1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

2015
The Place
Report
Top ten globa l tr ends
r edefining how w e shop,
li v e, wor k a nd pl ay
2015
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Place Associates is a property
consultancy which researches
and creates strategies that
position, market and
activate places.
Note
Dynamic links have been placed
throughout this document to help you
navigate to the relevant sections. The
top right of each page
returns you
to the section headings. Alternatively
you can navigate the trends using the
numbers on the right. Or you can read
from start to finish, just like a book.
Enjoy the read.
This approach in managing and developing places increases customer visitation, spend and
loyalty. Working with the owners, operators and occupants of places, we provide the insight
through research which ensures that places develop a competitive advantage, allowing
them to command a price premium and achieve financial returns above the market.
Place Associates offers a range of services covering four broad capabilities: user research,
market strategy, customer experience and design activation. We provide custom strategy
solutions as well as standard research and strategic tools.
Market Strategy
User Research
Customer Experience
Design and Activation
Positioning your place in the
market through a distinct and
valued proposition, which
will support a long-term
competitive advantage.
Understanding the behaviours
and aspirations of your
customers, visitors or residents
to better respond to their
needs, thereby increasing
conversion, spend and the
ability to charge a premium.
Providing an experience that
aligns the market perception
with the actual delivery,
leading to increased rates of
satisfaction, dwell times and
repeat visitation.
Staging the types of on-site
interactions with customers,
visitors and residents that
support the social vitality,
which in turn ensure the
long-term financial viability
of your place.
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About this Publication
We Create Places
We have gathered the most progressive property examples from the past 12 months
and used them to determine the most influential trends defining how we are changing
the way we live, work, eat, shop, stay and play.
The Place Trends Report is published
annually in the first quarter. More
information on each of the case studies
can be found on our trends website:
wecreateplaces.com
Please share this document with your colleagues – all information contained within is
published under a Creative Commons licence. Refer to the Acknowledgements page
for more details.
This report was compiled from November 2014 to March 2015 and all information is
accurate at the time of publication. Every effort has been made to identify individual
copyright holders of all imagery used in this publication. However, should any
copyright holder not be acknowledged, please notify us and we will include the
details in future issues.
In-house Presentations
of the 2015 Report
Custom Trend Reports and
Presentations
Project Trend
Workshops
If you do not have time to read this
report, or want to find out more about
a specific trend, we can present the
2015 report in person to your project
team, department or organisation.
If you are interested in a particular
trend, area or location, we offer custom
reports or presentations which respond
to your exact needs. As a cost-effective
alternative to study tours, this provides all
the same information in significantly less
time. Please get in touch to brief us with
your requirements:
If you have a specific project which
you would like us to address, we offer
project trend workshops. These threehour sessions are held with the project
team and equip everyone with the
knowledge to respond to your unique set
of challenges. Please get in touch to brief
us with your requirements:
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Con t e n t s
Contents
Creative Capital
Curated Destinations
Forming partnerships with
dynamic creative entities to
rapidly increase the market
value of under-utilised assets
Adopting a tailored curatorial
approach to the management
of niche destinations
to attract an experienceseeking audience
Micro-Living
Conscious Environments
Supplying an affordable
yet distinctive micro-living
product, which trades private
space for public amenities
and infrastructure
Developing environments
that respond to the emotional
wellbeing of occupants
and derive long-term
financial gains
Connective Public Art
Using public art to connect
people to our urban
environment and broader
context, creating market
loyalty and advocacy
Digital Retail 2.0
Combining the positive
attributes of physical and
digital retailing to create a
superior hybrid which offers
personalised experiences
Airport Attractors
Transformative Education
Smart Cities
Symbiotic Partnerships
Introducing the next
generation of airports –
centred on offer over function,
and where locals and travellers
choose to coexist
Harnessing urban data to
provide commercial solutions,
which respond to changes
across a city or precinct in
real time
Changing how and where
knowledge is exchanged,
leading to educational
interactions in
unexpected places
Engaging in symbiotic
partnerships to deliver
innovative solutions which
respond to an increasingly
complex world
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Creative Capital
Artists and creatives
have often been cited as
the catalysts for urban
gentrification. With
the rise of the digital
economy, small creative
businesses have gained
in strength, volume and
viability.
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These businesses are now a vibrant
segment of the developed economy and
non-traditional assets are being created for
this sector to suit their spatial needs, their
networking needs and also to build
a community of users.
Some of the emerging
funding and ongoing
financial models are
fairly experiential and
generally embody the
philosophy of Trend 4
Risk-Sharing¹ from The
Place Report 20142.
Typically, the deliberate leveraging of
creative capital occurs in two ways: the
repurposing of unusual or underutilised
assets by creative groups or individuals who
identify and harness the site’s potential or
the partnership of developers and creative
organisations to create purpose-built
innovation and design precincts. Related to
this trend is a greater awareness by councils
or developers of the opportunity creative
destinations present in attracting tourism,
trade, higher footprints and opportunities
for engagement.
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Rote Fabrik (Red Fabric)
— Zurich, Switzerland
As featured in The Place Report 2014, Rote
Fabrik (Red Fabric) in Zurich, demonstrates
the longstanding value of the creative class
in revitalising economically depressed areas
over more than three decades. Located in
an abandoned silk factory in Zurich, Rote
Fabrik provides about 80 long-term studios
for musicians, actors, media, designers
and artists.
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1 Risk Sharing
Trend 4
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Pl ace R eport 2014
2 The Place Report 2014
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Rote Fabrik
(Red Fabric)
Z u r ich,
S w itzer l a n d
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Our Kaka'ako
— Honolulu, Hawaii
Another early example of an organically
formed precinct, which started to bring the
value of the creative class to consciousness,
is found in the Hawaiian city of Honolulu.
Occupying nine city blocks and centrally
located minutes from downtown Honolulu,
developer and creative authority, Our
Kaka’ako is building a community from the
ground up based on a foundation of art and
culture.
Out Kaka’ako, on the surface at least, is a
haphazard conglomerate of shabby shoe
repair stores and old scrap metal yards
– certainly far from the picture of Hawaii
sold in glossy travel brochures. Rooted in
Hawaiian cultural values, Our Kaka'ako is
based on values of supporting creativity,
cultivating innovation and building a truly
unique, local community. Importantly, the
developer views the tenants as makers,
individuals and organisations who have
the passion to build a strong sense of
community.
TAXI
— Denver, US
Executing this trend to great effect is
Denver-based (US) developer Zeppelin 1 .
Its TAXI development (formerly a Yellow
Cab dispatch centre) is located in RiNo
(River North Art District), and houses a
number of full-time residents and more
than 80 creative businesses. According
to the development website, TAXI was
conceived by Mickey Zeppelin and his son
Kyle, who identified a need for a community
that fostered the use of creative spaces
for the new workforce. The precinct,
which continues to expand, is made up
of six buildings and amenities, including
a fitness centre, cafe, coffee shop, salon,
early childhood education centre, outdoor
cinema, one-of-a-kind pool and communal
garden, all of which are designed to keep
the community connected.
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1Zeppelin
De v elopmen t
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Our Kaka’ako
Honolu lu, H awa ii
TAXI
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Den v er , us
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The Sheds (City Works Depot)
— Auckland, New Zealand
In Auckland, The Sheds (or, formally, the
City Works Depot) has benefited from the
fresh insight of Simon Rowntree and James
Brown, owners of one of the city’s biggest
car parking companies, Tournament 1 .
They saw an opportunity when they initially
leased the site in 2000 – subsequently
purchased in 2012 – and were quick to
bring in Nat Cheshire 2 , local architect and
creative curator of the site.
They all identified the opportunity – three
hectares on the city fringe – as a place
to lead the city’s creative resurgence.
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By day, the site hums with the activity
of small to medium creative and design
businesses. When night falls the city’s
inhabitants flock to the site to enjoy the
range of one-off hospitality providers.
While the above examples typify a more
relaxed approach to leveraging creative
capital, in recent years there has been
a shift towards creatively led or at least
creatively partnered development.
At the low-investment end of the scale
are numerous examples of repurposed or
underutilised sites.
Importantly, the owners never wanted to
remove any of the existing architectural
heritage which provides for outstanding
natural light, coupled with spaces of scale
and flexibility. Some of the old fittings,
such as control panels and mechanical
devices, have been retained to
acknowledge the past use as the
city’s largest industrial workshop.
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1Tournament
ca r pa r k compa n y
2 Nat Cheshire
A rchitect
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The Sheds
(City Works Depot)
Auck l a n d,
n ew Ze a l a n d
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The Old Biscuit Mill
— Cape Town, South Africa
Another example of industrial repurposing
is found in Cape Town. The name by which
it is affectionately known - The Old Biscuit
Mill - points to its previous use as a milling
and baking house. For locals, the Mill is
an evolving attractor and unifier for the
surrounding community. The Mill is home
to day and night markets, locally grown
farm stalls and owner-operator restaurants
as well as a distinctive line-up of festivals
and productions.
Internally, for those people based on site,
the Mill offers a series of dynamic work
spaces attached to a range of workshops
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and designer stores in which occupants
can sell their wares.
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In terms of the management structure, the
precinct is curated by the resident creative
talent, which has ensured its success with
on-site tenants including some of South
Africa’s most innovative designers, artists
and photographers.
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As these types of sites have become
more prevalent, developers and owners
are becoming more discerning in the
finish and presentation of creative hubs.
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The Old Biscuit Mill
ca pe tow n,
sou th a fr ica
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Tea Building
— London , UK
A further noteworthy example is found in
the Tea Building in London, developed by
Derwent London and completed in late
2012. Rather than just applying a veneer
of creativity to attract the right tenants, the
group is genuinely committed to putting
their values into practice. As their corporate
website states: ‘Our design teams often
include contemporary artists who help to
make each project unique’.
The iconic building was once occupied by
the Lipton Tea factory. In its original form,
the building was a block of early twentiethcentury warehouses which have been costeffectively refurbished to create polished,
open spaces, allowing companies to make
their own mark on each unit.
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Recent additions include a private members’
club and a boutique hotel.
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Tea Building
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The scale of the building allows the
tenants to expand without moving and the
interconnected communal spaces foster an
open exchange of information and ideas.
Moving south to Brooklyn, New York,
Industry City pitches itself as the ‘future
of creative production and innovation
economy’. The campus – almost 1 million
square metres of networked warehouse
structures – is attracting designers,
innovators, start-ups, manufacturers
and artists.
Similar to the Tea Building example are
two more commercially minded large-scale
developments on the US east coast.
The Innovation and Design Building
— Boston, US
The Innovation and Design Building
(IDB), located in Boston, is a place where,
according to the development’s website,
‘you won’t see a sea of cubicles’. The
tenants include a broad range of businesses
producing physical, digital and engineered
products. IDB is home to makers, designers,
architects, communicators, researchers,
manufacturers, technologists, innovators
and entrepreneurs.
The spirit of creativity that overrides the
precinct is fostering creative capital:
fostering creative capital - and the campus
showcases initiatives as widespread as
rapid prototyping, boutique manufacturing,
technology and interior design.
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Some of the on-site amenities include a
food hall and locally sourced restaurants,
curated public spaces, job placement
resources, a programmed events
schedule and ownership-sponsored
networking opportunities.
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Tea Building
Lon don, UK
The Innovation and
Design Building
Boston, US
Industry City
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to 1951 and prior to its revitalisation the site
originally housed married police (Police
Married Quarters).
In November 2010, the HKSAR Government
announced the plan to preserve the site
for creative industries uses with the goal
of establishing PMQ as an icon of Hong
Kong creative industries. Since opening
in late 2014, the tenants have collectively
showcased Hong Kong’s high-quality
brands and elevated the appreciation of the
value created by design and innovation.
1
Tenants have collectively
showcased Hong Kong’s
high-quality brands and
elevated the appreciation
of the value created by
design and innovation.
