PHYSICAL PLANNING

STANDARDS
commercial centers

Ministry of Human Settlements

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS REGULATORY
COMMISSIONS
H.L.U.R.B. June,1981
 GROUP 10 BS ARCH v-2
• Rowena P. Sulapas
rowena_sulapas@yahoo.com
• Zherivie N. Quindoza
petit_mini24@yahoo.com
• Arwen V. Capucion
arwen_avc@yahoo.com
• Lester S. Marquez
lester_marquez_18@yahoo.com
lsmarquez01@yahoo.com
COMMERCIAL CENTERS
• Commercial Area (CA) or Commercial
Business District (CBD) is the main area, in
which economic, social, cultural and
administrative services of the town are
concentrated. Its essential functions are for the
retail of goods and services for profit and the
performance of various financial and office
functions.
CLASSIFICATION:
MAJOR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT:
Is the shopping area containing the largest
department and variety stores and specialty shop as
well as business and professional offices, hotels,
theaters, and other entertainment facilities. In its
extension area may be found significant shares of
wholesaling and industrial activities and
transportation terminals. The CBD is the area of
greatest concentration of people and vehicles at
daytime. The highest Land Value and Tallest
buildings.
MINOR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT:
Is the shopping and service area found in
less developed on lower class cities and
municipalities with the market (in general) as
its main feature complemented by shops and
offices as well as recreation and transportation
facilities.
Noticeable in its character is the equal
residential - commercial or mixed use
development in strip pattern and at times
amorphous.
 The Minor CBD is generally located at the
poblacion together with the Municipal Hall
which serves as the Town Center.
Intensification and specialization of
activities in the minor CBD lead its
transformation into a major CBD.
SHOPPING CENTER:
Refers to a group of establishments,
planned, developed and managed as a unit to
serve specific residential areas or market for
retail of goods and services.
 This may locate within a CA or CBD in which
case its serves as its nucleus, or independent
from it. Specialization is found in shopping
centers.

COMMERCIAL STRIPS:
As miscellaneous collections of individual
stores standing on their individual lot strung
along street frontages with or without
incidental off-street parking. It serves as finger
extension of CA or CBD.
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER:
Is the village or neighborhood source for
staple and convenience goods and services and
is built around a super mart or grocery as the
principal retail outlet.
SPACE ALLOCATION:
POPULATION SERVED:
The major CBD may serve a population range of
100,000 to 250,000, while the Minor CBD may
serve about 50,000 to 100,000 people.
SHOPPING TREND:
Trend in increasing no. of specialization of shops,
the nature of the goods sold is constantly being
changed due to change in fashion. New inventions
or new methods of manufactures are brought about
by the increasing standards of living.
 Trend in the size of retail outlets, flexibility
in design and advertising are seen to be highly
important if the demands of the future are to
be met adequately.
FOOD STORE EXPENDITURE:
To make an accurate sales volume
projection possible, the amount of money
available to food store expenditure potential
must be known.
AREA STANDARD
A good rule of thumb is to provide from
1.5% to 3% of the total built-up area for
commercial use. The actual land area provided
for commercial use will be influenced by any
planned vertical expansion.
SITE SELECTION CRITERIAS:
LOCATION:
The term “location” indicates the general area in which to
select a shopping center site. The merits of location
whether the land has already been acquired or is being
sought, must always be subjected to careful economic
analysis.
If the site has already been acquired the economist direct
his studies toward the economic characteristics of the
location in an effect to decide whether the particular
property should be developed as a shopping center project,
and if so, what its size and character should be.
TRADE AREA:
The term “Trade Area” is normally defined as “that
area from which is obtained the major portion of the
continuing patronage necessary for the steady support
of the shopping center.
The Defining Factors used in delineating a trade area
vary from center to center. They include but are not
limited to:
1. the size and influence of the proposal retail facilities
2. Planning and design characteristics
3. Travel time to and from the location
4. The existence of natural or man-made barriers
 Such as railroads and rivers that would limit
accessibility either in fact or psychologically.

