Returning To A Great Place
How do you create a great place that will keep drawing consumers?
Doug Thimm, AIA

Creating places should be active and passive, but above all, they should be people oriented.  Rendering courtesy of MHTN Architects, Inc.

One of the reasons that everyone loves Hollywood is that it creates such wonderful dreams. Among the most memorable of those was, “If you build it, they will come.”

In fact, it is the potential antithesis of that big-screen fantasy that could (and perhaps should) keep developers of open-air, mixed-use projects awake at night: “If you build it, no one may care.” Which begs the vitally important question to developers: How to create a reason for people to come to a development, engage them while they are there and — most perhaps importantly — motivate them to return?

While this is no small task, four key strategies can strongly incline patrons to return: initial site selection, attraction of people from all walks of life, curb appeal of the development, and compelling aesthetics coupled with a lasting impression.  Let’s take these one at a time.

Site Selection

Site selection starts with the three classically important factors: “location, location, location.” Therefore, a development must have an initial draw for visitors. It could be a natural attraction, such as a waterfront or a ski mountain base. Or it can capitalize on a man-made feature, such as a stadium/arena or Olympic venue, a college/university or a temple.  If there is no preexisting draw, then the developer may consider inclusion of prime tenant venues or attractions, such as a cinema, children’s museum, observatory or water park.

The continual iconic symbol can create a development’s “sense of place”. Photo courtesy of:  MHTN Architects, Inc. Photography by:  Inland Group

In other words, successful sites draw people into the development for reasons other than the actual development. Once people have come, then pleasant and memorable events can engage them to stay and enjoy positive experiences well beyond what they initially came for, and then make them want to return for more.

A site must also offer convenient access, because how people will get to the development is vital. More of the U.S. population walks, bikes and uses public transit each year, so a site should aim to be accessible by all of those modes of transit, as well as to personal automobiles.

All Walks Of Life

The development needs to draw people of all ages and walks of life to one major location, so a developer will need to understand the regional market and its demographics. That understanding will drive what mix of key merchants will meet the needs of the target audience as well as attracting other merchants.

A family or other group of visitors should be able to spend an afternoon on site with members going in different directions and re-joining later for a common activity. For example, a well-planned development could be a place where a family with teens or pre-teens could all enjoy a movie together, after which the mom and daughter go shopping, while the dad and son go to the sporting goods store; later they could all meet at a family-friendly restaurant for dinner. In that scenario, 2 hours will have turned into a whole day event.

The right mix will also draw people from diverse backgrounds into activities that are outside of their typical behavior and their initial reasons for coming. For example, outdoor benches by a skate park or climbing wall could draw in a couple in their 80s to watch and vicariously enjoy “being young.” Careful placement of the retailers and attractions by the developer will draw those diverse visitors through the development.

Curb Appeal

Site selection can capitalize on a special attraction such as a ski mountain base. Rendering courtesy of MHTN Architects, Inc.

Keeping people returning to the development may come down to more than just having the right balance of commercial, retail and restaurant tenants; diversity within each of those categories may be the key to continued success. A development should have a mix of expected big-name, nationally branded tenants along with specialty retailers that cannot be found anywhere else in regional proximity. Both the expected and uncommon tenants will draw visitors to a development, because that may be the only place in the region that both are available.

The presence of the right uncommon tenants will also draw people away from competitive venues. But that will require ongoing cultural, demographic and market research of local trends to keep ahead of competitors with just the right brands at the right time.

Another way to develop curb appeal is to be a part of unique events that help develop local municipal identity. For example, the development should have “people oriented places” which perhaps are sometimes passive sitting areas while other times become the start/finish place of a marathon, a car show venue or sponsorship of a kids’ sports league signup. People who do not usually patronize the development will come for those events; while there, they will discover other experiences that will cause them to return.

Compelling Aesthetics And A Lasting Impression

Successful open-air, mixed-use developments will need appealing landscape and architectural features to welcome visitors in and leave a pleasing lasting impression. For example, a clock tower, with its continual presence, could be an iconic symbol of the development in patrons’ minds. Interesting paths, unique landscape elements, attractive architecture and water features can also add to a development’s “sense of place.” As patrons move from place to place, they should pass by points of interest that draw them through the development, creating an intrigue about what lies around the next corner.

The inclusion of the right mix of expected and uncommon tenants will tend to draw a broad range of people. Center Photo courtesy of:  MHTN Architects, Inc. Photography by:  Inland Group

While vehicular traffic through the development can help enliven the space, planners must be sure to build calming influences into the vehicular paths, such as roundabouts with islands of landscaping or water, curvilinear vehicle paths and textured driving surfaces. These will cause drivers to be sensitive to pedestrians, which, in turn, will allow pedestrians to feel safe.

Finally, developers must plan for visitors to have a pleasant and memorable departure at the end of the day. The best lasting impression for guests is that they were easily able to find their way to their cars or public transit, and that their departure is marred only by the fact that day cannot continue.

For developers of open-air, mixed-use projects, decisions from the earliest plans can affect its long term vitality. But its success will also depend on the careful ongoing management that makes a great place, where people come and then return time and again.

Doug Thimm, AIA is a vice president with Salt Lake City-based MHTN Architects and can be reached at dat7591@aol.com.