PMQ
— Hong Kong, China
The Asian region is also shifting towards
a creative-capital approach to development
with the 2014 opening of PMQ in Hong
Kong. Operated by PMQ Management Co.
Ltd 1 , the not-for-profit social enterprise was
established by the Musketeers Education
and Culture Charitable Foundation 2 , in
collaboration with the Hong Kong Design
Centre 3 , the Hong Kong Polytechnic
University 4 and the Hong Kong Design
Institute of the Vocational Training Council 5 .
Prior to its revitalisation, PMQ dates back
PMQ Management
Co. Ltd
non-profit soci a l
en ter pr ise
2
Musketeers
Education and
Culture Charitable
Foundation
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3
Hong Kong Design
Centre
4
Hong Kong
Polytechnic University
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5
Hong Kong Design
Institute of the
Vocational Training
Council
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Transitional___
— Singapore
The next generation of creative capital
is already emerging and focuses on
bringing temporary creative activation
to specific sites. ‘Transitional___’ is a
travelling creative platform that brings life
to various spaces around the city. Created
by placemaking studio Shophouse & Co 1 ,
it inhabits under-utilised spaces or ones in
transition, bringing a new lease of life and
unlocking their potential for landowners
through partnerships with the creative
community to showcase and prototype
new concepts.
The next generation of
creative capital is already
emerging and focuses
on bringing temporary
creative activation to
specific sites.
In 2014, two ‘editions’ were organised –
the first one in a lofty industrial building
that was yet to be leased out and the
second in the rooftop space of the National
Design Centre.
04
At both editions, Transitional___ imagined
new possible uses for the spaces through
a range of installations and programs and
attracted footfall to spaces that had little to
none previously.
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1 Shophouse & Co
pl acem a k ing
st u dio
Transitional___
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Curated Destinations
In contrast with the
concept of shopping malls
providing ‘all you need
under one roof’, precincts
and destinations are
starting to tap into
consumers’ specific
interests, lifestyle needs
and personal values.
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Catering to the needs of the experiential
shopper, these destinations adopt
a curatorial approach to leasing and
programmed activities to draw customers.
These destinations not only become
popular local haunts, but also attract the
interest of tourists through their niche
and specialised offerings. In the context
of main-street retail challenges in many
cities around the world, highly curated
destinations and experiences led by
like-minded operators or developers are
providing a path to the urban renewal of
precincts and, in some cases, even cities.
Many of these developments find ‘homes’
in structures that are repurposed from an
industrial or commercial use.
Supporting the value of these types
of curated experiences, the Customer
Attraction Score (CAS) 1 research conducted
by Place Associates with the Australian
Centre for Retail Studies 2 in 2014 revealed
that a customer’s decision to visit is
primarily driven by social factors (44 per
cent before visiting and 49 per cent after),
specifically ‘reputation’, ‘image’, ‘opportunity
to socialise’ and ‘opportunities to shop with
others’. In addition, the most important
‘people’ factor for attracting visitation was
‘the profile of other shoppers’. This research
suggests that targeting a niche market
and offering an equally distinct experience
is an increasingly important competitive
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advantage. With primary evidence such
as this, the value of investing in stand-out,
tailored experiences is clear.
There are three main areas in which curated
destinations are changing the way we
experience public congregation spaces.
The first of these is in ‘precinct propositions’
– where developers and operators with
an aligned vision and aesthetic catalyse a
precinct. The second is in ‘concept stores
and malls’, where individual operators or
entire centres extend their offer beyond
retail to cater for a specific niche market
with an integrated curated proposition.
The last is in the area of ‘programmatic
transformations’ – urban-renewal initiatives
in public spaces that are aided by the use of
technology to create holistic engagement
with visitors.
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1 Customer Attraction
Score (CAS)
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Pl ace A ssoci ate s
2 Australian Centre for
Retail Studies
Mona sh U n i v er sit y
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James Street
— Brisbane, Australia
There are several noteworthy examples
of precinct propositions, including James
Street 1 , Brisbane. Before becoming a key
part of the Fortitude Valley’s urban-renewal
program, James Street was dominated by
a disused Coca-Cola bottling plant. The
precinct evolved somewhat organically but
is now marketed as a singular proposition
with two main anchors – 19 James St 1 ,
a 1990s commercial building transformation
owned by developer Centro 1&2
Partnership 2 , and the James St Market and
Cooking School 3 concept, courtesy of The
Standard Market Company4 .
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The 19 James St development provides
high-end designer fashion, homewares and
dining as well as the Monocle magazine
pop-up shop. This is complemented by
James St Market 5 , which provides fresh,
good-quality produce and food theatre
through its retail outlet and cooking school,
creating a destination for Brisbane’s
growing number of urbanites. Leasing
and marketing are conducted by a central
management body that gives a united voice
to the precinct, allowing for scheduled
events such as the James Street Food and
Wine Trail, which is in its third year.
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1 19 James St
2 Centro 1&2
Partnership
3 James St Cooking
School
4 The Standard Market
Company
5 James St Market
James Street
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Gasworks Plaza
— Brisbane, Australia
Another example, Gasworks Plaza, also
found in Brisbane and anchored once
again by The Standard Market Company1 ,
is another notable urban-renewal project,
this time a masterplanned community
covering 6.4 hectares located in Newstead,
an area of the city known for its heritagelisted woolstores and luxury riverfront
apartments. Gasworks Plaza provides a
collection of retail and restaurant offers and
public spaces for its discerning audience –
05
the residents of premium apartments and
A-grade office spaces being developed in
its surrounds. When describing the mix of
retailers, MustDoBrisbane.com 2 comments:
‘Good looks aside, some of the tenants
here alone warrant a visit to the plaza'.
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1 The Standard Market
Company
2MustDoBrisbane.com
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Merci
— Paris, France
In the area of curated
concept stores and
malls there is a range
of scales at play.
In the area of curated concept stores and
malls there is a range of scales at play.
At the individual retailer scale, Merci in
Paris sells a curated selection of designer
merchandise alongside three restaurants
– the Used Book Café 1 , the Cinema Café 2
and the Merci Canteen 3 . Spread over
three levels, the Merci shop is designed
to work like a magazine with events and
exhibitions that reflect the ‘Merci point of
view’ on subjects that are relevant to their
customers. When it comes to exclusivity,
Merci takes catering to a specific audience
to a new level with restrictions as to who
can purchase its clothing. Only ‘amis’
or ‘friends’ of Merci who form part of an
exclusive list may buy their clothing.
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1 Used Book Café
2 Cinema Café
3 Merci Canteen
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Bikini Berlin
— Berlin, Germany
On a larger scale, Bikini Berlin is an
exciting new addition to the concept mall
trend, combining unconventional retail
with work, relaxation, entertainment and
accommodation in its renovated 1950s
commercial factory site. The site was
developed by Bayerische Hausbau 1 , one
of Germany’s largest integrated real estate
companies which has invested hundreds of
millions of euros into the revitalisation of the
area. Anchored by 25 Hours Hotel 2 , the mall
is located in the City West and offers a mix
of boutique and flagship stores, exclusive
office spaces and the recently reopened
Zoo Palast 3 cinema. The Zoo Palast cinema
was historically the home of the Berlin
International Film Festival, also called the
Berlinale, a festival that returned to the site
in 2014. Other features that set Bikini Berlin
apart include a rooftop terrace covering an
area of around 7000 square metres and a
spacious event area that is adjacent to and
complemented by 19 ‘Bikini Berlin Boxes’.
These modular structures are flexible,
understated and specifically reserved for
one-off operators or brand extensions that
cannot be found anywhere else in Berlin.
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1 Bayerische Hausbau
De v eloper
2 25 Hours Hotel
Hotel
3 Zoo Palast
Cin em a
Bikini Berlin
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Finally, the area of programmatic curation
predominantly applies to destinations that
are publicly accessible and repurposed
for temporary activations or the renewal
of urban areas.
Les Berges
— Paris, France
The Riverbank regeneration project, in
Paris, now known as Les Berges, has
transformed the Left Bank with a range
of curated activities in various temporary
and semi-permanent spaces. A dynamic
social media platform led by an intuitive
app assists in driving visitation to the
site. There is a calendar of events and
even a suggested musical playlist to
complete the experience. The project is
funded both publicly and privately, with
support from the Mayor’s Office, SFR 1 (a
telecommunications company) and specific
installations by aligned brands or products.
A multidisciplinary team manages the space
with leads in artistic design and overall
coordination. The leadership provided
by the curatorial team ensures a holistic
programmatic vision and high-quality
delivery year round.
programming. Programmatic features are
categorised as music, kitchen, sports,
workshops and cinema. The space combines
a restaurant, terrace and club and is located
at De La Mode et du Design2 , which is also
home to the French Institute of Fashion3 ,
a design store, art museum and other
restaurants, bars and emerging designers.
Wanderlust
— Paris, France
Similarly, Wanderlust, also located
in Paris and opened in 2012, offers a
commercialised example of highly curated
programming to attract a broad audience
with shared values. The space caters
to diverse age groups through smart
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Connective Public Art
With the rise of our
digitally connected
society, there has been
an increase in public art
and urban interventions
that seek to re-establish
a physical connection
between ourselves, our
environment and our
broader context.
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Our ‘broader context’ can refer to the
significant history and existing cultural
values of a place as well as important
social issues.
Public art and urban
interventions can
foster connectivity to
these entities through
interactive pieces, as
well as repurposing
and recontextualising
elements of the
urban fabric.
These techniques can encourage new
interactions with a place, initiate behavioural
change and push us to appreciate and/
or question our physical and mental
connection to place, culture and society.
Stolpersteine (Stumbling Blocks)
— Germany and greater Europe
Public art and urban interventions can
utilise the urban fabric of a place to
communicate the history of that place.
Stolpersteine (Stumbling Blocks) by
Gunter Demnig 1 is an urban intervention
across Germany and greater Europe which
aims to honour and restore the identity of
thousands of individuals who were taken to
concentration camps in World War II. The
work consists of brass blocks which are
set within the footpath outside the original
place of residence of each individual and
are inscribed with ‘Here lived …’. The blocks
– which now total 48,000 – are subtle but
present an extremely powerful and emotive
gesture that draws public awareness to
the significant historical events which took
place and the individuals who lived there.
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The Musée du quai Branly
— Paris, France
Van Gogh-Roosegaarde
— Nuenen, Netherlands
Another piece of public art that seeks to
connect the public to the history of a place
is the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde bicycle path
in Nuenen. The path travels through the
province of Noord Brabant (North Brabant),
where Van Gogh was born and raised.
Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde 1 has
used a solar-powered luminescent paint
and LEDs to illuminate the pathway with
swirling patterns referencing Van Gogh’s
1889 painting The Starry Night. The artwork
elevates a traditional bike ride into a
dreamy, artful experience. The piece also
celebrates Van Gogh by creating a narrative
appropriate to the location.
Public art and urban interventions can also
serve to connect the public to the cultural
values of a place. The Musée du quai
Branly in Paris is an ethnographic museum
dedicated to presenting the arts
of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania
to European audiences. The museum
recently commissioned a permanent
artwork by Aboriginal artist Lena Nyadbi 2
for the museum’s 700-square-metre roof
terrace. The artwork, Dayiwul Lirlmim
(Barramundi Scales), can only be viewed
from the Eiffel Tower or via Google Earth.
The artwork also extends to a tactile facade
and the internal ceilings, allowing passersby to experience it. The work showcases
to the broader community the high value
of the cultural partnership between France
and Australia. This is also symbolically
communicated by its rooftop placement,
as when viewed from above a piece of
Indigenous Australia is physically nestled in
the Parisian urban fabric.
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Living Innovation Zone (LIZ)
— San Francisco, US
Public art and urban interventions can also
develop the predominant activities of an
area in new ways. This is evident in San
Francisco’s Living Innovation Zone (LIZ)
program, which allows technology and
creative businesses to utilise city-owned
assets to implement urban interventions
that facilitate exploration, innovation and
play, thereby extending the innovation
culture out of the offices and into public
space for all to experience.