Thus the trade areas for various locations will not

necessarily assume similar sizes or shapes.
POPULATION:
Attention must be paid not only to the existing
population but also to prospects for future growth,
which may be forecast by reference to the past
growth rates., the trend of population shifts, and
the availability of the remaining suitable land for
residential development.
In forecasting the population trend for ten to
15 years consideration must be given to such
factors as:
1. Existing population Density
2. Zoning Restrictions
3. Physical or man-made barriers to the
development of new residential areas (
mountains, water ways, industrial areas,
public parks, cemeteries, airports), and
4. Other land uses that would forestall
residential development.
SITE QUALIFICATIONS:
1. The site must be located in the most desirable
general area as established by the economic
survey.
2. The site must be owned or controlled by the
developer or offer the possibility of acquisition.
3. Land cost must be in keeping with overall
economic considerations
4. Existing zoning must permit shopping
center development or a reasonable likelihood
zoning must exist.
5. The site must contain sufficient land to
permit construction of facilities to meet the
sales potentials.
6. The land must be in one piece, free of
intervening roadways, right-of-way,
easements, major waterways or other
obstacles that would force developments in
separated portions.
7. The topography and shape of the site must
permit advantageous planning and reasonably
economical construction.
8. The surrounding road pattern and
accessibility must allow full utilization of the
business potential.
9. The structures must be visible from major
thoroughfares.

10. Surrounding land uses should be free of

competitive developments, and, if possible,
should be of a nature that enhances the
operation of shopping center.
SITE REQUIREMENTS:
• STRUCTURES
a. FOR RETAIL PURPOSES (Retail Area)
b. FOR SERVICE PURPOSES (air-conditioning
plants, electric sub-stations, maintenance shops,
truck roads, loading docks, and equipment
storage.)
c. FOR OTHER COMMERCIAL USES(OFFICES
and recreational facilities, community centers,
auditorium, exhibition space and children’s play
area.)
• CAR STORAGE AREA

a. Surface Parking Lots

b. Double- deck or multiple deck garages

• PEDESTRIAN AREAS
a. Mall, courts, lanes, and plazas
b. Covered pedestrian areas, such as arcades
and covered malls and courts.
• AUTOMOBILE MOVEMENT AREAS
Distribution Road System on Site
• PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AREAS
Bus Roads, bus terminals, and taxi stands
• BUFFER AREAS
Landscaped areas separating car storage areas
or service areas from the public road system or
areas separating parking from shopping areas.
• RESERVE AREAS
Portion of site to be held in reserve for the
planned growth of shopping center.
ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS:
• The recommended distances expressed in travel
time on foot or public transport are as follows:
1. From Residential Zones to:
a. Neighborhood Center – 750 meters on 15
minutes travel time on foot (maximum)
b. Minor CBD – 15-30 min. travel time by
public transport.
c. Major CBD – 45 min. to 1 Hour travel time
from the farthest area served by the center, by
public and private transport.
2. From Recreational Zones to any shopping centers should
be a minimum of 05 min. travel time by public transport or
15 min. by foot

3. From Education Centers (schools):

A minimum travel of 15 minutes by public transport.
4. From Health Centers (Hospitals):
A minimum travel of 10-20 minutes by public transport.
5. Police Stations:
5 min. Travel time
6. From Fire Stations:
3-5 min. travel time
7. From Garbage or Disposal Area:
Average of 5 km. Or 15-20 min. travel time of garbage truck
SITE PLANNING PRINCIPLES
1. safeguard surrounding areas against blight;
2. Exposed retail facilities to maximum foot
traffic
3. Separate various mechanized traffic types
from one another and from foot traffic
4. Create a maximum of comfort and
convenience for shoppers and merchants
5. Achieve orderliness, unity and beauty
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:
1. Planning for Development in Stages
2. Traffic
3. Foot Traffic
4. Shape of Site
5. Size of Site
6. Location
7. Access
8. Topography and Physical Characteristics
9. Utilities
10.The Building Pattern
11.Parking
12.Buffers
13.Landscaping
• 1. PLANNING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
IN STAGES
*should be considered if the shopping center
site is located in an area that has not reached
its ultimate population and if a quick
acceleration of population growth may be
accepted.
*the desire of the land owner to make some
immediate use of his land even though full
utilization will be practically only in future
years.
• 2. TRAFFIC
*the shopping center is not to be planned to
serve traffic, rather traffic is to be planned to
serve shopping center.
*gather all info about existing roads and traffic
carrying capacities of the surrounding road
system as well as to establish the additional
traffic load generated by the new shopping
center
*the recommended right of way width for main
street that services the center is 30 meters.
• 3. FOOT TRAFFIC

