes
  • Painting of street furniture
  • Periodic infrastructure renewal/refurbishment (scheduled and/or condition-based)
  • Agreement with municipality and other bulk service providers on service levels and standards, costs and tariffs
  • Facades and outer envelopes maintenance and refurbishing
  • Common areas maintenance and refurbishing
  • Demand management and forecasting
  • Risks and contingency management
  • Monitoring and evaluation
Utility services
Utility services include potable water provision, sanitation (sewerage) services, energy provision as well as telecommunications. Bulk and distribution infrastructure should have been installed during precinct establishment and upgrading (Implementation stage of the BEVC). Precinct management here involves agreeing levels and standards of service for utility services that also includes service turnaround times for new connections and maintenance response times.
Figure: Levels of service for refuse removal
Roads, stormwater, sidewalks, street furniture and public realm
In dense urban settings, utility infrastructure (water, sanitation etc.) are often hidden installations and bulk infrastructure will generally be located outside of the boundaries of the precinct.

Precinct users are generally able to interact with roads, sidewalks, street furniture and other components of the public realm, like parks and squares. As such they can easily and without technical knowledge identify signs of deterioration and lack of asset care, such as potholes, broken playground equipment, rusted street furniture and faded signage. Precinct management must establish and implement asset operational and maintenance plans to ensure that these infrastructure groups are in good condition and working order.

Examples of operational and maintenance activities include:
  • Regular inspection of assets
  • Clearing of stormwater inlets
  • Repainting of road markings
  • Fixing of potholes
  • Replacement of streetlight bulbs
  • Replacement of signage and other street furniture in poor condition.
  • Repainting of playground and outdoor gym equipment
  • Grass cutting, tree and scrub pruning, and weed control
General
Precinct management should establish a customer service charter that articulates the levels and standards of infrastructure and related service that apply within the precinct, having negotiated and concluded agreements with the municipality and other bulk service providers. Where higher levels and standards of service apply, suitable arrangements must be made to finance the costs of improved services, for example through higher assessment rates collected in a City Improvement District or Special Rating Area.

Additionally, there should be agreement with property owners within the precinct on the maintenance and refurbishment of facades and outer envelopes to avoid building neglect that detracts from the desired image of the precinct. Precinct management must also be forward looking and assess the demand for infrastructure as well as the potential for risks. Estimates of demand must be communicated to the municipality and other bulk providers to ensure that the necessary capacity will be developed when required. Contingency plans must be developed and implemented to deal with adverse impacts.

Welcoming space (level 2)

Key functions that must be performed to generate the experience of a welcoming space include (1) landscaping and other aesthetics, (2) ensuring that buildings, the public realm and infrastructure remains in good condition and (3) good signage and communication.
Figure: Precinct management: A welcoming space experience functions and activities
Precinct functions Landscaping and other aesthetics Buildings, public realm and infrastructure in good condition Good signage and communication
Precinct activities
  • Active and ongoing landscaping of public spaces (sidewalks, squares, promenades and parks)
  • Public art installation and maintenance
  • Statutes and other heritage asset care
  • Establishment of precinct charter on minimum acceptable condition of street-facing buildings and installations
  • Regular, scheduled condition assessments of buildings, public realm and visible infrastructure elements
  • Lifecycle asset management plans for shared immovable precinct assets
  • Implementation of asset management plans
  • Enforcement of precinct charter of building condition standards
  • Information kiosks
  • Highly legible active and passive signage for regulatory, warning, promotional and general information purposes
  • Maintenance and operation of signage
Landscaping and other aesthetics
All green surfaces and trees within the public realm should be actively landscaped. At a minimum, this requires landscaping maintenance: tree and scrub pruning, grass cutting and weed removal. Opportunities for an active, changing landscaping should be pursued, for example flower planting to usher in the spring season. Public art installation is a great way to enhance the precinct experience and to attract precinct visitors and tourists. Public art can include permanent installations or curated, temporary installations. Cities may consider arranging curated temporary public art installations in partnership with the art faculties of local universities. Public heritage assets including statutes should be maintained, cleaned and be in a good condition.
Buildings, public realm and infrastructure in good condition
Street facing buildings and facades and other visible installations should be in good condition. A precinct charter on minimum acceptable condition of street-facing buildings should be agreed with property owners. Regular, scheduled condition assessments of buildings, public realm and visible infrastructure elements should be undertaken and corrective or scheduled maintenance and refurbishment carried out as necessary.
Good signage and communication
Ideally, precincts should provide information kiosks providing visitors to the precinct with information about the precinct. This could take the form of information boards and signs, a physical booth with information officers, or a combination of both. The precinct should also feature highly legible active and passive signage for regulatory, warning, promotional and general information purposes, and these should be well-maintained.

