In this article, Sally Morris-Smith, Real Estate partner at international law firm DAC Beachcroft looks at the social impact of multi-dimensional schemes.

Mixed use developments are also increasingly collecting around universities, the arts, and hospitals, with education, culture and life sciences at the heart. Thriving cities need a regular influx of people and the nature of the work undertaken by scientific, technical and knowledge based organisations frequently require a more intense on-site presence than traditional office roles. Exciting collaborations between local authorities, investors and development companies are acting as a catalyst for growth and delivering varied employment opportunities.

United in their shared ambition to advance and disseminate knowledge, here are a few examples from London.(i.e. lose colon) British Land at Canada Water is creating 300,000 sq ft of lab space together with integrated build to rent housing. London's Knowledge Quarter (KB), up at Kings Cross, is a joint venture that includes the British Museum, Wellcome, Camden Council, Google and University College London. And St Pancras Hospital is at the heart of a regeneration project to provide world-leading clinical care, with a focus on mental health with Kings Cross Central Limited Partnership as the development partner contributing new homes, offices and new public spaces into the scheme. Based around the Royal College of Art, the BBC and Imperial College, the 17 acre White City Place cultural hub forging connections and innovation together with offices and retail.

Looking northwards: Leeds Teaching Hospital in conjunction with Scarborough Developments is using its old medical school as the centre for a globally recognised health innovation hub with the first phase of a larger Innovation Village that will introduce 4000 new jobs and 500 new homes. Liverpool also has its own evolving knowledge quarter, spreading across the Mersey hinterland as an Investment Zone and Newcastle's Centre for Ageing and Vitality is well underway helping rejuvenate a neglected area of the city. These projects are great examples of public private sector partnerships with enthusiastic local authority sponsors, which are likely to be a feature of successful urban regeneration in the next 10 years.

These new era developments demonstrate significant social impact, with benefits for the wider community.

• Collaboration between property developers and local authorities, universities and hospitals, is creating an opportunity for long term thinking which can be the backdrop for more sustainable development.
• These new hubs are transformative, supporting urban regeneration plans providing jobs for adjacent communities. Local authorities want better employment opportunities and skills for their residents, and these new mixed use hubs provide a wide range of jobs and tie people and businesses in the local community where they contribute socially and financially.
• Urban regeneration often implies repurposing and reimagining of existing public spaces and transport hubs: a sustainable approach that is environmentally and socially responsible and creates new uses for redundant spaces. Heritage buildings and infrastructure are reinvigorated and their architectural and historical significance is preserved for another generation to enjoy. Offices and retail areas are being repurposed around them.
• Key to success of many of the above schemes is that social impact is considered and included at design and planning stage. Diversity and inclusion and improvement of job opportunities for all sections of the local community are now key drivers. This could mean requiring developers and contractors to provide apprenticeships or in populating the commercial elements of scheme with local businesses – conceived in the community for the community.
• Knowledge-centric developments thrive on innovation and facilitate economic and social growth, through the support of new start ups with fledgling ideas. There are some great examples of discounted start hire space being allocated within commercial schemes to encourage new businesses.
• Successful regeneration now frequently involves curated social interaction between residents, commercial occupiers and community organisations with joint events programmes and funding and engagement enhancing local accountability.

The inclusion of knowledge based activity within mixed use schemes is helping transform not just our urban centres for the better, but also the lives of the people who live, work and play in them. With appropriate local authority and Government support they will kick start a new socially responsible direction for the real estate sector which is what the next generation of funders, occupiers and residents demand.