Learning the lessons of housing over shops initiatives

Abstract

The promotion of housing over shops is of practical importance in urban regeneration. It also raises significant issues in urban design — about the desirability and possibility of mixed‐use development, about the direction of consumer preferences in housing and about the role of the built environment in crime prevention. The experience of recent housing over shops initiatives has many encouraging aspects. Completed schemes have brought empty property into use or have involved the development of under‐used sites. Most residents state they are pleased to have moved in and find their new home at least as safe as their previous home. Finally, the introduction of housing in town and city centres has, almost certainly, reduced opportunities for burglaries and street crime. Flats over shops schemes are not easy to develop, however and, though largely cost‐effective compared with conventional rehabilitation, offer no major financial savings.