Cities and local communities compete to attract a diverse range of businesses. A good mix of industries helps create vibrant and functional city centers. However, high rent prices and increased online shopping are pushing physical stores out of city centers.
Showrooms in the city center and megastores on the outskirts of cities are changing consumer shopping patterns. What does this mean for the development of attractive and sustainable cities and local communities? How can we facilitate existing and new businesses, and what will be the space and location requirements for businesses in the years to come?
Norconsult provides municipalities with analyses of commercial and business structure, space requirements, and the development of overall strategies and plans for business and population growth. The right location for the right business (ABC principles), commuting, transportation needs, business coverage, urban logistics, and overarching political goals are important topics to consider, and Norconsult has extensive knowledge and experience in this area.
We emphasize good communication between the municipality, businesses, local communities, and developers. When we work with business and commerce, we use interest mapping and participation to ensure common goal achievement.
In our projects, we establish working groups, utilize business forums, and conduct workshops to ensure good anchoring among various stakeholder groups. We also work on piloting and follow-up research in projects where new sustainable initiatives are tested on a small scale. For example, collaboration with various business actors makes it possible to solve logistics needs in the city in new sustainable ways.
Morten Lippestad
Senior Advisor