But what could better actually look like? Here’s five trends we’ll be on the lookout for:
The changing face of the high-street
In many ways, the pandemic has actually accelerated changes which were already happening to our high-streets. The experience of social distancing has highlighted the values people cherish in cities beyond work: the diversity of amenities and restaurants, entertainment venues, sports and culture.
What we haven’t missed so much is retail shopping. In the era of Marie Kondo and anti-plastic campaigns, young adults are supposedly less inclined to acquire 'stuff' – preferring instead to spend on experiences. And what people do want to buy, can now be done quickly and easily online.
The supposed impending demise of our high-streets has been making headlines for a number of years now. But it was only relatively recently that we’d allowed city centres to be dominated by retail – towns originally grew as living, meeting and trading spaces.
With people’s values now leaning more to experiences, we could expect to see a return back to a more diverse use of public space moving forward, with an emphasis on activities people can enjoy in the moment – such as food, drink, entertainment, and fitness etc.
A focus on smaller towns and communities
Thanks to remote working becoming more widespread, we’ve also seen a wider trend of people leaving bigger cities in favour of rural or seaside towns, offering cheaper property and perhaps a higher quality of life. Recent figures published by the UK Government has revealed that almost half of Londoners who want to move home as a result of COVID-19, want to move out of the city.
Artists and musicians in particular may be drawn out of the big cities by lower rents elsewhere, which could provide an opportunity for up-and-coming towns like Bradford to re-energise their creative scenes following the closure of shops.
Vacant units are already being revamped as spaces for artists, entrepreneurs and community groups, creating an attractive atmosphere which could fast-track up-and-coming neighbourhoods, and boost other businesses nearby.
The changing face of the office
At the start of the pandemic, we were hearing many people almost predicting the death of offices and office working. But there does seem to have been a change in those attitudes recently.
While modern technology has allowed many organisations to roll out full-time remote working successfully, many of us have missed the social aspect of attending the office; camaraderie isn’t something easily replicated over Zoom.
It’s likely that we won’t see the demand for office spaces drop as much as we first anticipated, but the impact on their design and location will be significant. For office buildings to survive, they’ll need to be within easy distance to where people live – which could mean we’ll see organisations choosing to have more local, cheaper and smaller offices moving forward. This could also reduce the time and environmental impact of commutes, and re-prioritise smaller high-streets and neighbourhoods.
The office will also need to become a collaborative and creative space, where people are encouraged to come in for meeting and socialising, rather than the perfunctory bums on seats. We recently spoke to an interior designer about the future of office design:
Read: How do offices stay relevant after the pandemic?
More re-used and mixed-use buildings
With thousands of shops and businesses having closed permanently since March 2020, and calls for more homes continuing to get louder at the same time, we could see unused commercial buildings transformed for residential use.
Today’s high-rise commercial buildings could even transition into mixed-use ‘vertical neighbourhoods’, combining office, residential, retail, and even education. It’s already happening in some of the more densely populated countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore – primarily to combat space shortages. But for young professionals and creatives in particular, having communal areas to network, collaborate and socialise on your front door step could provide a very welcome addition to Britain’s towns and cities.
Mixed-use developments could also offer property investors and building owners the chance to diversify. And under Permitted Development Rights, turning office buildings into housing doesn’t require planning permission c developers can simply notify the local authority of its intentions and gain what is called prior approval.
The idea of transforming outdated workspaces is nothing new. In fact, you’d be considered very up-to-the-minute living in converted ‘office’ spaces from the past, such as old mills and factories; their industrial look and feel commands a higher price than most new-build apartments. We’ve explored whether the offices of today could become the next on-trend redevelopment:
Read: Future gazing: from office to apartment block
The rise of eco-neighbourhoods
It’s also likely we’ll see cities plan to build back in a greener and more sustainable way.
According to a BBC article, the UK's 63 largest towns and cities – defined as built-up urban areas with 135,000 or more people – accounted for almost half of all of the country's carbon dioxide emissions in 2019. London alone made up 11% of that total.
The solution to this challenge could lie in the development of more ‘eco-neighbourhoods’ – like London’s BedZED. Completed in 2002, the UK’s first large-scale zero-carbon neighbourhood comprises 100 homes, office space, a college, and community facilities.
Most of BedZED’s homes are both heated and powered by the sun, and highly insulated; its distinctive colourful wind cowls help fresh air circulate. The development also benefits from abundant green spaces, and car-free streets encouraging people to chat and children to play - creating that all important sense of community.
Millennial consumers across the UK are already paying more for items that are environmentally-friendly and sustainable. By using recycled materials, or installing renewable energy infrastructure, rooftop gardens, and EV charging points for example, developers and build-to-let landlords could also command higher sales and rental prices.