Despite their more traditional, mixed-use development patterns, the UK's town centers are not immune from declining "high streets" as a result of the poor economy, and the attractions of shopping centers and online retail. How can they fight back?
Beth Ward, a member of the Association of Town Centre Management, discusses the ways that her organization is helping towns and regions to halt the decline of their shopping streets. Markets, discount programs, crowdfunding and locally focused social media are among the tools that Ward's "town teams" point to as successful means to make town centers and high streets strong, stable and resilient.
"What our town centres can no longer rely on is yesterday's aspiration – being a clone town full of the same retailers offering the same products and solely relying on them alone," says Ward. "Towns of the future need to offer something different and attract customers to 'the experience'."
"They need to be the hub of the communities once more and change people's attitudes and perceptions. Yes, people will still want to shop in supermarkets and out-of-town shopping centres, but it doesn't mean that they can't use a mix of all three. In fact, many places have seen an increase in independents, stores, cafes and restaurants where clones once roamed."
FULL STORY: Fighting the decline of the high street
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.