The Decline of the High Street

THE DECLINE OF THE HIGH STREET

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The influence of placemaking on lifestyle and commerce within

the contemporary social city.

With thanks to Matthias Planitzer and Wing Luk Wong

THE DECLINE OF THE HIGH STREET

1 Placemaking is both an overarching idea and a hands-on tool to the planning, design, management and improvement of a neighborhood, city or region.

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H O L LY R I D D I N GT O NN0296392

Year 3Negotiated Project Stage 1

FASH3001Word Count: 7470

Word Count with Quotes: 13651

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“There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a large segment of people in that society who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that that have nothing to lose. People who have stake in their society, protect that society, but when they don’t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.” Martin Luther King Jr., 1956 (Werner, G, 2011: 8)

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CONTENTS

06 Introduction10 Aims12 Methodology

16 The 20th Century26 Dystopia Vs. Utopia32 Welcome to Dystopia48 Retail Revolution56 Why Does this Matter?62 Conclusion

64 Implementation66 Nottingham Regeneration70 Social Capability86 Environmental Footprint90 Economic Stability92 Conclusion

94 Bibliography101 References104 Illustrations

106 Appendix

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INTRODUCTION

DECADENCE, PUBLIC LIBERTIES, LACK OF MORALS, inflation, high taxes, dissatisfaction of the common people, and government corruption. The chaos of the Dark Ages. [Murphy, C, 2007: p5] Yes, this was the decline of Rome, but it all sounds very familiar to today. History is repeating itself. The recession has somewhat knocked our psyches, the recent riots in London showed people reacting to things in a way that we would never have imagined our society to do. Sadly, this meaningless and violent reaction to issues that the rioters as young as 12 didn’t truly understand shows tell tale signs of the lost generation that we are living in. [Werner, G, 2011: p8]

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THE URBAN LANDSCAPE OF BRITISH CITIES CONSISTS of concrete arrangements, vacant or cloned shops, endless miles of unappreciated space, neglected city centres and unsociable neighbours. The concept of a ‘neighbour’ has changed from being a friend or someone you care for to someone that lives next door to you, whom you know nothing about. Harris [Open 2012: Online] states that ‘Neighbourliness requires ‘mutual recognition among residents through repeated informal encounters’. However, opportunities to bump into each other declined in the 20th century, and they continue to decline.’

Has society lost its ways somewhere along the lines? The high street used to be the heart of our society. Today the high street is seeing a rise in vacant shops and the town centre vacancy rate currently stands at 11.3%, people are losing their jobs, consumers don’t have the confidence to spend, and it is continually going round in a vicious circle. [The Independent, 2012: Online] This is a definite issue that needs to be addressed and everybody from the public to politicians need to claim responsibility. Consumers need to find spending confidence, which will in turn initiate the Wealth Effect. This is the process whereby the wealth effect must be initiated; consumers should find a more upbeat perception of their financial situation and the short-term economic outlook, and start to be more optimistic about spending.

What are the factors that can change these issues? Is it in the design of the city? Should people have more say in what goes on in their city, the public are the key to the wealth effect after all? As a hugely important issue for the British Industry and our society, Britain demands more awareness of the problem and most importantly, the solution. The government, local councils and the public are finding alternative ways to regain vitality, happiness and control of our cities. This essay intends to address these issues, beginning with the ways in which our society along with the changing urban landscape has changed and evolved over history. It will then go on to looking at the consequences of these changes and where the future lies within our cities.

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AIMS

‘Once we invest in and create social capital in the heart of our communities, the economic capital will follow.’ [Portas, M,. 2011: p3]

THIS REPORT AIMS TO UNDERSTAND THE changes that the City’s of the UK have undergone over the last 100 years and the architects, move-ments and ideologies that influenced them. A city needs to be successful at attracting talented work-ers, it needs to offer the opportunity for face-to-face interaction and competition among these workers and provide social and economic mobility for people to engage and succeed. [Philips, 2010: p3] He also makes the case that cities ‘lower the environmental footprint’. ‘Consumer spending is at a low due to the recession and loss of consumer confidence’, [Front Page Mag, 2012: Online], ‘the emergence/presence of competitive alternatives to the high street’ [BIS, 2011: p2] and ‘factors such as the management of high streets and regulation and legislation have resulted in the decline of our city centers, with current vacancy rates in city centers very high.’ [BBC News, 2012: online] This report will look at what can be done to improve the current climate of our city centers, the ap-propriacy of looking into the history and changes that have occurred, and most importantly, why it is important to do so.

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METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH WAS FUNDAMENTAL IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE consumers, what they want from their high streets and the current retail market. I started by thinking how I could ascertain what it is that makes a place popular and what it is that draws people into that place.

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1. Favourite Holiday

This research method is finding the trends between the holiday location and the level of enjoyment and memorability of that location. What is it that makes a city so high on tourists’ destinations that it brings people from all over the world to live in it and most importantly, makes sure those who already live there want to stay.

