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Town centre revival needs a new magnet

Geoff Riley

17th December 2019

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The Guardian's Simon Jenkins channels his inner Jane Jacobs, arguing that shops alone are not going to revive the High Street, given changing shopping habits.

He argues here that they must become places where people congregate, and thus must have other things that attract people to them.

It's a Jacobs-like message, highlighting the organic nature of the High Street and the need for a mix of facilities. He also emphasises the fact that those High Streets that have been revived have also respected the heritage of town centres, such as in Derby, Altrincham and Woking.

Revived and enhanced modern libraries are an answer here. Good example in Christchurch NZ, which suffered an extreme and sudden version of city centre decline, the new library is stunningly successful at reviving community and place. https://t.co/yGyZdwMAPH
— Patrick Reynolds (@pv_reynolds) December 12, 2019

"the traumas of urban geography pass unnoticed because their impact is local. But the world is composed of locals." #Urban #retail #highstreet

We can’t rely on shops to revive our town centres. They need a new magnethttps://t.co/NlNAomhTZ0
— Winchester Geography (@UoWGeography) December 14, 2019

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Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for nearly forty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD and Revision conferences in the UK and overseas.

@tutor2uGeoff

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