Socially Responsible Commercial Property Entities and the Allocation of Cultural Space

Abstract

"When we talk about traditional or indigenous land use and economy, seldom do we think of the contemporary corporate and administrative jungle we call the central business district. Nevertheless, the built environment of our city centres are a great place to start rekindling our cultural past for several reasons. They have a high profile, their frequented, worked-in, and increasingly lived in by local populations and tourists, they are highly accessible and are destinations in their own right, and they are strong identity builders. Above all, CBDs are hives of commercial activity, and this has implications for the new 'corporate social responsibility.' This ethos, which many CEOs and government ministers are beginning to subscribe to, is impacting on the way commercial buildings in particular are designed, marketed and managed. This has given rise to the notion of 'socially responsible commercial property entities' (SRCPEs). However, much is unclear about what this term might mean for our cityscapes, and the original and current inhabitants in particular. This paper aims to demystify the term, and argues that despite the importance placed on the protection of private property rights, the notion of SRCPE can help to bring society, culture and history back into corporate and public administration calculations. In other words, making the community a meaningful stakeholder arguably forfeits certain property rights that have conventionally been vested within private domains. Releasing ground floor space for cultural purposes for instance would be a significant step toward returning cityspace to traditional custodians. In the very least, the emergence of SRCPE inspired social metrics should help to make these often alienating places a little more culturally sensitive and user friendly."