Town Centre Redevelopment

A study examining the state of British town centers, analyzing threats to their existence, the interests shaping their destiny, and prospects for regeneration. Charts the evolution of town centers, asking what they are for and whether they still matter, shows how towns have been transformed by retail, transportation, commercial, and cultural trends, and looks at public policy and the relationship between producers and users of towns. Concludes with a survival strategy for town centers in contemporary Britain. Distributed by St. Martin's Press. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book provides a critical overview of the relationships between planning and railway management and development during the key period in the 20th Century when the railway was in public ownership: 1948-94. It assesses the strength of the relationships when working in collaboration with the private sector. The book then focuses on the interplay between planning and railway since privatization in 1994 and points to best practice for the future in institutional structures and policy development to secure improved outcomes.

Written by a leading expert in the field, this is the first thorough critical review of retail planning policy in Britain (including Scotland and Wales). It covers recent changes in government policy and guidance, and examines retail policy within a broader economic and social context. Planning for Retail Development explains key events and debates in the evolution of retail planning policy, at central and local government levels, since the 1960s and draws contrasts between the 1980s, a period in which retail developers were encouraged by central government to expand away from town centres, and the more recent emphasis on protection and promotion of town centres as the most appropriate location for new development. The book develops a critical evaluation of past and present retail planning policies, based upon analyses of retailers’ objectives and of typical consumer shopping behaviour. Relationships between retail planning and wider societal concerns, including sustainable development, social inclusion and urban regeneration are also examined and analysed and guidelines for future policy objectives and content are drawn.