*the best assurance of high sales volume is the

exposure of all individual stores in a shopping
center to the maximum amount of foot traffic.
If shopping centers are to prosper , dense foot
traffic must be created .
• 4. SHAPE OF SITE
*the site should not be divided by traffic way because
the continuity of shopping is interrupted.
*A regularly shaped property is best for efficient layout
*site depths of perhaps 1000 meters or more,
distinguish shopping centers developments from the
old standards strip commercial area which were usually
zoned 100 meters or less in depth
*any awkward, very irregular shape to the property
(even though the total site area is sufficient) should be
avoided because portions of the site may be unusable,
or if used may result in excessive walking distances,
poor parking arrangement, or expensive solutions.
• 5. SIZE OF SITE

* the area necessary for the type of center is

important. There must be sufficient site area
for the initial development indicated by the
trade area analysis with room expansion and
for buffer strips is needed.
• 6. LOCATION

*from the standpoint location, the shopping

center must be unassailable. The site must be
located near a well populated residential area
of one that is growing so rapidly that it gives
promise of soon being able to support the size
of shopping center one contemplates to build.
• 7. ACCESS

*Access should be easy and convenient. It

should be possible to turn off the highway
directly into the site. Easy access means free-
flowing traffic to reach the site. Left turns
requires specially constructed lanes for turning
movement.
• 8. TOPOGRAPHY AND PHYSICAL
CHARACTERISTICS

*Topography of the site is another important

factor, a steeply sloping site may require
excessive filling and cutting for the building
and parking areas. Even if the cuts and fill can
be balanced, the earth moving operations adds
to cost in the site preparation.
• 9. UTILITIES

*availability of utilities at or near the site is a

positive factor in a site selection. Long runs to
reach utility connections are development cost
to be avoided. Off-site development usually
can be adjusted with the municipality and
customarily with the private utility company.
• 10.THE BUILDING PATTERN
*The Strip
- a straight line of stores tied together by a
canopy over the pedestrian walk extending
along the entrance front to the abores.
*The “L”
- is basically a strip with one end turned, it is
adaptable for site conditions at two important
intersecting roads.
*The “U”
- is basically a strip with both ends turned in
the same direction.
-The intent of U is to reduce the length of an
otherwise long strip.
*The “Mall”
- is essentially a pedestrian way of offering
frontage of two facing strips
- its has the most generally accepted pattern
for the major shopping center and can be
applied to the community size center.
*The “Cluster”
- is a group of buildings separated by
pedestrian malls or courts and generally
grouped around a single key tenant.
- It is most often found in the major Shopping
Center geared to a single department store.
• 11.PARKING
Parking arrangement depends on the ff:
1. Site Potential
2. Direction of traffic flow to the site, volume
and peak loads
3. Entrance and Exit Points
4. Circulation within the site-outer perimeter
and along the store frontage for autos, buses,
and pedestrian
5. Walking Distance from parking- 100m. Is the
recommended max.
6. Balance of load on the parking area
according to tenant occupancy needs.

7. Width and Angle of the parking stall;

direction of movement through the aisles “
“Ease of parking”

8. Planned Employee’s Parking

• 12. BUFFERS
Sometimes the shopping center site is a
trace of land surrounded by an existing built-
up area. In such cases, the shopping center has
to be fitted into existing street and neighboring
development patterns.
13. LAND SCAPING
Planting and seasonal floral displays in
appropriate places within the center and
greatly to customer appeal.