The program is a partnership between
government bodies (the San Francisco
Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation, SF
Planning and SF DPW) and creative
organisations, which design and manage
the intervention. A pilot of the program
implemented by The Exploratorium 1 is
currently underway on Market Street in the
city centre and has been dubbed a ‘HighTech Playground for Adults’.
A popular intervention designed by MIT2
is the Musical Bench that composes music
from people’s ‘galvanic skin response’. The
San Francisco Mayor’s Office hopes that the
project will continue to produce new ideas,
creating a collaborative and dynamic city.
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and reduce the amount of traffic-related
pedestrian accidents. The traditional
traffic light man was animated to entertain
pedestrians with dance moves while they
waited to walk. The choreography came
from the public themselves, as participants
could dance in a booth where their
movements were mapped to the traffic light
in real time using Kinect technology. The
playful hacking of the traditional traffic light
man captivated pedestrians and resulted
in 81 per cent more people stopping at the
traffic light, thereby creating safer streets.
The Grand Tour
— London, UK
The Grand Tour was an urban intervention
in London that also resulted in the public
interacting with the city in a unique way.
Creative agency The Partners1 assisted
the National Gallery2 to launch a campaign
to promote its collection and increase
visitation. The Grand Tour consisted of
44 high-quality replicas of famous artworks
that were strategically dispersed throughout
London in a variety of well-known, discreet
and quirky locations. Artworks were set in
traditional ornate frames with citations –
recontextualising the city and its walls
into a huge gallery. The artworks were
supported with printed and downloadable
maps with various tours, such as the
one-hour ‘Lunchtime Tours’ for office
workers or the ‘The Lovers’ Tour’, a
curated walk to all the romantic paintings.
Through this intervention we can see public
space being used to create an accessible
experience in art and culture, the byproduct of which is experiencing the city
in a new and engaging way.
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The Dancing Traffic Light
— Lisbon, Portugal
2 National Gallery
a rt m useu m
3Smart
Ca r br a n d
Urban interventions can also repurpose
parts of the fabric of a city as a means to
effect behavioural change and improve
livability. A prime example was found in
Lisbon, where the city and car brand Smart 3
launched an initiative to engage the public
The Grand Tour
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RainCity Housing
— Vancouver, Canada
Year of the Bus
— London, UK
Site-specific public art and urban
interventions that recontextualise elements
of the urban fabric can serve to powerfully
provoke awareness of social issues.
Spring Advertising 2 and RainCity Housing 3
developed a campaign to highlight the
terrible conditions experienced by the
homeless in Vancouver. Park benches
were activated with statements such
as ‘This is a bench. This is a bedroom’.
Benches were also converted into shelters,
generously inviting the homeless to sleep
there: ‘Find a home here’. This provocative
reframing of the use of a public bench
challenges the perceptions of the
everyday person in an attempt to foster
awareness and compassion about the
issue of homelessness.
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Transport for London also launched an
intervention as a means to encourage
the use of public transport. In celebration
of the Year of the Bus, famous American
photographer David LaChapelle 1 presented
his Land Scape series on the rooftops of
bus shelters. The works can only be viewed
from the top deck of a double-decker, and it
was the unconventional location and nature
of an art tour by public bus that encouraged
more people to use public transport.
1 David LaChapelle
photogr a pher
2 Spring Advertising
Agency
3 RainCity Housing
Soci a l Serv ice s
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According to US organisation Project for
Public Spaces, placemaking instils a sense
of ownership in the people who use a given
space and develops a sense of community
pride and stewardship that is critical to
creating truly sustainable cities and towns.
It can be said that public art and urban
interventions exemplify a similar value. They
have the potential to connect the public
to their environment through thoughtprovoking and memorable experiences.
Inside Out
— Global art project
Inside Out by the French photographer
JR 1 is a global participatory art project that
allows groups to present their portraits as
a visual statement to the community on an
issue requiring action. Issues range from
environmental sustainability to domestic
violence and other social injustices. The
large-format posters are visually confronting
and pasted in a location relevant to the
issue. This creates a significant connection
between the group, the place, the issue and
those who encounter the artwork.
When done exceptionally
well, the public dynamic
can change in positive
ways, mobilising new
behaviours, perceptions
and appreciation of
our environment and
wider community.
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Airport Attractors
According to the
International Aviation
Transport Authority
(IATA), last year 3.5
billion people flew, up an
extraordinary 43 per cent
in only four years.
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As air travel becomes even more affordable
across the developing world, these rates
are set to climb at double-digit annual
growth. The escalating number of flyers
directly increases the number of flights,
and in turn the size and number of airports
globally. Due to this heightened market
competition, airports are reinventing their
typically homogenous offer, which in the
past has merely responded to the practical
requirements of governing authorities
rather than accommodating the experiential
aspirations of travellers and visitors.
The new airport is
one that invites
consumers to come in
not only for transit, but
also for the experience
offered within.
According to Raymond Kollau, co-founder
of airlinetrends.com 1 , ‘Forward-looking
airports are realising that they have to
differentiate the passenger experience.’
Kollau says they are tackling this ‘not only
by designing seamless, efficient, processes
and fancy terminals, but also by creating a
distinct ambiance with a unique and flexible
portfolio of retail, food and beverage and
service concepts’.
These new city gateways have redefined
the expectations of visitors and travellers
alike. It is no longer acceptable to offer
a sterile process-driven experience. All
aspects have the potential to engage and
provide a unique market proposition.
As the owners have quickly learnt, such an
offer broadens the appeal of the airport,
ensuring consistent year-round visitation
from loyal locals. From the perspective
of asset owners, this underlying shift in
business model relates to an increasing
reliance on auxiliary sources of revenue,
such as retail leasing and casual parking,
as opposed to the traditional areas of
passenger taxes or airline fees.
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To support the idea of airports as attractors
of visitors rather than just ‘processors’ of
travellers many are exploring how they can
offer a distinct local retail proposition.
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San Francisco International Airport
— San Francisco, US
Globally, numerous examples exist of more
progressive airports embracing local retail
brands and food producers, few better
than the retail pop-up concession program
launched by San Francisco International
Airport at the newly redesigned Terminal 3 1 .
In all, 12 retail concessions situated in the
prime ‘air side’ zone present international
travellers and visitors with a range of oneoff and boutique local food, restaurants and
retail operators. The guiding principle of
the program is to attract parochial locals,
while introducing international guests to a
distinctly San Franciscan experience.
From a financial perspective, the pop-up
concession stands were created to allow
retailers to test their concepts at SFO
without a huge investment.
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Based on the earlier experience of a redesigned Terminal 22 , this latest terminal
to receive a makeover will benefit from
an increased average retail spend per
passenger: at $15, Terminal 2 is well above
the US national average.
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Arlanda Airport
— Stockholm , Sweden
Beyond the internalised pop-up programs,
Arlanda Airport 1 , in Stockholm, has
extended the appeal of the airport for locals
not willing to even enter the airport itself.
First the airport revamped its food offerings
to passengers travelling through the facility.
In order to raise awareness of its new
cafes and restaurants, the airport owners
began taking samples of the cuisine to the
inhabitants of Stockholm via food trucks.
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The owners realised that accessibility was
key, and with a price of SEK65 ($US10),
a meal is very reasonable. As the vehicle’s
location changes it keeps customers
updated of its whereabouts through its
own digital and social media channels.
Naturally, offering a ‘sample’ of the food
offer beyond the bounds of the airport is
an innovative way for the airport to promote
and attract locals who may not necessarily
be travelling.
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Newark's United Terminal
— New Jersey, US
Into the future this local food-centric
proposition will continue with airports
such as Newark’s United Terminal set
for a refurbishment to transform it into a
food lover’s paradise. The David Rockwell
Group 1 -designed space, slated to open in
late 2016, provides travellers and visitors
with the full range of food experiences,
including a piazza-like cafe area and beer
garden, and a space which physically
changes from day to night.
Into the future this
local food-centric
proposition will continue
with airports such as
Newark’s (New Jersey)
United Terminal.
Digital integration will also prove
fundamental with the addition of 6000
iPads to the space, with one per seat in
each dining facility and in 80 per cent of
gate seating. The intention is that iPads will
be equipped with card swipes, allowing
travellers to purchase food from their seats.
At the point of sale the restaurants will
be run entirely through automated selfcheckout. In addition to facilitating the food
ordering process, the iPads will also provide
flight information, allowing passengers to
relax while waiting for the boarding call.
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Related to the inclusion of more localised
and authentic food offers is the new-found
emphasis on customer dwell times (CDT).
Research undertaken
by UK-based Dolby
Consulting¹ suggests
that a doubling of the
dwell time from 30 to
60 minutes increases
the likelihood of
food purchase.
Interestingly, a longer dwell time even
opens up the possibility of impulse or
unplanned purchases, which generally
carry a price premium. Naturally, dwell
time does not need to be used for retail
purchases alone.
Schiphol Airport
— Amsterdam , Netherlands
For many travellers and visitors, the idea
of using this time to relax or socialise is
far more appealing. At Schiphol Airport 1
in Amsterdam, in Pier D, an ‘airport park’
has been installed. The park has created
an environment which resembles a natural
space, which is highly unusual for an airport.
The Loft by Brussels Airlines
— Brussels Airport , Belgium
Similar to the Schiphol example, but
sponsored by Microsoft, is The Loft by
Brussels Airlines, at Brussels Airport. The
new ‘connected lounge’ concept makes
use of design, technology and Belgian
gastronomy to create an innovative lounge
environment. At more than 1200 square
metres, the flagship lounge situated in
Pier A is four times bigger than the
previous lounge and offers guests new
levels of service and amenity.
The lounge contains eight different
‘hubs’, including one which was a joint
collaboration between the carrier,
Microsoft and innovation firm Designit.
Along with inspirational spaces in which to
relax or work, there are also ‘napping boxes’
in which travellers can rest. Availability can
be checked in advance using the airport’s
connected lounge application.
Bloomberg Business Lounge
— London , UK
This type of brand-sponsored facility is
becoming more widespread with another
sponsored working and relaxation lounge
being launched at Heathrow Airport,
London (UK) under the name of the
Bloomberg Business Lounge.
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Gatwick Airport
— Crawley, UK
Converge@flySFO
— San Francisco, US
Similarly, the flexible office provider Regus
has installed four ‘workbox’ units at Gatwick
Airport, Crawley. The self-contained and
noise-proof boxes provide travellers with
the opportunity to make last-minute calls,
finish emails or connect with colleagues
by video conference. Users are charged
an hourly rate or subscribe to an
annual membership.
Even without big-brand sponsorship San
Francisco’s Converge@flySFO initiative
shows how forward-thinking airports are
providing work and collaboration spaces
which offer a differentiated experience.
Tapping into San Francisco’s entrepreneurial
start-up culture, the centrally located space
is dedicated to the exchange of ideas.
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Tom Bradley International Terminal
— Los Angeles, US
and memorable space in which to spend
time and pass through.
The final aspect of this trend is the
incorporation of notable artistic installations.
One of the better examples in the past
year is a seven-part multimedia feature
at Tom Bradley International Terminal,
Los Angeles. The result is the largest
immersive multimedia system of any airport
on the American continent. Four hours of
original video content were created for the
artworks, as well as multiple interactive
capsules, using the latest in high-resolution
imaging, 3D effects and interactivity
based on people’s movements and realtime airport information. The installation
transforms the terminal into an engaging
Such iconic commissioned artworks are
becoming real attractors for travellers and
visitors alike. In 2013, another example at
Singapore’s Changi Airport was installed.
The interactive artwork allows travellers to
upload and share their photos and videos.
This visual data is then ‘attached’ to the
animated crown of the structure which
is comprised of 64 large 42-inch highdefinition screens.
