24 April 2018 | News
We are in the middle of the largest urban transformation of the past 50 years in Europe: the concept of the previously massively propagated “car-friendly city” is being replaced by the so-called “compact city”. This seemingly simple term represents a radical transformation process, which will fundamentally change the western influenced communities of this decade. Investors, project developers, financiers and planners are confronted with the question: How can a sustainable concept of the “compact city” be fabricated when living, working, consuming and leisure are combined in an ideal way?
In our current study “CAMPUS MIXED-USE – REAL ESTATE STRUCTURES IN THE INTERSECTION OF THE HORIZONTAL AND THE VERTICAL CITY”, we approached this subject, as these questions are all influenced by the same dramatic nature across Europe.
Many forms of use in such a small space demand a new type of investor participation for brainstorming, planning and design. A further notable aspect is the strong geographical location in European city centers and “around transport hubs” close to the city, with a high degree of walkability. If the urban dynamics are focused around the main axes and intersections of railway lines, it becomes clear that there seems to be a strong metamorphosis of the community towards altered demands regarding mobility.
Mixed-use is becoming the core of the future city structure, often in combination with an increase in the heights of buildings. And if the old town of Frankfurt is being compactly rebuilt by historical guidelines, this seems to be the implementation of a historically successful model. However, this doesn’t serve as a replica for the rest of Europe.
This is because deciding on the integrated forms of use is the first tough nut to crack. Which ratio of residential to office or retail should be chosen? Further matters subsequently arise, such as parking space management or share of private and public space.
Catella Research’s solution is called Campus Mixed-Use. It acts as a blueprint for the development and implementation of the widely preferred district concept. As an inspiration, we have concentrated our “Construction Kit for Campus Mixed-Use” on 16 leading European projects, which are representative of the future. We state that single projects will act as blueprints for the described process of urban redevelopment.
At this point, it can be mentioned that Catella is active in this segment: in Düsseldorf with Grand Central or in Copenhagen with the Cactus Towers. The creation of sustainable values is becoming a doctrine for us, especially with the current booming climate in the real estate markets.
Please note that the complete study is only available in German. Attached you will find a summary with the main results in English.