Our team was fortunate enough to be involved with creating a future vision for the evolution of Orchard Road in the changing landscape of retail and place-making.
The below excerpts are from an article originally published by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Skyline Issue 11: ‘Rejuvenating the Central Area.’ To read the full article, click here.
“How can Orchard Road continue to reinvent itself to remain relevant to new generations of people and technologies?
Continually ranked among the world’s top shopping destinations, Orchard Road is flanked by malls selling everything from haute couture to cheap chic. It is connected by the MRT system, which in 2021 will include a new station linking Tanglin at Orchard’s western-most end.
But with stiffer competition and changing consumer demands, how can Orchard Road continue to reinvent itself to remain relevant to new generations of people and technologies? Cistri experts who were involved in the review of plans for the area discuss retail trends and key ideas shaping Orchard Road’s future.
“The lifestyle concept has grown in relevance, as shopping habits become an extension of personal aspirations.
While the Internet has influenced the future of shopping, the study revealed that the proportion of online shopping in Singapore is only about 5 or 6 per cent. Beyond online shopping, there are other changes impacting the retail landscape. As the world travels more, Singaporeans can choose to shop overseas and international tourists have their pick of any number of new shopping destinations from China to Indonesia. Asian cities are also ramping up to grab tourism dollars.
Malls are changing too. Department stores don’t attract millennials the way they did with previous generations. Young people prefer independent stores, and when they shop, they don’t linger – they buy and move on. Malls are also seeing a greater proportion of floor space allocated to food and beverage.
Then there are changes within shoppers themselves, in the way many now view the world through lenses of environmental, health, wellness and community issues. The lifestyle concept has grown in relevance, as shopping habits become an extension of personal aspirations. Combined with a feeling of choice overload from countless shops vying for attention, shoppers sometimes struggle to know what to buy and where to buy it.
Despite all of these influences, Cistri director Jack Backen doesn’t believe this is the “end of retail as we know it. The market will continue to change,” he says, “but probably more gradually than some expect.”
“It’s important to keep improving and renewing Orchard Road to keep creating reasons for people to visit over the next 10 to 20 years
It’s a time when most of the world’s shopping destinations are seeking to reinvent themselves, but Cistri Regional Director Peter Hyland says it’s worth mentioning that a lot of them are changing in response to seeking to address issues relating to public safety or sanitation concerns, so in that regard Orchard Road is ahead of the pack.
Over the past 20 years, however, regional malls like Nex and VivoCity have influenced Orchard Road’s share of sales. And if younger generations fail to form the same emotional connections to Orchard Road that their parents have, they may be more likely to choose regional malls when they grow up.
Peter says this is why it’s important to keep improving and renewing Orchard Road, “to keep creating reasons for people to visit over the next 10 to 20 years, so that it is constantly reaffirming its position in the minds of Singaporeans.”
And winning over Singaporeans is the key to winning over tourists, Peter adds, as tourists will always want to shop and eat where the locals do.
“Brands no longer just provide goods and services but are drawing visitors to brick and mortar shops with curated experiences.
The future of retail can be summed up in a word: experiential. Brands no longer just provide goods and services but are drawing visitors to brick and mortar shops with curated experiences.
The idea of experience isn’t limited to the shops, either. It includes shopping malls and extends to shopping precincts. The simple act of walking down the street presents a sense of journey, of engaging with the street itself through welcoming spots to rest and play, curiosities to explore and exciting places to hang out with friends. London and cities in North America come to mind, where people can just chance upon novel outdoor performances or pop-up amusements while going about their business.
For Orchard Road, Jack says the study suggests adding organised spaces for non-specific events, and not just big events and spaces but numerous smaller areas engaging people with a wide range of cultural and creative activities on a continuing basis. “People need to think, ‘Yeah, I love that place, there’s always something different on,’” he says. The experience can also be enhanced when shops and outlets in malls spill out into the open spaces, whether in kiosks and sidewalk cafes at street level or from “urban verandahs” overlooking the hustle and bustle.