Regardless of the execution – artistic or not
– the new airport model of attraction and
user engagement is only going to become
more prevalent in the future.
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Transformative Education
How and where we
learn is rapidly evolving,
driven in large part by
the introduction of new
technologies and a desire
to embrace collaborative
and cross-disciplinary
learning formats.
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The continuing desire for ‘lifelong learning’
is requiring educational providers to think
differently about how they present their
courses, which has opened the door to
educational experiences being staged in
a range of unexpected places. As market
expectations change, non-traditional
educational entities are challenging the
traditional conventions. The ongoing
question is how established educational
institutions will adapt in response to
this changing learning landscape. The
Transformative Education trend explores
the factors at play in the evolution of
education and learning in this new age.
Since the early 2000s, cities in the
developed world have recognised the
benefit of developing innovation districts,
which encourage emerging industries and
support entrepreneurs.
Boston Innovation District
— Boston, US
One such example is the Boston Innovation
District, which has emerged with the
full support of local council and private
investors. The mission for the development
of the space is to ‘build, strengthen and
connect individuals and communities of
innovators while expanding reach, visibility
and benefits of the Greater Boston’s
innovation economy’.
The district is grounded by a communitybased centre called the District Hall 1 ,
a place to gather to share ideas and
knowledge. This collaborative destination
offers a full complement of workspaces,
classrooms, an assembly space and
‘flexible-use pods’ as well as an allimportant on-site cafe. The investment in
this facility demonstrates the importance of
knowledge sharing and rapid learning in the
development of new enterprises. It is a case
of understanding the needs of the users of
an innovation precinct, thus supporting the
entire community.
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As businesses are responding to these
changes the focus turns to the way in which
workers of the future are being taught: what
are they learning and which skills are critical
in this new age? As pointed out in the 2013
McKinsey1 Global Institute report Disruptive
technologies: Advances that will transform
life, business and the global economy', in
order to prepare economies for the new world
order of technology and innovation-driven
business, educational providers must already
be rethinking how they deliver their product
and moving beyond traditional spaces.
University of Technology
— Sydney, Australia
The University of Technology Business
School, located in Sydney, has placed this
new order front and centre, establishing new
learning approaches in spaces that foster
skills the school sees as being necessary for
leaders in the future. Prolific architect Frank
Gehry2 was commissioned in 2009 to create
the learning space that would emphasise
creativity and innovative thinking through
interdisciplinary collaboration and in doing
so would encourage the cross-pollination
of ideas. Driving this paradigm shift is the
Business School’s approach to preparing
students for the demands of the world by
producing ‘integrative thinkers’ who can
combine traditional business skills with
those of more creative disciplines.
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On a macro scale, the democratisation of
education is another aspect facing nations
and governments of the world.
Knowledge Plazas
— Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In Rio de Janeiro, the local Mayor and
current government have invested heavily
in the building of six ‘Knowledge Plazas’
or ‘Knowledge Spaceships’. These digitally
geared education facilities are located in
the city’s favelas and are seen as a way of
giving greater access to digital technology
and thus greater levels of education for
the masses. It is this high exposure to
technology and learning programs that
the government hopes will bring about an
end to the poverty cycle. The pivotal point
driving this ambitious outcome is that the
spaces will provide excellent educational
opportunities to both adults and children in
order to build skills and increase access to
information, which the government says is a
‘right that is owed to all citizens’.
Broader access to the internet, faster
internet speeds and the proliferation of
access to online learning has spurred on an
‘education by demand’ trend. This model,
where universities now compete with the
likes of free online course providers such as
Coursera 1 , gives aspiring students access
to greater options about what they learn,
when they learn and how they learn. This
is education delivered ‘by convenience’
through very different fee models – if they
are not already free. General Assembly2
delivers career-enhancing courses online
or in small educational facilities in cities
around the world. It runs courses over a
variety of periods, with some lasting just
weeks or even hours.
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2 General Assembly
Training School
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Konnektid
— Amsterdam, Netherlands
Laneway Learning
— Australian cities and Singapore
Laneway Learning is a similar program
that pushes this convenience model even
further by holding classes in non-traditional
learning environments, such as cafes, bars
or event spaces. With a mission to make
education ‘as accessible and inexpensive
as possible’, Laneway Learning courses are
taught by experienced ‘members of the
community’ or professionals rather than
qualified teachers. Its mission is to provide
greater access to education by making it
an easy experience to integrate into one’s
life. Laneway Learning operates out of four
Australian cities and Singapore.
In an effort to harness the collective
knowledge of persons across age
groups, ethnic backgrounds and
professional expertise, the online learning
and social connection platform Konnektid
has emerged. With an ethos similar to
Laneway Learning, Konnektid says ‘the
potential to learn anything is right in your
own neighborhood’. The idea behind this
online learning network is to activate
the knowledge of communities and to
encourage people to share their skills or
expertise with others. In doing so, this
model helps to ignite a sense of community
spirit. Having started in Amsterdam, the
online platform is now available for persons
interested in learning or ‘teaching’ in all
cities globally.
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These 'schools' are run
from high-street retail
locations challenging
the notion of where we
believe education and
learning can occur.
The School of Life
— London, UK
Increasing access to education by
delivering learning experiences outside
traditional classrooms is also demonstrated
by The School of Life. An initiative led
by mainstream philosopher Alain de
Botton 1 , the ‘school’ concentrates on
teaching subjects that relate to ‘emotional
intelligence’ and asks students to ‘step
back and think intelligently about central
emotional concerns’. The School of Life
operates in eight locations worldwide and
each offers a range of classes, workshops
or ‘everyday adventures’. These ‘schools’
are run from high-street retail locations,
with each including a cafe and retail store.
As such, they challenge the notion of
where we traditionally believe education
and learning can occur.
Blackhorse Workshop
— London, UK
A more ‘hands-on learning experience’ is
Blackhorse Workshop, located in London.
This ‘community of makers’ opened its
doors to the public in 2014 and is supported
by various government funds. Blackhorse
boasts a professional wood and metal
workshop on site and encourages people
to use the space to make, repair and
experiment in the company of experienced
technicians, trade professionals,
craftspeople and hobbyists. It operates on
a membership model, which provides
access to the various workspaces, classes
and events. Blackhorse also serves as a
meeting ground for people with a shared
passion, knowledge and interest, with a
cafe located on site.
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TK Park
— Bangkok, Thailand
Blurring the lines between commercial
spaces and those traditionally assigned
to education is TK Park in Bangkok.
The knowledge park is located in the
grand shopping precinct called Central
World 1 . Owned and operated by the Thai
government, TK Park is a hub for learning
and was designed to provide ‘easy to
access’ information for the public.
The vision was for it to be ‘convenient for
every user to learn creatively for all their
lives’. The facility houses a multimedia
library and 4D cinema specifically for
children, designed to develop reading
and learning behaviours and habits in an
enjoyable environment. In addition to these
spaces, there is a ‘mind room’ for ideas
exchange and creative forums, a quiet
room, a music library and a ‘dream yard’ for
creative and artistic exploration.
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Micro-Living
According to the United
Nations 2014 report
'World Urbanization
Prospects', by 2050,
the global population
expected to live in cities
will rise to 6.33 billion,
or 66 per cent of the
world’s total forecast
population of 9.6 billion.
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However, this rate of
urbanised population
is already considerably
higher within individual
countries, such as the
United States, with
roughly 82 per cent of
the population living in
urban areas.
Demographic changes are also occurring at
a rapid rate, specifically the ever-increasing
rise in single-person households (in cities
such as New York, 34 per cent, or San
Francisco, 39 per cent) and an ageing
population. Combine this with economic
factors, such as increasing fossil-fuel energy
costs and scarcity of natural resources, and
the case for smaller-scale living is strong.
increase in the average size of residential
dwellings compared to the historically
compact living quarters.
The trend of ‘living small’ is certainly not
new. Originating in Japan and practised due
to a shortage of land, families historically
lived in row houses with around ten square
metres of core living space and large
communal areas. By the late 1980s even
the Japanese had discovered the world’s
appetitie for larger homes, with a ten-fold
The latest ‘small-living’ trend can be divided
into two main categories: societal – which is
driving supply – and on the demand
side, livability.
However, in recent years the global trend is
undoubtedly moving back towards smaller
living environments, with larger communal
spaces traded for more central locations,
access and amenities.
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SmartSpace
— San Francisco, US
For example, several municipalities in the
United States are waving existing zoning
regulations to allow the construction or
re-purposing of smaller dwellings. As
San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener1
remarked in 2013 on the passing of his
legislative act, ‘we need to think outside
the box in providing housing for our
population’. Wiener sponsored the
legislation to allow 375 ‘micro-apartments’
under the development name of
SmartSpace to proceed.
Societal changes, such
as population growth
and the rise of singleperson households,
increasing costs of
purchasing residential
property and relaxed
legislation incentivising
the conversion of
existing property, have
all driven supply.
Panoramic Interests 2 (US), which has been
a leader of this trend and built the first
120 SmartSpace micro-apartments in San
Francisco's SoMa precinct, developed
SmartSpace in San Francisco’s SoMa
precinct as a demonstration project used to
evaluate ‘the potential of high performance,
net zero energy, factory built dwellings
in dense urban environments’. The
project consisted of 23 units which were
fully assembled in a factory outside San
Francisco (including all cabinets, finishes,
fixtures and lighting) and delivered to the
tight laneway site in central San Francisco.
The four-storey building was erected over
the course of just four days.
1 Scott Wiener
Sa n Fr a ncisco
Boa r d of
Su perv isor s
2 Panoramic Interests
de v eloper s
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Texas Micro
— San Antonio, US
Across the United States, other boutique
developers are specialising in small-living
projects, such as AREA Real Estate 1 which
has repurposed a former indoor shopping
mall located in Providence, Rhode Island,
into 48 efficiently designed micro-loft living
spaces. This and another project to be
completed later this year in San Antonio –
100 units termed ‘Texas Micro’, with each
small apartment ranging between 15 and
25 square metres – indicate that the trend
is not only found in the largest global cities.
Combined with the increasingly accepting
governance and legislative environment,
the financial attractiveness of this type of
development is also encouraging supply.
The relative cost of dwellings may be
more affordable; however, the comparative
square metre price often carries a premium.
As noted by Bloomberg Businessweek in
‘Micro-Apartments in the Big City’:
‘Quarters may be small, but rents are not’.
On the demand side, shifting livability
preferences, both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’,
have encouraged the adoption of small
living. These factors include proximity to
infrastructure, workplaces, retail hubs and
existing social networks. Added to this is
the belief among buyers that more densely
populated precincts offer an enriched
cultural and social experience.
Living and working in close proximity
provides many benefits. It produces not only
the market demand for a range of services
presented in small footprints – micro or
niche businesses that would seldom thrive
in a less densely populated precincts –
but also provides an ever-present social
attraction and activity, satisfying our basic
need for interaction.
Additionally, for those who embrace
small living there is a ‘feel-good’ factor
that their lifestyle contributes to a
reduction in environmental impact and
conserves natural resources.
1 AREA Real Estate
bou tiqu e
de v eloper
2 Panoramic Interests
de v eloper
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The application for the trend is not solely
focused on interior spaces. It is the
associated implications for city planning,
with a much greater dependence on
communal, typically outdoor, facilities,
amenities and infrastructure, which will
deliver the most noticeable changes for
inner-urban residents. This requirement is
what Michael Gamble, associate professor
at Georgia Tech School of Architecture 1 ,
describes as a ‘very healthy balance
between what we call the public and private
realm’. If this balance is not achieved,
Gamble warns that ‘there is a tipping point
related to general health [associated with]
small apartments’.
such as ‘Paradiset 19-21’, located in central
Stockholm, are on the rise. According to the
Swedish architects, Kjellander + Sjöberg,
the project promotes ‘green space and
social-ecological resilience. Given the
dense inner city location, every available
space is secured and used to provide
recreation and positive experiences for
the residents.’ To support the residents’
experience, the development includes a
series of expansive green roof terraces
containing both communal and private
spaces for spending time outdoors,
cultivation, playing and socialising.