Good access within the precinct
(level 2)

The first experience dealt with access to and from the precinct. This experience focusses on access within the precinct. Access within the precinct focusses on the functions of (1) assisted and enhanced mobility, (2) sidewalk management and (3) digital communication and connectedness.
Figure: Precinct management: Good access within precinct functions and activities
Precinct functions Assisted and enhanced mobility Sidewalk management Communication and connectedness
Precinct activities
  • Bicycle rental facilities
  • Golf carts to transport the elderly, the disabled and mothers with babied/young children
  • Decide appropriate balancing between precinct tenants’ sidewalk needs (e.g. outside areas of cafes and restaurants) and sidewalk walkability
  • Register, licence and allocate sidewalk space to property tenants, street vendors and street performers
  • Enforce sidewalk management rules
  • Wi-Fi service provision within the precinct
  • Digital wayfinding

Assisted and enhanced mobility

This function includes activities and means to assist people to move around the precinct without vehicles. This could include the provision of bicycle rental facilities. Bikesharing and rental systems are already operational in many cities, typically operated in CBDs and other dense areas. Bookings are generally made through a smartphone (iOS or Android) and by using a credit/debit card. The system may either make use of docking stations or bikes can be found by viewing their location online. Bikesharing reduces the need for motor vehicles, enhance mobility and can also generate income for enhanced precinct services.

Sidewalk management

International best practice dictates that sidewalks are an important element of the public realm and these should be integrated into the public space system inclusive of streets, sidewalks, squares, gardens, promenades and parks. Sidewalks, especially those along busy streets and those with strong desire lines, should be of sufficient width to allow for active, multi-use of sidewalks and to improve urban safety and security. They are an essential element of a complete street. In addition to enabling pedestrian movement, sidewalks offer opportunities for restaurants and outdoor cafes to provide outdoor seating, for street vendors, hawkers and street performers, and for retail outlets to extend offerings into sidewalks. The multi-use of sidewalk space can contribute to vibrant public spaces but needs to be negotiated and managed to ensure optimum use and function of these spaces. Sidewalk real estate management can enhance the urban experience but also generate additional funding for improved precinct services by renting or leasing sidewalk space to registered/licensed restaurants, shops, street vendors and street performers using a variety of revenue instruments. Monitoring and enforcement of sidewalk allocation, utilisation and efficiency is an ongoing precinct management activity.

Communication and connectedness

Precincts should ideally feature Wi-Fi coverage. Digital wayfinding enables users unfamiliar with the precinct to find locations, attractions, amenities and specific shops, and can provide useful or interesting information along the way. This is an excellent tool to assist persons with visual impairments to navigate the precinct. Digital wayfinding may also be used on conjunction with public art installations spread around the precinct to ensure that businesses outside of the main street also get a fair share of foot traffic.

Attractive and vibrant experience (level 2)

A whole range of active and passive precinct management functions contribute to create an attractive and vibrant precinct experience.
Figure: Precinct management: Functions and activities to generate an attractive and vibrant experience
Precinct functions Land use and zoning Tenant attraction and retention Street beautification and vibrant streets
Precinct activities
  • Mixed land use satisfying a wide range of retail, entertainment, eating and other services’ needs
  • Negotiation and agreement with municipality and businesses to ensure extended operating hours
  • Promotion of flexible building use design
  • Decide balancing of precinct tenant mix to ensure optimal attraction of people, activities and customers to the precinct
  • Actively target and attract desired precinct tenants
  • Precinct core stakeholder committee functioning to give a voice to precinct tenants, and to retain tenants
  • Themed landscaping aligned with seasons
  • Public art displays
  • Attraction and licensing of street performers
Range of kinetic and static experiences Event management (precinct arranges) Third party events (precinct accommodates)
  • Actively search for opportunities to create a variety of experience for multiple age groups
  • Attract, arrange and curate experiences/events
  • New heritage creation
  • Counterbalance the above by creating digital breakaway and peaceful zones and experiences
  • Arrange and promote events
  • Public art installations and competitions (variety of mediums)
  • Showcasing young talent (e.g. arrangements with local universities)
  • Significant days/season installations and events (e.g. Christmas season)
  • Arrange pop-up shops
  • Enable other parties, community groups, interest groups etc. to lodge applications for use of public space to utilise public space for events
  • Establish rules for the use of public space for events
  • Establish fee structure for the use of public space for event
Land use and zoning
To generate a vibrant experience, there should be a range of activities that attract people to the precinct and that engages them in multiple activities for longer periods. Also, precincts should function for extended hours to service the needs of users, intensify land use and offer property owners and retailers the ability to generate more revenue to pay for the higher rents associated with performing precincts. This requires:
  • Mixed land use satisfying a wide range of retail, entertainment, eating and other services’ needs enabled by appropriate zoning arrangements;
  • Negotiation and agreement with both the municipality and businesses to ensure extended operating hours; and
  • Promotion of flexible building use design. This is a particularly important point. Buildings in the precinct need to be able to adapt to changing economic, social and cultural and other conditions. Buildings designed for mono-use may not adapt well, and may result in real estate vacancies over time.
Tenant attraction and retention
Tenants in the form of well-known retailers, brands and also other community services generate gravity and attract visitors to the precinct. Active effort should be made to balance the precinct tenant mix to ensure optimal attraction of people, activities and customers to the precinct, and to target and attract desired precinct tenants. These tenants, once on-boarded, should be given a voice through participation in precinct core stakeholder committees.
Street beautification and vibrant streets
Streets require curation to ensure that they are attractive and vibrant. This could be done through themed landscaping aligned with seasons and other major calendar events, public art displays as well as the attraction and licensing of street performers.
Range of kinetic and static experiences
To become and stay attractive, precincts should generate memorable experiences for users. Experiences can be static or kinetic and should ideally be varied and appeal to multiple age groups and cultures. Creative thinking is encouraged and highly desirable. Areas waiting to be upgraded through a phased precinct upgrading programme and that are prone to vandalism and informal graffiti could be bolstered by launching large-scale graffiti competitions. Static surfaces can generate kinetic experiences, for example digital and other displays on building facades. Precincts over time should also invest in new heritage creation, unique to the precinct.