It helps that Orchard Road has a unique quality – lush greenery. The precinct begins at the Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and continues along a 3 km green corridor to Dhoby Ghaut and beyond. This Garden City factor is an asset that the study recommends capitalising on.
Pocket-sized parks, playgrounds and water play areas along Orchard Road would introduce experiential opportunities with appeal for all ages, while the cool, refreshing feeling that comes with tall, shady trees and lush landscaping, combined with other cooling measures, is a crucial consideration when creating comfortable and inviting outdoor spaces in tropical Singapore.
“The study concluded that Orchard Road would benefit from clearer methods for wayfinding to guide people through the maze of underground passages
Any good journey comes with a spirit of wandering. Orchard Road is challenged by its long and linear layout, sub-divided by distinct areas that are anchored by MRT stops. It’s typical for visitors to enter Orchard Road at one of these points, and then move around within close proximity. This is where infrastructure can benefit the ease of movement within each sub-area as well as between them.
A prime example of a shopping district that does this well is Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road, where there’s been almost no coordinated effort to make the place singularly special, and yet the malls are thriving due in large part to their inter-connectivity.
By contrast, Orchard Road has by far the longest intervals between crosswalks of all the precincts the study looked at. Regularly-spaced crossings where pedestrians can wait under shade would enhance the flow of foot traffic.
Similarly, the study also concluded that Orchard Road would benefit from clearer methods for wayfinding to guide people through the maze of underground passages, that can confuse even seasoned visitors. Such measures would also shift crowds from the south side of the road, where the MRT stops are located, to the north side, which by comparison is underserved by public transport.
“Orchard Road has plenty of pedestrian footpaths, but the ability to transit across the road and the volume of automobiles just makes it a little bit less friendly,” says Jack. In the future, he says that car-lite and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure will eventually play a role here.
Another characteristic that stood out to researchers was the precinct’s distinct separation from surrounding neighbourhoods, unlike Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay or New York City’s Fifth Avenue, where shopping districts aren’t as strictly delineated.
“In all of these amazing shopping streets you have this capacity to just wander unimpeded,” says Jack. “You can go into back streets and come out and cross the road, then go down another back street, so that everywhere you go there’s something new to discover.”
“In the end, place-making happens within each shop, each mall and in all the spaces in between, and it’s this sense of place that makes people want to come and spend time.
It helps that Causeway Bay and Fifth Avenue have a diversity of mixed-use buildings, with shopping integrated alongside offices, housing and other urban amenities. Neighbourhoods with multiple uses tend to be more vibrant, and that benefits shops. According to the study, Orchard Road had the highest proportion of retail than any other precinct they looked at.
The shopping malls themselves can also address issues of mixed use by diversifying their tenant mix with smaller independent retailers as well as entertainment venues, museums and exhibition spaces, libraries and other public services which would give people other reasons to visit besides shopping.
Shared spaces within malls also have the potential to create experiential journeys, as the study notes how retail developers and management can consider adopting the same approach that brands do to appeal to lifestyle choices of shoppers. It’s a sense of place-making, discovering each property’s individual strengths and positioning it to appeal to various audiences. From a structural point of view, malls can also seek to incorporate design features with the power to attract attention.
Cistri director Rahul Mittal highlights elements such as mezzanine level al fresco cafes or even unconventional escalator rides, things he says will not only pull people in, but up to floors that get less footfall.
“Overseas, both retailers and landlords are trying out new concepts to bring people back,” says Rahul. “It’s all related to the experience and journey.”
In the end, place-making happens within each shop, each mall and in all the spaces in between, and it’s this sense of place that makes people want to come and spend time.
“I think in the future, city pride will come from the fact that Orchard Road is not just about shopping,” says Jack. “It’s about something bigger than that, something that exudes our active and vibrant way of life.”
The above excerpts are from an article originally published by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Skyline Issue 11: ‘Rejuvenating the Central Area.’ To read the full article, click here.