Paradiset 19-21
— Stockholm, Sweden
In response to this need for a ‘balanced’
public and private realm, prototype projects
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Other examples of
smart thinking are
being practised by
architects, interior and
industrial designers
who are attracted to the
interrelated challenges
of resolving multiple
uses in compact spaces.
Muji Vertical Apartment
— Tokyo, Japan
Across the world, these types of one-off
individual dwelling prototypes can range
from the brand-led (Muji’s vertical Tokyo
apartment – three-storey pre-fabricated
unit), to social housing concepts (Bamboo
Micro Homes – utilising spaces within Hong
Kong’s abandoned factory buildings), to
construction company initiatives (Dutch
Heijmans ONE pre-fab moveable home) and
the iconic (New Zealand’s Crosson Clarke
Carnachan’s 40 square metre double-storey
movable beach residence).
On the fringes of the movement proponents
are practising ‘upcycling’ or re-use of
either spaces of materials. One of the
more noteworthy projects was undertaken
by Savannah College of Art and Design 1 ,
based in Atlanta, Georgia. The prototype
project asked students to develop solutions
to the growing urban housing changes in
cities worldwide by designing temporary
living solutions all within a repurposed
parking structure situated on its Atlanta
campus. Students have the added benefit
of living in the spaces once complete.
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The final ‘smart’ aspect
of this trend relates to
the creation of smallliving objects found
within these spaces.
As many of these projects are unable
to use standard furniture and fittings,
developments often commission designers
to customise bespoke transformable
furniture, even going to the length of
individualising each dwelling through the
use of 3D-printed technology.
Additionally, architectural hardware
companies, such as bathroom products
brand TOTO 1 (Japan), have designed fittings
specifically for small living. The Aquia toilet
can be accommodated in a bathroom as
small as 0.84 square metres, its innovation
being a ultra-thin high-efficiency water tank
hidden within the backing wall. The product
not only saves on water expenses, but also
better utilises the limited available space.
With technological advancement supporting
a greater degree of mass customisation,
smart density will only continue to enhance
how we live, inside and out.
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Conscious Environments
More than cosmetic
beautification through
greenery, this trend
applies principles
of environmental
psychology to ensure
the built environment
supports the physical
and emotional wellbeing
of its occupants.
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While the benefits of designing for
wellbeing have been previously accepted,
the widespread application of this trend
has been linked to the development of
measurement analytics which for the first
time have the potential to quantify the
financial gains derived from conscious
environments. These workplace productivity
gains or residential price premiums have led
the global property sector to consciously
create environments with the wellbeing of
occupants the leading consideration.
One of the world's leading developers
in the wellbeing space, Delos1 (US), has
delivered a range of projects across sectors
since forming in 2011. However, one of
it's landmark residential developments,
described as a ‘wellness loft 2’, is located in
the Meatpacking District, Manhattan. As
the company outlines, ‘the loft was privately
commissioned for a family seeking a home
that would enhance their lives and optimize
their health’. The more than 75 wellness
amenities and innovations are mostly
unseen by the naked eye and help improve
the occupants’ air, water, light, nutrition
and sleep.
The most established area of study, and
hence evidence documenting the benefits
of conscious environments, is found
within the health sector. One such study
of whether these environments improve
patient recovery or resident wellbeing
was undertaken by the University of
Exeter Medical School 3 (UK), which found
that gardens provide therapeutic relief
for dementia patients. Published in the
Journal of the American Medical Directors
Association 4 , the research examined the
effects of gardens on the mental and
physical wellbeing of dementia patients in
nursing homes and found that they were
proven to lower the agitation levels of
the patients.
1Delos
W elln e ss R e a l
E state
2 Wellness Loft
De v elopmen t
3 University of Exeter
Medical School
4 Journal of the
American Medical
Directors Association
Pu blication
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Brooklyn Grange
— Brooklyn, US
Moyo
— Cape Town, South Africa
This same ‘garden’ concept has been
applied across a range of development
types, including not-for-profit, community,
residential and commercial. One of the
earlier rooftop examples, Brooklyn
Grange continues to operate the world’s
largest rooftop soil farms, across two
rooftops in Brooklyn, New York City.
To date, the project has sold more than
50,000 kg (120,000 lbs) of vegetables
to restaurants and directly to the public
through weekly market stalls.
The practice of urban farming, first seen
in widespread application on the rooftops
of Brooklyn, had made its way to Cape
Town, South Africa by early 2013. The
Moyo Waterfront Development is a twostorey restaurant, open-air food market and
‘urban farm’. Unlike Brooklyn Grange, the
2000-square-metre development covers
all four product life stages on-site: growing,
cultivating, selling and eating. It even
contains an aquaponic urban farm which
supplies live fish to the restaurant. Since
completion in 2013, the development has
been commercially successful, with more
than 23 million visitors per year attracted to
the city’s waterfront precinct.
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Pasona Group
— Tokyo, Japan
Even workplaces are tapping into the
benefits of urban farming. The Pasona
Group headquarters, located in the heart
of sprawling Tokyo, is on paper a ninestorey, 20,000-square-metre inauspicious
commercial building. However, inside the
building there is more than 4000 square
metres of green growing space with 200
species, including fruits, vegetables and rice
that are harvested, prepared and served at
the cafeterias within the building. All this
makes the Pasona building the largest and
most direct farm-to-table of its kind ever
realised inside an office building in Japan.
The true benefits, of course, are found
beyond these sorts of statistics, with the
building’s architects, New York-based Kono
Designs1 , stating that Pasona Urban Farm
‘creates a unique workplace environment
that promotes workers’ productivity,
mental health, and social interaction and
engages the wider community of Tokyo by
showcasing the benefits and technology of
urban agriculture’.
1 Kono Designs
A rchitect
Pasona
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As the Pasona Group has recognised, the
benefits of conscious environments are
clear when applied to workplaces. As a
2014 report from the World Green Building
Council (WorldGBC) 1 supports, there is
‘overwhelming evidence’ that office design
significantly impacts the health, wellbeing
and productivity of staff. The study, entitled
Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in
Offices: The Next Chapter for Green
Building 2 , asserts that a broad range of
factors – from air quality and lighting, to
views of nature and interior layout – have
the potential to positively improve the
satisfaction, productivity and retention of
employees within workplaces. For example,
improved indoor air quality, covering lower
concentrations of CO2 and pollutants
and high ventilation rates, can lead to
productivity improvements of 8–11 per cent
alone. This is further endorsed by primary
research undertaken by Place Associates 3
through the Workplace Efficiencies and
Behaviours Benchmark (WEBB) 4 , which
surveyed more than 8000 Australian
workers to determine the environmental
factors, such as ‘access to natural light’, that
directly correlate to employee satisfaction
and productivity.
World Green Center
— Santiago, Chile
One yet-to-be-completed example of
a large-scale commercial site which is
recognising the importance of natural
light is the World Green Center, located in
Santiago. The offices were designed around
an imperative of natural light with 100 per
cent coverage in all spaces. Interestingly,
artificial light is used only by night –
not at all during the day. Other worker
considerations include green roof terraces
which connect with 900 people from
top-floor offices. As the project architects
cCe commented, ‘the relationship with
nature increases [the] mind health of every
worker and helps in having a healthy work
environment’. Additionally, public green
parklands cover 70 per cent of the site: ‘For
the people who do not have greenery in
their immediate office area, there is a public
park at the street level, allowing everyone
access to green space’.
1 World Green Building
Council
2 Health, Wellbeing
and Productivity in
Offices: The Next
Chapter for Green
Building
3 Place Associates
4Workplace
Efficiencies
and Behaviours
Benchmark
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St Canice’s Rooftop Kitchen Garden
— Sydney, Australia
The social benefits of conscious
environments are also starting to be
realised. St Canice’s Rooftop Kitchen
Garden, located in Sydney, Australia, offers
refugees seeking asylum the opportunity to
participate in a meaningful activity during
the long periods of time when they are
unable to work prior to their applications
being granted. The garden volunteers,
many of whom possess farming knowledge
gained in their homeland, grow a range of
herbs and vegetables which supply local
restaurants as well as the weekly soup
kitchen. The kitchen garden, situated on
the previously unused rooftop above St
Canice’s Church, is hoping to partner with
nearby St Vincent’s Hospital 1 in providing a
horticultural therapy program to patients.
1 St Vincent’s Hospital
St Canice’s Rooftop
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Hualien Wellness and Residential
Development
— Taiwan
These community-led programs typify a
wider global trend towards the creation of
holistic environments which better consider
the wellbeing of occupants. One such
example is the yet-to-be-completed Hualien
Wellness and Residential Development,
located on the eastern coast of Taiwan.
The demographic profile of the area is
changing, facilitating a growing demand
for places where retired seniors can
enjoy an active lifestyle. The entire site
is designed around the philosophy of
‘neighbourly interaction’. According to the
Danish landscape architects Bjarke Ingels
Group (BIG), ‘the buildings are shaped
to encourage the growth of a community
that is health-conscious and productive’.
In addition to designated speed-walking
paths, a public path wraps around the entire
complex and is studded with interesting
activities to spark interest and encourage
more walking and exercise, such as an
observation point, performance stage,
shops and restaurants. Even the harsh
winters have been considered, with an
underground jogging path also serving as
an excellent short cut to all buildings via
an interior route. However, it is the public
path which becomes the main artery for
the development, what BIG 1 describes as a
‘social condenser; a path where people can
leisurely shop, have informal gatherings,
go jogging, or take walks after dinner’.
Further, the development encourages
social interaction by only fitting units with
basic functions, reinforcing the need to visit
the array of amenity spaces provided and
building a sense of community.
1 BIG – Bjarke Ingels
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City For All Ages
— Singapore
Similarly, the ‘City For All Ages’ program
was a Singaporean government initiative
focusing on connecting the elderly with
their surrounding environment. The initiative
looked to improve the way elderly people
live in the city, by reviewing how the urban
environment could better meet their needs.
Some of the suggested improvements
required only minimal investment and
significantly improved the everyday livability
of the city, including recommendations to
provide better pedestrian access, increase
crossing times at lights and establish local
seniors’ activities.
Importantly, conscious environments can
have lasting positive effects. Reseachers
from the University of Exeter Medical
School 1 noted that moving to a greener
urban area can have sustained mental
health gains. According to the research,
residents who lived near natural space had
significantly improved mental health up to
three years after their move away from this
natural environment.
1 University of Exeter
Medical School
E x eter , UK
City For All Ages
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Digital Retail 2.0
The continuing
convergence of the
digital and physical retail
economy has reached a
point of true blurring.
No longer are digital
retailers awkward
in the physical world
and physical retailers
cumbersome in the
digital world.
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The rapid rise of
complementary digital
technologies is making
it possible to seamlessly
integrate the two.
Such examples provide customers and the
general public with more reasons to engage
in spaces, to spend and to return. Contrary
to what many feared, digital disruption is
not making physical spaces redundant, it is
in practice making them more tailored and
relevant. There are two main movements
impacting this next generation of digital
retail convergence: traditional retailers
introducing real-time and intuitive userdriven services, and emerging online
operators challenging the physical
marketplace through an online mindset.
Rebecca Minkoff
— San Francisco, US
The San Francisco Rebecca Minkoff
boutique has partnered with eBay inc. 1
to create an engaging and convenient
customer experience which merges online
and physical shopping. The store has a
mirror which functions as an interactive
interface displaying the season range and
style pairings. Customers can digitally
browse and select their desired items
from the mirror display. Their selection
is received by the store assistants who
proceed to set up a fitting room with the
chosen items.
Fitting rooms are also equipped with
an interactive mirror which displays the
selected items and allows customers to
save a digital record of their visit, call a
store assistant, and populate a ‘cart’ of
items which can be purchased via PayPal 2 .