Globally, there is also recognition of the need to create digital breakaway and peaceful zones and experiences in very dense, active and vibrant precincts.
Events management (precinct arranges)
Initial good urban design is essential to create an attractive, functioning precinct, but is in and of itself not enough. Ongoing curation is required to market and strengthen the precinct immersive experience that includes entertainment, active health, and cultural experiences such as public art installation, exhibitions, kids’ days, fun runs, yoga-in-the-park. It also includes periodic themed landscaping initiatives and more. International best practice suggests that following precinct establishment or revitalisation, strong curation is initially required. Too much and persistent curation can however lead to over-commercialisation of precincts, ignoring or neglecting local character, civic ownership and participation.
Third party events (precinct accommodates)
Over time, citizens and social groups should be afforded the opportunity to arrange their own events in ways that encourages diversity within the overall value system of the precinct. Precinct management should enable other parties (whether community groupings or other commercial parties) to use precinct space to host events. Some of these may be small, regular events, such as small groups of people practicing yoga in the park, others may be larger events, such as fun runs. These should be encouraged. Precinct management should:
  • establish rules for the use of public space for events;
  • determine a fee structure for the use of public space for events; and
  • provide the means for event promoters to lodge applications for the use of public space for events

Community wellbeing (social capital) (level 2)

A healthy, well-functioning precinct creates and protects social networks and social capital and enables residents in the precinct to have full access to support systems and other activities. This is particularly important in new precincts or upgraded precincts where there is a large influx of diverse people into the higher density area, where residents have not had sufficient time to develop social networks or to establish a precinct community identity and social coherence.
Figure: Precinct management: Community wellbeing functions and activities
Precinct functions Healthy, active people Community participation Creating economic opportunities, social support and care
Precinct activities
  • Install and maintain outdoor gyms
  • Arrange active events e.g. fun runs, yoga-in-the-park etc.
  • Devise active travel routes in the precinct and publish information on route distances, average travel times and energy consumption
  • Arrange with health authorities for regular mobile health clinics offering check-ups
  • Devise, promote and facilitate community initiatives such as meet-and-greets, quiz events, adopting patches of green space, or green-open space cleaning events
  • Create community platforms to allow inputs into precinct management affairs, as well as inputs into ward and city affairs
  • Create opportunities for sharing in urban gardening activities
  • Create opportunities for reaching-out initiatives
  • Facilitation of precinct-wide tech-enabled “collectives of intimacy” where people take on reciprocal roles in the community, e.g. retired people doing some childminding, or young people offering to walk the dogs of the elderly or the infirm
  • Encourage large corporates to share space with start-ups and scale-ups
Healthy, active people
Creating opportunities for people to be active improves both physical and mental health, and provide people with more opportunities to engage with others and forge more social connections, and also to engage with their built environment and so increase precinct use and vibrancy. This could be done in many ways, some of which include:
  • install and maintain outdoor gyms;
  • arrange active events e.g. fun runs, yoga-in-the-park etc; and
  • devise active travel routes in the precinct and publish information on route distances, average travel times and energy consumption.

Additionally, precinct management should arrange with health authorities for regular mobile health clinics offering check-ups.
Community participation
Active citizen participation should be encouraged, and this leads to increased involvement, ownership, a shared community spirit, and overall improvements in the functioning of the precinct. It also contributes to improved urban democracy and governance. There are many ways in which this could be done, some of which include:
  • devise, promote and facilitate community initiatives such as meet-and-greets, quiz events, adopting patches of green space, or green-open space cleaning events;
  • create community platforms to allow inputs into precinct management affairs, as well as inputs into ward and city affairs;
  • create opportunities for sharing in urban gardening activities; and
  • create opportunities for reaching-out initiatives, for example food distribution to less fortunate groups.
Creating economic opportunities, social support and care
Precincts should ideally adopt the village approach of caring for and supporting each other. This applies to individuals, larger social groups as well as businesses. Following are some examples:
  • Facilitating of precinct-wide tech-enabled “collectives of intimacy” where people take on reciprocal roles in the community, e.g. retired people doing some childminding, or young people offering to walk the dogs of the elderly or the infirm, or food delivery and check-ups on the elderly and disabled.
  • Encouraging large corporates to share space with start-ups and scale-ups.