--- title: How can the public realm and public art attract occupiers to commercial developments? description: How public realm and public art can help developers to succeed and attract target businesses to their new or refurbished schemes. image: https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/hubfs/HOW%20CAN%20THE%20PUBLIC%20REALM%20AND%20PUBLIC%20ART%20ATTRACT%20OCCUPIERS%20TO%20COMMERCIAL%20DEVELOPMENTS.png --- [![Active-Profile-logo_pastel-pink](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/hubfs/Logos/Active-Profile-logo_pastel-pink.svg)](http://www.activeprofile.co.uk/)   - [About us](https://activeprofile.co.uk#section-1) - [What we do](https://activeprofile.co.uk#section-2) - [Work with us](https://activeprofile.co.uk#section-3) - Get in touch # How can the public realm and public art attract occupiers to commercial developments? Read Time: 2 minutes [![How can the public realm and public art attract occupiers to commercial developments?](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/hubfs/HOW%20CAN%20THE%20PUBLIC%20REALM%20AND%20PUBLIC%20ART%20ATTRACT%20OCCUPIERS%20TO%20COMMERCIAL%20DEVELOPMENTS.png)](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/how-can-the-public-realm-and-public-art-attract-occupiers-to-commercial-developments) For developers to succeed in beating the competition and attracting target businesses to their new or refurbished schemes, there must a differentiator - something that makes them unique, attractive and memorable to prospective occupiers so that they stand out from the crowd.   ## Standing out from the crowd  People are spending more time in the workplace than ever before, whether as a result of increased workloads or because workplaces are becoming more sociable spaces where likeminded people can work, eat, play and live. This should be music to developers’ ears, as it shows that they are creating attractive new ‘places’ in towns and cities that people are happy to spend time in.    ## Speakers’ corner  Historically, places where people have gathered and spent time would usually have been near some sort of cultural attraction or in a square. These places have often acted as a focal point for activity - and this is still true today. Developers are harnessing the historical relevance of cultural, public spaces and incorporating them with the badge of ‘public realm’ into their schemes, often working closely with partners like local authorities and city councils to facilitate this.   ## A bit of culture  Public art can play a role in creating sociable spaces, with a number of new developments currently being brought forward around existing cultural and civic spaces. This can be seen in Manchester's [St Peter’s Square](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter's_Square,_Manchester) and in London's [King’s Cross](https://www.kingscross.co.uk/), where developers are creating buildings that are sympathetic to their cultural surroundings and successfully juxtaposing the old with the new. New public art is also being incorporated into schemes. This can take many forms, including modern sculptures that people can interact with and more natural forms of art, like fountains, streams and sedum walls, which provide a living form of art for people to enjoy. ***This article gives a brief insight into the role that the public realm and public art can play in attracting occupiers to commercial developments. There's a lot more detail in our ebook Effective Placemaking Communications For Your Mixed-Use Development, Volume 1: Explore, which you can download for free with just an email address.***   Written by #### Nicky Hughes Director #### Share this article ### Subscribe to our blog PUBLIC RELATIONS, project management, place, Marketing, PR, Events ![Maximising your profile: amplifying content at business events and conferences](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/SHOWCASING%20THE%20POTENTIAL%20OF%20YOUR%20PRODUCT%20THROUGH%20GROWTH%20EXPERIMENTS-3.png?width=690&name=SHOWCASING%20THE%20POTENTIAL%20OF%20YOUR%20PRODUCT%20THROUGH%20GROWTH%20EXPERIMENTS-3.png) FEATURED POST Latest Post #### [Maximising your profile: amplifying content at business events and conferences](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/maximising-your-profile-amplifying-content-at-business-events-and-conferences) Read Time: 5 minutes Latest Post #### [Harnessing Collective Genius in an Election Year: Bringing the Tech Sector Together Amid Change](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/harnessing-collective-genius-in-an-election-year-bringing-the-tech-sector-together-amid-change) Read Time: 5 minutes [Making careers in PR accessible with Agent Academy](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/making-careers-in-pr-accessible-with-agent-academy) Read Time: 3 minutes --- [‘All in’ case study: building brand authority and awareness through proactive PR and experiments](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/all-in-case-study-building-brand-authority-and-awareness-through-proactive-pr-and-experiments) Read Time: 4 minutes --- [Urban futures, regional impact: Launching Avison Young’s outlook reports across the UK](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/urban-futures-regional-impact-launching-avison-youngs-outlook-reports-across-the-uk) Read Time: 3 minutes --- GROWTH MARKETING, Marketing Experiments ![Why Marketing Experimentation is Better Than Your Guesswork](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/WHY%20MARKETING%20EXPERIMENTATION%20IS%20BETTER%20THAN%20YOUR%20GUESSWORK.png?width=690&name=WHY%20MARKETING%20EXPERIMENTATION%20IS%20BETTER%20THAN%20YOUR%20GUESSWORK.png) FEATURED POST Latest Post #### [Why Marketing Experimentation is Better Than Your Guesswork](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/why-marketing-experimentation-is-better-than-your-guesswork) Read Time: 5 minutes Latest Post #### [Creating a Marketing Strategy Fit for Growth: A Whistle-Stop Guide](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/creating-a-marketing-strategy-fit-for-growth-a-whistle-stop-guide) Read Time: 7 minutes [The 4 magical marketing metrics investors want to see](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/4-marketing-metrics-investors-want-to-see) Read Time: 3 minutes --- [3 reasons why CEOs need agile marketing post Covid-19](https://blog.activeprofile.co.uk/3-reasons-why-ceos-need-agile-marketing-post-covid-19) Read Time: 6 minutes --- [Can a growth communications strategy scale your brand? 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