The mirror also has customisable
environmental lighting allowing the
customer to see how their outfit fares
in different scenarios; some include ‘North
Beach Morning’, ‘Golden Gate Sunset’
and ‘Mission After Dark’. This is a customer
consideration which, until now, has not yet
been responded to in a retail scenario. The Rebecca Minkoff is a highly considered
customer experience which uses digital
technology to not only enhance the
physical experience in store, but also
to anticipate customer considerations
for future physical experiences.
1 eBay inc.
e - commerce
compa n y
2PayPal
on lin e pay men ts
system
Rebecca Minkoff
S a n Fr a ncisco, US
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Hointer
— Seattle, US
One of the key areas for convergence is the
direct application of digital technology to
the physical sales environment. The Seattlebased retail technology company Hointer
is one of the leading proponents of a truly
integrated digital/physical experience.
Established in 2012 by Nadia Shouraboura,
an ex-Amazon supply chain and fulfillment
manager, the organisation is fundamentally
changing the way customers interact
and purchase the product. Already the
organisation has a physical store presence
in the United States (New York City, San
Francisco and Seattle) with another store in
the fast-growing Asian market (Singapore).
However, their business objective is more
focused on licensing the technology to
existing physical retailers, particularly
those in the fashion sector.
An important aspect of Hointer’s model
is that the stores have one-fifth of the
floor space of traditional stores, which
significantly lowers overheads. This is
largely due to the inventory being solidly
packed into storage areas rather than
displayed on shelves. The automation of
the sales and selection process through
a mobile application allows for half the
number of staff, who in turn have more time
to serve customers when the need arises.
1 Warby Parker
US R eta iler
The automation allows for customers to
scan items to access peer reviews, product
information and previous purchases. Once
selected, the products are delivered by
robotic technology to the change rooms. As
all items are coded with RFID technology,
items which are not appropriate are simply
dropped through a chute for sorting. The
group estimates that costs for retailers will
be substantially lower, while the sales uplift
is thought to be between 30 and 50 per
cent. As Shouraboura notes, ‘Customers
who come to Hointer end up trying on a
lot more items […] because it’s very fast’.
In addition, there are numerous examples
of e-tailers moving from the online-only
environment to physical spaces, including
US-based Warby Parker1 , Bonobos 2 ,
Birchbox 3 and Etsy4 , along with Australianbased Shoes of Prey5 .
2Bonobos
US R eta iler
3Birchbox
US R eta iler
4Etsy
Globa l R eta iler
5 Shoes of Prey
Austr a li a n
R eta iler
Hointer
Se attle , US
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At the other end of the
spectrum, traditional
physical owners and
operators are capturing
the attention of
tech innovators and
entrepreneurs with
the aim of leveraging
their capability.
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Bespoke
— San Francisco, US
At the other end of the spectrum,
traditional physical owners and operators
are capturing the attention of tech
innovators and entrepreneurs with the aim
of leveraging their capability. One such
example, termed ‘Bespoke’, is opening in
Spring 2015 with their San Francisco centre.
Developed by the innovation division of
Westfield Labs1 , Bespoke is described as
a ‘place that provides co-working, event
and technology demo spaces all under
one roof’.
The business believes that with an ‘eye
for retail, and a heart for tech’, they are
well positioned to create a place where
‘fashion runway shows and hackathons
could happen side-by-side’. The space
itself is fully customisable to play host to
the wide range of events that appeal to the
entrepreneurial culture of San Francisco.
Central to supporting collaboration between
users is a co-working space situated next
to the multipurpose function facility. For
prospective retailers, Bespoke creates a
space where retail innovators can test their
products in a unique retail environment with
20 million visitors a year. The purpose-built
space will provide 24-hour access for users
along with a range of amenities, including a
quiet library area, bocce court and climbing
wall. Importantly, the demonstration
space will have large screens, including
a 10-metre-high video wall, and what
Westfield has termed a ‘friction-free
booking system’. For Westfield 2 , the
Bespoke initiative comes at a time when
shopping centre owners and developers
are feeling exposed to the effects of
agile online retailers and struggling to
remain relevant with the next generation
of shopper. In providing this space, the
business is seeking to appeal to both
shoppers looking for entertainment and to
retailers who are eager to test prototypes
with their target customers.
1 Westfield Labs
Digita l l a b
1Westfield
De v eloper
Bespoke
Sa n Fr a ncisco
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Kate Spade Saturday
— New York, US
There are many examples of customercentred technology within retail settings,
which aim to enhance the retail experience
and deliver strong financial returns. One of
the key areas for exploration by physical
retailers has focused on extending trading
hours or locations. For savvy retailers,
their primary consideration is how best to
counter the perceived and actual benefits
of their online competitors by offering their
products when and where desired.
Launched in 2013 to much acclaim, the
Kate Spade Saturday stores were an
innovative partnership with eBay 1 . The four
Manhattan-based shopfronts operated as
24-hour online stores. Through a mounted
touchscreen, customers could order a
product and schedule a one-hour delivery
of this product anywhere in Manhattan. This
approach allows for instant gratification
while not requiring customers to wait at
their homes – the delivery could be directed
to any address, from a cafe to a street
corner. These types of physical and digital
retailer partnerships are set to continue. As
eBay noted, the partnership ‘brings the best
of online shopping into the physical world,
and rolls mobile technology, same-day
delivery, and seamless digital payments into
one end-to-end customer experience’. For
Kate Spade 2 , the ability to access the digital
delivery services on offer through eBay was
critical to the success of the initiative.
1eBay
e - commerce
compa n y
2 Kate Spade
Fa shion House
Kate Spade Saturday
N ew Yor k , US
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For other physical
retailers, the question
of delivery (access
and timing) has led
to the creation of
some unexpected
partnerships.
In June 2014, Sydney gelato retailer Gelato
Messina 1 teamed up with Uber2 to provide
logistic support for a one-day promotion
which encouraged new customers of the
Uber service to download the application
to claim a free ice-cream delivery after
entering the codeword ‘ice-cream’.
Uber Corner Store
— Washington DC, US
In the United States, the ride-share service
has launched ‘Uber Corner Store’ in limited
areas of Washington DC. The on-demand
product delivery service provides users
with the opportunity to order from the
most popular 100 convenience store items,
such as allergy medicine, nappies and
toothpaste, through the Uber application.
It is expected that following a trial period,
Corner Store will be rolled out to further
locations in the United States and beyond.
1 Gelato Messina
gel ato r eta iler
Deliv
— Online, US
Also in the United States, Deliv is a
crowdsourced delivery service used by
retailers such as Williams-Sonoma 3 and a
growing number of shopping centres owned
by companies, including General Growth
Properties 4 and Simon Property Group 5 .
The service operates by offering shoppers
within a certain distance of the centre to
have their purchase delivered the same day.
The service covers all purchases: online
and in-store. In some instances, such as at
Chicago’s Water Tower Place 6 , the Deliv
service was free (waiving the typical $5
fee) for an initial introductory period, as the
owner, General Growth, wanted to acquaint
shoppers with the service.
2Uber
tr a nsportation
n et wor k
3Williams-Sonoma
R eta il Compa n y
4 General Growth
Properties
r e a l e state
in v e stmen t trust
5 Simon Property Group
commerci a l r e a l
e state
6 Chicago’s Water
Tower Place
Shopping Cen tr e
Uber Corner Store
Wa shington DC, US
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Posse
— Online
Described as ‘Pinterest meets Facebook
meets Trip Advisor’, Posse is a highly
visual word-of-mouth travel advice site,
driven and resourced solely by users of
the service. The service provides locationspecific recommendations from friends
and allows users to create itineraries for
places they would like to visit in the future.
One of the most interesting features of
the service is the ability for users to create
their own street or neighbourhood – linking
previously disparate locations together as
one holistic offer.
Food, one of the
most time-sensitive
commodities, is also
receiving the digital
retail 2.0 treatment.
Dine-on-time
— US
Dine-on-time (US) and Eat-on-time
(Australia), an initiative developed by
Westfield Labs1 , links food retailers with
delivery services. However, the future
of this movement could apply a dynamic
pricing structure to the service, either
through constraining supply, such as Table
8 2 restaurant in San Francisco, which opens
reservations at popular restaurants just
days in advance; SeatMe 3 (US), which allows
restaurants to notify diners if tables open up
at the last minute; or Resy4 (US), a service
that places a price premium on reservations
for tables at peak times.
However, the next generation of digital
retail is not only advantageous for techsavvy retail start-ups. For large-scale
urban precincts and cities, there are also
opportunities in this new digital world
as two newly launched progressive
services demonstrate.
Similar online services, such as San
Francisco-based The Bold Italic 5 , provide
curated location-specific information
on nearby retailers and operators to an
increasingly localised audience.
Extending beyond the typical events
guide, the information and reviews are
tailored for neighbourhoods, or what The
Bold Italic calls ‘micro-hoods’. Each of the
locations has a network of retailers and
operators who participate in annual events
that activate the immediate area through
one-off offers and promotions.
1 Westfield Labs
Digita l l a b
2 Table 8
r e servation
serv ice
3SeatMe
r e servation
serv ice
4Resy
R e servation a pp
5 The Bold Italic
On lin e m aga zin e
Dine-on-time and
Eat-on-time
On lin e , US a n d
Austr a li a
Posse
On lin e , US
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09
Smart Cities
Cities are increasingly
collecting data about the
vital signs of a city to
help decide how to place
resources and respond
to issues.
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While this approach has
been taken for at least
the past decade, the
real development in this
area is in the application
of information, with
massive amounts of
data being used for the
optimisation of urban
services, not solely for
sensing variables.
The collection of urban data had been
fundamental in informing the possibilities
of sensor technology and the power of the
analytics. Attention is now turning to the
commercialisation of the technology and
analytics through the creation of digitally
enhanced urban services. Whether these
are offered by the municipality or by
private third parties, the realm of service
provision in our cities has expanded and the
commercial applications are clearly evident.
Kashiwa-no-ha ‘Smart City’
— Kashiwanoha, Japan
Often the easiest way of creating and
testing intelligent-city technologies is within
the fixed confines of a city itself. Kashiwano-ha Smart City 1 , located outside Tokyo, is
one such example. It is a leading intelligentcity business project which aims to solve
global problems present in large-scale
urban development.
In Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, the views of
residents are taken into consideration to
establish a safe and sustainable city.
These views are then applied to various
public infrastructure systems and facilitated
by a social systems coordinator (SSC) who
acts as a conduit between city managers
and residents. While understanding the
state of the infrastructure and providing
operational support, the SSC also offers
practical advice for optimal use. In this
way, the SSC plays an important role in
maintaining the ideal balance between
effective community management and
resident satisfaction while operating
urban and service infrastructures.
Kashiwa-no-ha
K a shi wa noh a ,
Ja pa n
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Array of Things
— Chicago, US
Similarly, Chicago has embraced the
benefits of partnership, this time from
academic institutions and NGOs. The
University of Chicago 2 , School of the Art
Institute of Chicago 3 and Argonne National
Laboratory4 will managing a network of
50 sensor nodes installed on lampposts.
The project is part of the ‘Array of Things’
initiative, a collaborative endeavour which
aims to gather behavioural data on how
Chicago functions at various levels. The
data gathered will support, design and
manage the city. In due course, the team
hopes to widen the scale of the system to
more than 1000 sensors, which will cover
the entire downtown area.
New Urban Mechanics
— Boston, US
1 Citizens Connect
Digita l hotlin e
2 University of Chicago
Globally, a number of cities are encouraging
input from consumers, occupants and
residents to inform the operation of their
urban systems. In Boston, the ‘New Urban
Mechanics’ initiative, managed by the
Mayor’s Office, has been operating since
2010. The program focuses on small-scale
improvements that exploit technology and
data, aiming to pull people into a practice
it calls ‘participatory urbanism’. One of the
first projects, Citizens Connect 1 , is a digital
hotline that allows people to use their
phones to notify City Hall of instances of
rubbish, vandalism and service problems.
