Do You Live In A Clone Town?

A new report and survey attempts to quantify the loss of distinctive town character in Britian.

1 minute read

August 31, 2004, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


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 nation’s high streets. It looks at how Britain’s 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

Wednesday, September 1, 2004 in New Haven Advocate

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today