Robert Gibbs, Urban Planner: 
​'Downtown Retailing and Merchandising for the 21st Century City'
North Palm Beach Country Club, Feb. 2 , 2016 presentation
Related: North Palm Beach Master Plan , The History of North Palm Beach

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life/ [email protected]

One of the country's leading authorities on urban planning and design had an overarching message for North Palm Beach residents who attended his presentation Tuesday night:

Robert Gibbs said North Palm Beach needs a "walkable town center" if the Village wants to align itself with current living trends and the Millennial generation.

Gibbs, here as part of the initiative to produce a 10-year blueprint for the city's future, talked about the trends that are shaping shopping and living in the 21st Century. 

Why is walkability important? Millennials don't want to get in a car every time they need bread or milk, or just want a coffee. They want to walk to shopping whenever possible, Gibbs said. That translates to more urban living spaces, including housing built on top of retail shops.

Most real estate listings now have a "walk score," denoting how much shopping and entertainment is within walking distance. "A score of 85 and higher is what investors are looking for," Gibbs said. "A score of 100 is perfect." He cited Nantucket has one of a 1,000 places in the United States that has a perfect score.

How does North Palm Beach rank? According to Gibbs, the Village score is 59. But the good news is, North Palm Beach "has the perfect demographic for a high walk score."

Robert Gibbs presents at the North Palm County Club (NPBL Photo)

Gibbs pointed out the new Doris Italian Market, which opened last week, would be perfect as part of a town center, "if it were walkable." 

What is the impact of walkable retail? Gibbs offered this:

" Homes within a 5-or 10-minute walk from a Starbucks have a 18-20% higher value." The same benefit also applies to homes near a Whole Foods.

Here are some other key points from his presentation:

• A successful town center has an emotional "X factor." Residents want to feel a relationship with the space, including a sense of history. Neon signs can sometimes convey that, although many cities don't allow them.
• Parking is a key component. "Time is the new luxury." On-street, parallel parking in front of shops works best. And people would rather have a traditional meter than a credit card kiosk. "Studies show a single metered space can generate $200,000 in retail revenue."
• Millennials see shopping as a chore, not a pleasure. They do their research online, then go and buy. Women still are responsible for 85 percent of the sales; men like to brag they don't shop.
• More people are embracing urban living, choosing to downsize and give up "McMansions" for smaller spaces that require less maintenance and upkeep.
• Shopping is trending to "lifestyle centers," like CityPlace and Downtown at the Gardens.
• People value shopping that is clean and well-maintained. Gibbs cited Worth Avenue on Palm Beach as one of the best in the country, along with Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Gibbs said some of the changes that would benefit the Village may seem counter-intuitive, but the data and research is clear on what today's generations expect when they make lifestyle choices.

Also:

• Don't build leasable space you can't lease.
• Implement historic character where possible.
• Have the things your community wants.
• Set high standards -- retail and realtors like predictability.

As a week of public hearings comes to a close, the ball will soon be in the Village's court.

Read what Gibbs has to say about the trend toward 'pet-friendly'

Robert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs - Bio

Robert Gibbs is a leading urban planning consultant who has contributed to over 400 master plans across the U.S., including Alexandria, Birmingham, Charleston, Detroit, Disney, Houston, Marquette and Naples. He also planned Michigan’s first ten New Urban communities and Form Based Codes. He founded GPG in 1988, and has prior experience with JJR/Smith and Taubman Centers. In 2012, Gibbs was honored by the Clinton Presidential Library for his life’s contributions to urban planning and development and by the City of Auckland, New Zealand for his planning innovations. During the past 20 years, Gibbs has taught a continuing education course on urban retail planning and development at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Gibbs is a charter member of the Congress for the New Urbanism and is on the board of directors for both the Michigan CNU and Form-Based Code Institute.  He gives frequent lectures and has co-authored four books. Gibbs authored the Urban Retail Form Based Code Module, and in 2012 published Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development. The book has received wide acclaim and was described by the APA as “…Not all sweetness and light, but one planners can ill afford to ignore.”

A professional Landscape Architect in Michigan and North Carolina, Gibbs earned an MLA from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and resides in Birmingham, Michigan where he is active in his community. Gibbs also formed the Urban Retail Institute in 2012 to promote sustainable retail development in American cities.

Gibbs has been profiled in the New York Times, Urban Land Institute and the Wall Street Journal. The Atlantic Monthly stated: “Gibbs has an urban planning sensibility unlike anything possessed by the urban planners who usually design downtown renewal efforts.”