A new report and survey attempts to quantify the loss of distinctive town character in Britian.
The New Economics Foundation (nef) is asking people across Britain to respond to a survey on their main streets, with the results to be published next year. The survey is designed to discover the extent to which chain stores are driving out local businesses, resulting in inditical urban environments.
The survey is launched with a report, Clone Town Britain: the loss of local identity on the nations high streets. It looks at how Britains once distinctive and attractive towns appear to be losing the diversity of shops and services that their characters were built on. The report introduces the national survey and charts some of the wider forces that are creating homogenised high streets, as well as evidence from around the world of the growing backlash against them.
The report argues that the appearance of "Clone Town Britain" has been aided by planning and regeneration decisions that have created a retail infrastructure hostile to small, independent businesses.
The report also includes a survey to "find out if you live in a clone town."
[Editor's note: The link below is to a 3MB PDF file.]
Thanks to The Practice of New Urbanism
FULL STORY: Attack of the clones
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.