Method: I asked each participant to find a photo album (print or digital) containing photos of their most enjoy-able holiday and either have a photo with the album or photographs of the candidate on holiday. I then asked the candidates four questions.Questions: What made it your favourite? Was it the location, your company, etc.?Did your expectations of the location live up to the reality?Would you go back? Why?Who: I asked a range of UK candidates aged between 13-80 who all shop on the UK high street.Result: I found that this was a very useful research method as the results that I gathered began to correlate into a trend. I felt that the results that I got from older consum-ers could appreciate the enjoyability and memorability of the holiday, maybe as they had a wider choice of holi-days to pick from and probably paid for it themselves.. The younger audience presented their photos in digital whereas the older participants presented theirs in print. I feel that it helped develop a better understanding of people’s thought processes. Could be biased as some of the candidates favourite holidays were school holidays and locations were chosen by the school however, the decision was theirs to go on those particular trips.

Primary Research

2. What is community?

I wanted to understand the ways in which other cultures behave their communities. After finding an infographic diagram on the differences that occur between Western and Eastern cultures, in particular the way in which they perceive themselves within their community, I thought that it would be interesting to compare the differences.

WEST EAST

Method: I took photographs in various locations in Shanghai, Bangkok etc. and found other images in Magazines, books and online locations such as Flickr; all of which I believe show a community and compared.Result: Gave good comparison of cultures and lead into doing more research on the reasons that these changes occur.

3. Independent Shopkeepers

I wanted to look at the performance of the high street from a different perspective than the consumers, so I thought that understanding local and independent shops views on the high streets success would give my research an interesting stance. I wanted to get independent shops opinions on whether they have felt a reduction in trade due to high rents, or whether they are seeing a loss of customers to chain stores or the Internet.

Method: I began by taking photographs of the interior, exterior and others with either a member of staff or the owner. I then asked four questions.1. Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?2. Have you recently seen a decline in clients or are more people wanting to shop at independents?3. Do you feel that the Christmas market has generated more traffic to your shop? And do you feel there should be more events similar to this going on throughout the year?4. Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops? If yes, how could they do this?Results: The variety of city centre and small market town independent shops made the investigation more interesting. I got some very intriguing information, people were very responsive and felt that it was a very relevant issue, therefore were happy to help. The results could be slightly biased due to the time of the year being Christmas as shops tend to be a lot busier around this time of the year.

4. Vacant and Pop-Up Britain

I primarily took photographs of vacant shops and pop-up shops in Birmingham, Nottingham and Louth. I felt I needed a way of making it more interactive and getting other people’s views so I then made two separate Flickr Groups, Vacant Britain and Pop-Up Britain and added the photos to them. Flickr members could then add relevant images and a discussion was started about the issues. I also made a blog http://vacantbritain.blogspot.co.uk/ to visualise some of my research and to make people more aware of the issues.

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Results: It was a great way of seeing how passionate people feel about the issues raised, created good discussions and gave me a wider sense of knowing what is going on in the subject area.

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5. Twitter

I wanted to understand whether or not there is a correlation between your mood and colour and art that you see in your every day life.How: I asked the question ‘Do you think that the colours that you see on a day to day basis affect your mood?’ on Twitter.How: I asked the question ‘Do you think that the colours that you see on a day to day basis affect your mood?’ on Twitter.Results: Having received 12 responses I feel that I got a good understanding of whether or not people believe that there is a correlation between your mood and colour. Using Twit-ter for this questions was quick and easy however, the 11 responses that i received were limited to the ages of 18-22 so show quite a niche range of responses.

6. Average Colours

After gathering responses from the Twitter method and doing other secondary research on relationships between mood, color and art, I thought that it would be interesting to find the average colours that you see on a day to day basis based on the buildings, shops and various features within town centers.How: I took photographs on 10 separate days in December and January within Nottingham, Louth, Birmingham and Lincoln city centres.Results: I feel that the range of locations that the method was carried out gave a broad outlook and made it more accurate to the UK’s high streets as a collective. The results may be biased as people could be wearing darker colours in the winter or the Christmas lights and decorations may af-fect the results, however I focused on the architecture and more permanent surroundings. It was interesting to then evaluate the colours in comparison to the research I found on mood and colour.

7. Perceptions of attitudes in the city

I questioned two female market researchers that were conducting questionnaires and a man who worked for Big Issue in Nottingham how they perceived the attitudes of people on average, in Nottingham. I asked them to give 5 words each that describe the public best.

Results: Although I asked for 5 words, they gave me a lot more detailed answers so result was overall very positive. Working in the industry of questionnaires, I think that they understood the difficulties that you may face when doing them.

8. Email Jeremey Hague

I emailed Jeremey after having seen his presentation on The Creative Quarter in Nottingham in order to obtain more information on the project.

