Forcing shops into the bottom floor of every building might actually make the street less social and less green.
March 24, 2026
Original Paper
Beyond the active frontage: A framework for evaluating the multi-dimensional values of non-retail ground floors in Amsterdam and Toronto
SSRN · 6459458
The Takeaway
Modern urban planning often mandates 'active frontages' (retail/cafes) to create vibrant streets, but empirical data shows that non-retail uses like creative studios and even homes often provide more 'interactive' value. These non-commercial spaces tend to include more personal greenery and social permeability than the static glass of corporate retail windows.
From the abstract
This paper provides a theoretical and methodological framework for the broader valuation of the ground-floor public-private interface beyond retail, subsequently demonstrating the experiential, social, and green values of non-retail ground floors in two cities. The urban ground floor is rapidly evolving due to social and economic shifts, placing the concept of the ’active frontage’ with retail, bars, restaurants, and large transparent windows under increasing pressure. Instead, the broader conce