Since these early initiatives, the city has
implemented ‘City Worker’, which helps
municipal employees track their daily tasks
and report progress to management and
to their fellow citizens. In another imitative
they have developed an application
‘Street Bump’, which identifies potholes
with sensors and passes this information
onto the city. Some of the future pilot
programs which may be rolled out across
the city include testing mobile parking
ticket payments, smart parking meters and
sensors in streets that would alert drivers
to available parking spaces.
R e se a rch
u n i v er sit y
3 School of the Art
Institute of Chicago
de sign school
4 Argonne National
Laboratory
r e se a rch
l a bor atory
New Urban
Mechanics
Boston, US
Array of Things
Chicag o, US
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Civic Data Design Lab
— Massachusetts, US
One of the most noteworthy examples
of the academic world’s contribution to
this field is the ‘Civic Data Design Lab’,
operating from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) 1 . The group works with
data ‘to understand it for public good.’ It
embraces alternative practices which help
the urban system solutions in order to be
‘richer, smarter, more relevant, and more
responsive to the needs and interests of
citizens’. One of the organisation’s latest
projects, ‘Digital Matatus’, is a collective
collaboration between the University of
Nairobi 2 , Columbia University’s Center for
Sustainable Urban Development 3 , MIT’s
Civic Data Design Lab and research
design consultancy Groupshot. The
project’s objective is to standardise transit
data for Nairobi’s decentralised bus
system, called ‘Matatus’, and in turn make
this information available to the public for
the first time. Through a series of smart
phone applications the researchers used
crowdsourced data to produce
standardised bus routes for the city.
SMILE
— Vienna, Austria
The improvement of transportation systems
is a common application for system data.
In the Austrian city of Vienna, pioneering
projects such as SMILE (Smart Mobility Info
and Ticketing System Leading the Way for
Effective E-Mobility Services), developed
by Vienna Utilities, Vienna Public Transport
and Austrian Rail ÖBB, are redefining
transportation systems to respond to the
variability of intermodal transport better.
The SMILE application determines the
optimal transportation route and mode
based on a user’s preferences. The visual
interface takes into account individual
factors, such as travel cards, memberships
and access to private vehicles. If a change
in weather is expected, the user can choose
not to ride a bike and to take other modes
instead. The application also provides users
with the option to sort routes and modes
based on travel time, price and even
CO2 emissions.
1MIT
r e se a rch
u n i v er sit y
2 University of Nairobi
R e se a rch
u n i v er sit y
3 Columbia University
Civic Data Design
Lab works with data
to understand it for
public good.
R e se a rch
u n i v er sit y
Civic Data Design Lab
M a ssach usetts, US
SMILE
V ien na , Austr i a
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These types of city-led examples are
paving the way for the commercialisation
of the technology supporting consumer
transportation solutions.
Bridj
— Boston, US
One of the most commercially successful
initiatives in this area is Bridj. Trialled
throughout 2014 in the city of Boston, Bridj
is pitched as ‘your everyday transportation
system that adapts in real-time to where
you live, work, and play’. The privately run
bus network provides a flexible route, which
is informed by real-time data aggregated
from a range of sources, including Google
Earth, Facebook and census records.
The results are used to create routes that
respond to where and when consumers
want the service, which of course has clear
advantages over the traditional inflexible
approach. The business asserts that as
more people use the service, it will become
‘smarter’ and be able to supply customised
routes and additional services to meet
sudden increases in demand.
As the technologies become more
commercial, multinational organisations are
partnering to test the market potential of
urban tools and products.
City24/7 ‘Smart Screens’
— New York, US
City24/7 – a joint collaboration between
the City of New York and tech consultancy
Cisco IBSG – has been providing valuable
insights into the factors for creating
intelligent urban environments and smart
connected cities. One of its first initiatives
was to launch an interactive platform
that integrates information from open
government sources, local businesses
and residents to provide meaningful and
powerful knowledge anytime, anywhere,
on any device. Building on this initial trial
platform, the program is now focused on
repurposing unused public infrastructure,
such as payphones, to serve as information
points. The City24/7 ‘Smart Screens’, as
they are being called, incorporate touch,
voice and audio technology to deliver a
range of information, services and offers
in real time. In addition to displaying
information about local events and retailers,
City24/7 Smart Screens support personal
safety by providing security alerts for the
immediate area.
1 Cisco IBSG
n et wor k ing
cor por ation
Bridj
Boston, US
City24/7
N ew Yor k , US
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Smarter Water
—IBM Intelligent Water software
These types of commercial partnerships are
on the rise, with the example of IBM and
Veolia typifying the benefits of the unified
approach. The partnership will allow both
businesses to combine the intuitive and
powerful digital technologies developed by
IBM with Veolia's understanding of urban
services, with the aim of improving the
efficiency of municipal systems globally.
One of the first initiatives is a new solution
for what the partnership have labelled
‘Smarter Water’, incorporating the IBM
Intelligent Water software which utilises
big data. The program integrates municipal
water management systems and uses
analytics to allow Veolia to identify patterns
and predict usage in order to manage water
more efficiently, reduce waste and costs.
Smarter Water
IBM In telligen t
Water soft wa r e
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iBeacon
— Apple technology
One of the most influential technological
developments facilitating the intelligent
cities movement is iBeacon technology –
what Apple describes as a ‘new class of
low-powered, low-cost transmitters that
can notify nearby iOS 7 devices of their
presence’. The cost-effective technology
allows owners of iPhones or iPads to be
sent information relevant to their physical
location. Some of the early applications
have been practical, such as the
Sm
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‘beaconisation’ of Miami Airport; however,
there are also examples of commercial or
transactional applications emerging, such
as Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre 1 in
Sydney. From October 2014, Miami became
the first airport in the world to fully utilise
the iBeacon technology, with beacons at
all entrances, check-in counters, departure
gates, baggage carousels and parking
zones. With the aid of the technology,
travellers are able to receive precise
and personalised information on flight
arrivals, departures and boarding times.
In practice the passenger experience has
been streamlined in the simpliest ways.
For example, immediately after checking
in, a passenger will automatically receive
a terminal map to their phone, with
directions and the estimated walking time
to their boarding gate. This technological
investment by Miami Airport 2 is a large
step forwards for the widespread adoption
of beacon technology and should
encourage other airports and other
large facilities to follow.
1 Chatswood Chase
Shopping Cen tr e
2 Miami Airport
iBeacon
A pple technology
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Symbiotic Partnerships
In an increasingly
interrelated and complex
world, symbiotic
collaborations are being
harnessed to capitalise on
market opportunities and
solve global challenges.
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i t lPa
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There are three reasons
for this rise in symbiotic
partnerships: to share
risk, to acquire additional
sources of financial
investment and to
combine capability
or knowledge.
Across all levels – from government to
government, government to business,
business to consumer and consumer to
consumer – this trend is delivered through
the provision of infrastructure, investment
and culture in the pursuit of new forms of
mutually beneficial exchange. Partnerships
are forged to fuse the expertise and
knowledge of each party in order to gain
a competitive edge and deliver distinct
solutions to challenging problems.
R OT T
HO
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
— Global
At the highest level of government-togovernment partnerships are a range of
organising bodies, one of which is the
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
(C40), a global cohort of large cities that
are committed to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and climate risks. Based on a
common understanding of mutual benefit,
C40 provides a platform for direct knowledge
exchange. One of the offshoots of C40
is the Connecting Delta Cities1 initiative,
which bands together a smaller network
of cities with the purpose of investigating
water-related challenges within the urban
environment. This arm of C40 was founded in
Rotterdam in 2008, and the city is currently
pursuing direct collaborations with five of the
organisation’s members: Jakarta, Tokyo, New
York, New Orleans and Ho Chi Minh City. In
these cities, Dutch experts and politicians
have teamed up with local consultants,
ER
CHI
DA M
advisers and knowledge institutions to
bring about change at urban and regional
scales. Most recently, a Climate Adaptation
Partnership between Rotterdam and Ho
Chi Minh City has garnered international
attention. The Vietnamese government
recently signed on their Rotterdam
partners for a second stage, in which the
Dutch will help local planners apply the
proven solutions in a practical sense.
MI N H
1 Connecting Delta
Cities
Cit y N et wor k
C40 Cities Climate
Leadership Group
Globa l
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Smart City Partnership
— Singapore
One of the more notable examples
of intergovernmental partnership has
developed between the Chinese and
Singaporean authorities. The relationship
goes back to the 1990s when the
Singaporean government was responsible
for building an industrial park in the city of
Suzhou (China). More recently, Singbridge 1 ,
a firm the government controls, has
delivered five urban development
projects in China. The largest of these is
a ‘knowledge city’ in Guangzhou, where it
provides social services and plays a part in
protecting intellectual property laws. This
experience has led to the establishment
of the Smart City Partnership, which is
tasked with identifying a suitable district
in Singapore to pilot and test the next
generation of smart cities. An open and
innovative procurement model will be
adopted, giving Singaporean and Chinese
enterprises a platform to demonstrate
their capabilities in smart-city technology.
Significantly, this pilot system will provide
the governments of both countries with the
opportunity to test innovative smart-city
solutions before considering them
for deployment in other locations.
1Singbridge
Consu lta n t
Smart City
Partnership
Singa por e
09
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?
‘Through problem-based
procurement, cities
can save 10% of
operating budgets,
avoid re-invention and
deliver transformative
solutions faster.’
?
?
?
Citymart
— Online
In an open-source world, online facilities
such as Citymart are facilitating global
knowledge sharing and connecting
supply and demand. The website helps
strengthen their innovation capacity by
publicising inspiring solutions and methods
to transform communities. There may be a
practical need, such as a recent challenge
facing the city of San Francisco when it
decided to install a wireless control system
for its street lights. Through Citymart, a
Swiss firm, Paradox Engineering 1 , which had
already gained experience building similar
systems for local cities, was found. Of note
Pg 85 Citymart
is that though members and contributors
to the website often share ideas and
knowledge, most decide to implement
their chosen policies themselves, making
the website a knowledge portal rather
than a commercial venture. With the help
of facilitation services such as Citymart,
cities may spend fewer public resources
to achieve transformative results, thereby
creating more local jobs and fostering a
sustainable innovation capacity. Since its
establishment, Citymart has been used by
more than 50 cities – such as London, Paris,
Barcelona, San Francisco, Fukuoka and
Mexico City. The results are clear,
as the Citymart website outlines:
‘Through problem-based procurement,
cities can save 10% of operating
budgets, avoid re-invention and deliver
transformative solutions faster’.
1 Paradox Engineering
technology
compa n y
Citymart
On lin e
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‘In order to keep up
with projected global
population growth,
20 new cities of
more than 1 million
would need to be
built every year for
the foreseeable future.’
Encouraged by the potential commercial
gains, this trend of symbiotic partnership
is starting to be embraced by the private
sector. In the urban development sector,
technology companies are emulating
the colonial land grab of the nineteenth
century. They generally understand that for
new-build cities, often designed to house
more than 1 million inhabitants, right of first
access is critical to establishing an
ongoing dependence.
Cisco 1 is one such organisation, which in
recent years has actively partnered with
Gale International 2 in enabling a number of
new cities, the first of which is a trial site in
Songdo (South Korea).
According to the United Nations 2014 report
World Urbanization Prospects 3 , in order to
keep up with projected global population
growth, 20 new cities of more than 1
million would need to be built every year
for the foreseeable future. This consistent
demographic trend attracted Cisco into the
instant-city business.
to education to traffic to shopping. The
financial incentive for Cisco is that they
will take a slice of every transaction that
runs through their software. Financially,
the case is very strong with Cisco stating
that the Smart+Connected Communities
initiative is a potential $30 billion
opportunity. This amount is based not only
on the revenues from installation of the
basic infrastructure, but also on selling the
consumer-facing hardware as well as the
services layered on top of the hardware.
