Local leaders can do more to capitalise on the growth of city centres, says a new report.
A new study from think tank Centre for Cities makes a number of recommendations on how local leaders can sustain the recent growth in city centre living and local economies.
Urban Demographics – why people live where they do, a report based on YouGov polling, found young professionals are increasingly choosing to live in UK city centres – with the number of residents aged 20-29 in large-city centres nearly tripling between 2001-2011.
This is despite concerns over high rents, poor air quality and a lack of green space.
39% of the survey respondents cited the availability of nearby restaurants, leisure and cultural facilities as a primary attraction of living in urban areas, while 27% said that proximity to their work-place is the main advantage of city-centre living.
But around 31% of city centre residents highlighted the cost of housing as one of the main drawbacks about their neighbourhood and a quarter said that pollution and poor quality of environment are some of the factors they most dislike about living in urban areas.
Centre for Cities’ research, which has been sponsored by law firm DAC Beachcroft, suggests that the growth in city-centre living is the result of the expansion of the knowledge economy, and the jobs this has created, as well as the proliferation of universities.
Students now account for 44% of the total population of large city centres and many are staying on after graduation.
The report recommends local leaders can take advantage of this trend by doing the following:
• Creating a better environment for businesses in urban areas, and making city centres a priority in efforts to attract firms and jobs, e.g. by choosing to locate enterprise zones in city centres, rather than on the outskirts.
• Strategically planning housing and transport, to ensure that both are built in the right place for the right people, e.g. by building appropriate accommodation in city centres for young professionals.
• Ensuring that regeneration projects include investment in skills and business growth, rather than simply focusing on physical and cultural regeneration.
• Addressing the concerns of city centre residents about poor environment and lack of green spaces, by making these issues a priority in proactive planning decisions.
Alexandra Jones, chief executive of Centre for Cities said: ‘This research shows how the face of UK cities has changed dramatically over the last fifteen years – with city-centres transforming from often deprived and crime-ridden areas into places where young professionals across the country increasingly want to live and work.’
She continued: ‘While the report highlights the potential downsides of urban living, such as high housing costs or the lack of open space, it’s clear that for many young people these drawbacks are outweighed by the appeal of access to highly-skilled jobs, amenities, restaurants and shops, which are making city centres magnets for young talent.’
‘But’, she warned, ‘local leaders shouldn’t take this growth in people and jobs for granted, and need to consider how they can sustain and capitalise on these trends. That means taking steps to make city centres better places to live and do business in – for example, by building more housing in urban areas to meet the needs of young professionals, and by investing in infrastructure, to attract more jobs and firms to central areas.’
