Mixed-use development

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Development of mixed use is a type of urban development that combines the use of residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, where the functions are physically and functionally integrated, and that provide pedestrian connections. A mixed-use development can take the form of a single building, a city block, or an entire neighborhood. The term may also be used more specifically to refer to mixed real estate development projects - buildings, building complexes, or municipal or city districts developed for mixed use by private developers, government agencies, or a combination thereof.

Traditionally, human settlements have evolved in mixed use patterns. However, with the industrialization and invention of skyscrapers, government zoning regulations were introduced to separate different functions, such as manufacturing, from residential areas. In the United States, the heyday of zoning use separated after World War II, but since the 1990s, zoning of mixed utilization is once again desirable because its benefits are recognized.

Video Mixed-use development

Benefits

Benefits of mixed-use development include:

greater housing density and density, more affordable housing (smaller units), life-cycle housing (home starts for bigger houses to senior housing)
reduce the distance between housing, workplace, retail business, and other facilities and destinations
better access to fresh and healthy food (because the food retail market and farmers can be accessed on foot/bike or by transit)
more compact development, land use synergies (eg residents providing customers for retail that provides facilities for residents)
stronger environment character, sense of place
pedestrian walkers, cycling environments, increased accessibility via transit, both result in reduced transport costs

Maps Mixed-use development

Contemporary mixed-use zonation type

Some of the more commonly used mix-up scenarios in the United States are:

Neighborhood zoning - convenience of goods and services, such as department stores, allowed in other strict residential areas
Housing/commercial Main Street - two to three storey buildings with above residential units and commercial units on the ground floor facing the street
Urban/commercial - multi-storey residential buildings with commercial and civil use on the ground floor
Office convenience - office building with retail usage and small office worker oriented services
Offices/housing - multi-family housing units inside office buildings
Shopping center conversions - housing and/or office units added (adjacent) to existing self-contained shopping centers
Retail region retrofit - retrofit suburban retail areas to a more village-like view and mixed use
Live/office - residents can operate a small business on the ground floor of the building where they live
Studio/light industry - residents can operate a studio or a small workshop in the building where they live
Hotel/residence - a blend of hotel rooms and upscale multi-family residential
Parking structure with ground floor retail
A separate family district with an independent shopping center