For New Songdo 4 , Cisco has already
shown how its technology could be used
to automate energy use in the city, turning
up and down the heat, lights and electricity
to suit the immediate requirements of the
population. Its next step will be to create a
sort of urban operating system, and then
to identify and create services that try to
streamline everything from health care
1Cisco
N et wor k ing
cor por ation
2 Gale International
R e a l e state Fir m
3 World Urbanization
Prospects
UN R eport
4 New Songdo
Sou th Kor e a
Sm a rt cit y
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There are also numerous examples of
businesses, usually consumer brands,
investing in the rejuvenation of physical
assets or precincts.
La Samaritaine
— Paris, France
One of the stronger examples is the
proposed redevelopment of the iconic
Paris department store La Samaritaine by
the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH)
Group 1 . This latest commitment by the
organisation represents a longstanding
involvement in the built environment. Since
2006, the Foundation Louis Vuitton has also
sponsored the construction of its own
Frank Gehry2 -designed art and cultural
gallery. The facility is situated next to the
Jardin d’Acclimatation 3 in the Bois de
Boulogne, the well-known park on the
west side of Paris. It is the latest
sponsorship project, having been under
development by the group for more than
20 years. Its main objective is to promote
and encourage artistic creation, both
nationally and internationally.
1 Louis Vuitton Moët
Hennessy (LVMH)
Group
Lu x u ry br a n d
2 Frank Gehry
A rchitect
3Jardin
d’Acclimatation
A m usemen t pa r k
La Samaritaine
Pa r is, Fr a nce
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Downtown Denver Bike Lane
— Denver, US
For peer-to-peer partnerships, the advent
of crowdsourcing for urban projects and
the built environment, as identified in The
Place Report 2013, Trend 3: Crowd-Funded
Urbanism 1 , has led to the establishment of
specialist platforms such as ioby.
ioby
— Online, US
Founded in 2008 by passionate urbanists
Erin Barnes 2 , Brandon Whitney3 and Cassie
Flynn 4 , to date the portal has facilitated
public citizen donations amounting to
more than $US1.1 million, for over 360
projects. Of note is that the organisation
aims to mobilise the support of individuals
who are directly benefited by the urban
improvement. The average contributor
lives within about three kilometres (two
miles) from their donor site. The benefits of
this type of platform, as the ioby website
identifies, are ‘giving everyone the ability
to organise all kinds of capital – cash, social
capital, in-kind donations, volunteer time,
advocacy – from within the community
to serve the community’. However, this
platform is not only for consumers, with
support also coming through corporate
donations from organisations including
Brooklyn Brewery5 , Salesforce 6 , Zipcar7
and Whole Foods Market 8 .
One of the latest funding projects, using the
ioby platform, typifies the potential of this
type of partnership.
The Downtown Denver Bike Lane initiative
is an innovative alliance, with a rather
unlikely team of cycling advocates and
downtown business groups, even including
an oil company, Anadarko. Certainly not
the usual collection of groups supporting
the construction of an inner-city bike lane.
The way the public has been engaged is
through a mix of old-fashioned fundraising
and online crowdfunding. Importantly, this
bike lane would complete and connect with
the existing inner-city network. But while
the existing bike lanes will most likely be
funded publicly, this project is a business
organisation, the Downtown Denver
Partnership. Since 2014, the partnership
collected $120,000 in donations from
private-sector businesses, the Downtown
Denver Business Improvement District and
the Gates Family Foundation.
1 Trend 3: CrowdFunded Urbanism
The Pl ace R eport
2013
2 Erin Barnes
u r ba n ist
3 Brandon Whitney
u r ba n ist
4 Cassie Flynn
u r ba n ist
5 Brooklyn Brewery
Br ew ery
6Salesforce
Compu ting
compa n y
7Zipcar
Ca r r en ta l
compa n y
8 Whole Foods Market
su per m a r k et ch a in
ioby
On lin e , US
Downtown Denver
Bike Lane
Den v er , US
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Tr end title
Index
Overview
01
02
03
04
05
Creative Capital
Curated Destinations
Connective Public Art
Airport Attractors
Transformative Education
Rote Fabrik (Red Fabric)
James Street
BRISBANE , AUSTRALIA
Stolpersteine
(Stumbling Blocks)
San Francisco
International Airport
Boston Innovation District
Z URICH, SWITZERLAND
GERMANY AND GREATER EUROPE
SAN FRANCISCO, US
Van Gogh-Roosegaarde
Arlanda Airport
NUENEN, NETHERLANDS
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Musee du quai Branly
Network's United Terminal
PARIS, FRANCE
NEW JERSEY, US
Living Innovation Zone (LIZ)
Schiphol Airport
SAN FRANCISCO, US
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
The Grand Tour
The Loft by Brussels Airlines
LONDON, UK
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
The Dancing Traffic Light
Bloomberg Business Lounge
LISBON, PORT UGA
LONDON, UK
Year of the Bus
Gatwick Airport
BOSTON, US
LONDON, UK
CRAWLEY, UK
Industry City
RainCity Housing
Converge@flySFO
BROOKLYN, US
VANCOUVER , CANADA
SAN FRANCISCO, US
PMQ
Inside Out
HONG KONG, CHINA
GLOBAL ART PROJECT
Tom Bradley
International Terminal
Our Kaka'ako
Gasworks Plaza
HONOLULU, HAWAII
RISBANE AUSTRALIA
TAXI
Merci
DENVER , US
PARIS FRANCE
The Sheds (City Works Depot)
Bikini Berlin
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
BERLIN, GERMANY
The Old Biscuit Mill
Les Berges
CAPE TOWN, SOU TH AFRICA
PARIS, FRANCE
Tea Building
Wanderlust
LONDON, UK
PARIS, FRANCE
The Innovation and
Design Building
Transitional__
SINGAPORE
LOS ANGELES, US
BOSTON, US
University of Technology
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Knowledge Plaza
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRA ZIL
Laneway Learning
AUSTRALIAN CITIES
AND SINGAPORE
Konnectid
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
The School of Life
LONDON, UK
Blackhorse Workshop
LONDON, UK
TK Park
BANKGKOK , THAILAND
01
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i n de x & l i n k s
Index
Overview
06
07
08
09
10
Micro-Living
Conscious Environments
Digital Retail 2.0
Smart Cities
Symbiotic Partnerships
SmartSpace
Brooklyn Grange
Rebecca Minkoff
Kashiwa-no-ha
SAN FRANCISCO, US
BROOKLYN, US
Sa n Fr a ncisco, US
KASHIWANOHA , JAPAN
C40 Cities Climate
Leadership Group
Texas Micro
Moyo
Hointer
New Urban Mechanics
SAN AN TONIO, US
CAPE TOWN, SOU TH AFRICA
SEATTLE , US
BOSTON, US
Paradiset 19-21
Pasona
Bespoke
Array of Things
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
TOKYO, JAPAN
SAN FRANCISCO, US
CHICAGO, US
Muji Vertical Apartment
World Green Center
Kate Spade Saturday
Civic Data Design Lab
TOKYO, JAPAN
SAN TIAGO, CHILE
NEW YORK , US
MASSACHUSETTS, US
St Conice's Rooftop
Kitchen Garden
Uber Corner Store
SMILE
WASHINGTON DC, US
VIENNA , AUSTRIA
Deliv
Bridj
ONLINE , US
BOSTON, US
Dine-on-time and Eat-on-time
City24/7
ONLINE , US AND AUSTRALIAN
NEW YORK , US
Posse
Smater Water
ONLINE , US
IBM IN TELLIGEN T
WATER SOFT WARE
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Hualien Wellness and
Residential Development
TAIWAN
City For All Ages
SINGAPORE
iBeacon
APPLE TECHNOLOGY
GLOBAL
Smart City Partnership
SINGAPORE
Citymart
ONLINE
La Samaritaine
PARIS, FRANCE
Ioby
ONLINE , US
Downtown Denver Bike Lane
DENVER , US
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c r e di t s
Credits
Our Team
Researchers
Writers
Contributing Editors
Design
Photographers
(alphabetical order)
Stephanie Bhim
Gino De Castro
Michelle Teh
(alphabetical order)
( Tr en d 3)
Michelle Tabet
michelleteh.com
Stephanie Bhim
David Grant
Joanna Grygierczyk
Georgia Jenkins
Jeanette Lambert
Leanne Sobel
David Grant
( Tr en ds 1, 4, 6 –10)
Editor
Jeanette Lambert
Ginny Grant
Information Graphics
Stephen Au
( Tr en d 2)
gin n ygr a n t.com. au
Stephanie Bhim
Leanne Sobel
Proofreader
Layout/Production
Annabel Adair
Georgia Jenkins
( Tr en d 5)
Pete Craggs
Gino De Castro
Joanna Grygierczyk
Georgia Jenkins
Jeanette Lambert
Leanne Sobel
Josh Sobel
Michelle Teh
Ash Watson
Australian Representatives
Global Representatives
Acknowledgements
Sydney: David Grant
New York (US/LATAM): Lauren Brickman
Melbourne: Jeanette Lambert
London (Western Europe): Paul O’Connor
Brisbane: Louise Raymond
Amsterdam: Michelle Teh
Canberra: Sam Zdjelar
Tokyo: Gino De Castro
We would like to acknowledge the expertise and support given
by so many people in the production of The Place Report 2015.
First and foremost, our sincerest gratitude is passed onto our
two contributing editors (Gino and Michelle), who have provided
an invaluable perspective on each of the ten trends. Their
combined industry insight offered us tremendous assistance
and the quality of the publication is significantly better as a
result. Second, thanks to all our photographers and researchers
across the globe who have offered their skills and time in pursuit
of the cause. Much of the global content in this publication can
be attributed to their hard work, passion and knowledge. And
finally, to the team for an excellent job yet again in assembling
a report for everyone’s enjoyment.
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c r e di t s
Credits
Photography
01
02
03
04
05
Creative Capital
Curated Destinations
Connective Public Art
Airport Attractors
Transformative Education
© mbjones / Flick r
– page 9 (top left)
© Bayerische Hausbau
– pages 15, 16, 20, 21 & Cover image
© flowizm / Flick r
– page 24 (top)
© Moment Factor y
– pages 31, 32 & 39
© Knowledge Pla zas
– page 43
© sw iv / Flick r
– page 9 (bottom right)
© fishyone1 / Flickr
– page 18 (left)
© geralds / Flick r
– page 24 (bottom)
© SFO International Airpor t
– page 33
© Laneway Learning
– page 45
© wallerc / Flickr
– page 18 (right)
© Van Gogh-Roosegaarde
– page 25
© Nisse A xman
– pages 34 & 35
© Bangkok Post
– page 47
© Inside Out Project
– pages 27 & 30
© David Rock well Group
– pages 36
© Converge@flySFO
– pages 38
06
07
Conscious Environments
08
Digital Retail 2.0
09
Smart Cities
Symbiotic Partnerships
© Panoramic / Smar tSpace
– pages 48, 49 & 50
© cCe Arquitectos
– page 61
© Hointer
– page 67
© meena x ydesign / Flickr
– page 73
© ioby / Flick r
– pages 81 & 88
© A
RE A Real Estate
© BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
– page 63
© D
ouglas Pancoast & Sat ya
Mark Basu / School of the
Ar t Institute of Chicago
– pages 75 & 77
© Denver Post
– page 88 (bottom right)
Micro-Living
– page 51
© K
jellander + Sjöberg
Architects
– page 53
10
© Knight Foundation / Flickr
– page 76
© ephlux / Flickr
– page 80
E xcep t otherw ise noted, this wor k is © 2015 Pl ace
A ssoci ate s, u n der a Cr e ati v e Commons Attr ibu tionNon- Commerci a l -NoDer i vs 3.0 Austr a li a licence:
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