Treating the Symptoms - A Critical Review of ... - Civic Exchange

Langham PlaceThere are often pavement widening setbacks around major commercial developments suchas Langham Place because it is assumed that a large commercial building will generate a lotof pedestrian traffic.There is a 2m-wide setback virtually all the way around Langham Place (see opposite),including a corner setback with a small sculpture/seating area on Argyle Street. These yieldeda bonus GFA of not more than 5,565m 2 . There are also two pedestrian footbridges betweenthe shopping mall and the community centre in Langham Hotel, yielding a bonus GFA ofnot more than 840m 2 .The widened pavement is set under the podium’s overhang, providing shade and potentiallycreating an attractive colonnaded shopping arcade. However, the shopping mall is internallyorientedand few of the shops have street entrances, which discourages pedestrian use. Plannerscannot control the orientation of shops, which is determined by the mall’s management, butmost shopping malls can be expected to be internally-oriented since their strategy is to retaincustomers inside for as long as possible.71Clockwise from left: 2m-wide setback around Langham Place; map illustrating setback;Portland Street side, where the shopping mall main entrance and cinema are located, seesa fair amount of pedestrian activity despite the absence of accessible shop fronts; ShanghaiStreet sees very little activity because it runs between the mall and the hotel with inactivefrontages on both sides, people mainly use this street to catch buses and taxis; smallsculpture and seating area on Argyle Street gets plenty of use despite its noisy and pollutedlocation, it is located on the short end of the block with other shops on adjacent blocks nearby;Argyle street one block West from the Langham Hotel, the pavement is crammed with peopledoing their grocery shopping.