Results: Even though he could not answer the questions that I asked, Jeremy gave some interesting and relevant in-formation and sources to look at. The lecture that he gave on the Creative Quarter helped channel my Implementa-tion stage, showing a real-life budget and some developing plans for the future.

9. Interview with Margaret Carr

I wanted to get a great understanding of life mid-20th century including city centres, neighbours and living conditions.

10: Nick Bertram Interview Stow Film Lounge

When researching pop up shops, I came across Stow Film Lounge and got into contact with Nick Bertram, the owner of Stow Film Lounge, by email.

How: Allowed Margaret to reminisce, unbiased to questions, giving her the full freedom to express what she felt important, I asked her to talk about the lifestyle, culture and society of when she was a younger girl, along the lines of the places that she used to shop for food, where she got her clothes from, what society was like, the streets, the people, etc.Result: Being something that she loves to talk about, the answers were very interesting, detailed first hand experiences of real memories.

Method: I began by asking four questions and then requested photographs of the Film Lounge.Questions: 1. Do you feel that there should be more lifestyle shops and events (e.g cinemas) present on the UK high streets and do you think that it would attract a more diverse range of people to city centres?2. Do you think that pop up shops are a feasible way in which city councils could activate vacant shops until a more permanent resident is found?3. What reason do you think that people would visit your film lounge as oppose to the chain cinemas available nearby?4. What kind of a reaction do you get from visitors to your unique approach to the cinematic experience?Results: Very passionate answers from someone who has a lot of interest within the topic of the decline of the high street, independent businesses and pop-ups.

11. Elizabeth Cooper

I emailed Elizabeth Cooper, Sector Development Officer at Nottingham City Council in order to get detailed information on the types of shops around Nottingham City Centre.

Results: Rather than going through every shop in Nottingham and in the end getting an incorrect result, I received a very prompt reply after having already spoken to Elizabeth about Vacant Shops in Nottingham. The results were surveys carried out by Experian and Nottingham City Council and gave detailed information on the statistics.

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12. Dan Thompson

I emailed Dan Thompson, founder and director of Revolutionary Arts and author of Pop Up Business For Dummies, in order to get his views on Pop-Ups.

Why: Dan is on the front line when it comes to Pop-Ups and vacant shops.Results: Being so passionate and having such great involvement within this area, I interviewed him in order to get a greater understanding of Pop-Up Shops. Replying instantly, with detailed and insightful answers, Dan was a very helpful source to the Implementation section.

Secondary Research

Resources, such as books, journals, newspapers, magazines and reports were used in order to develop a thorough understanding of the history of the high street and our society, architectural trends, consumer trends, the current economy and marketplace and finally relevant, future trends. The main books referred to were Naked City by Sharon Zukin, Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space by Jan Gehl, Triumph of the City by Edward Glaeser.

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THE 20TH CENTURY

An age of extremes or an age of possibilities?

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The wars of the 20th century brought many hardships and trauma on the lives of people all over the world. 1.7 billion people or three quarters of the world’s population were consumed by the horror of WW2. [Keith A. Crawford, Stuart J. Foster, 2007: 178] ‘The depression took Britain unawares: men were left jobless and their families hungry.’ [Reader’s Digest, 1998: p78] Nations had to deal issues that affected them politically, psychologically and mentally. But something that is as equally important to understand was the way in which people were affected and had to adapt to the wars socially. Classes were slowly eliminated as people had to be more involved within their communities, looking out for each other and sharing food due to rationing and shortages. ‘It was the community spirit that helped us through those ‘dark’ days. Helping, caring and supporting each other.’ says John, a 15 year old that lived through the war in 1939 [Tenions, J, R, 2008: Online] After the war when peace had been declared, Britains’ community spirit was heightened ‘crowds came out onto the streets and flooded into central London.’ [Museum of London, 2010: p4]

In Cheek by Jowl: A History of Neighbours, it is highlighted that in the 1800’s to the early 1900’s children didn’t have the distraction of technology and frequently engaged in outdoor play. [Gehl, J, 2006: p 14] With few cars on the roads and neighbours looking out for each other, children were free to play in the streets. People had lots of friends and knew everyone in their communities due to more frequent interaction and neighbours used to help each other out

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emotionally, even financially. [Cockayne, E., 2012: p130] Before the 1950s, less affluent people in particular supported each other, sometimes by being present during the birth of a baby born at home, rather than the father being present in a hospital. Women were more likely to chat during their encounters at the shared water supplies, WCs and whilst washing their clothes and linen. [Cockayne, E., 2012: p218] Proceeding the 1950’s, the reverse became true. Margaret Carr, [2013: In Person] born in 1937 admits that there was crime; you had to be wary of the dangers that you face in everyday life and recalls how neighbours used to look out for each other, ‘There was some roughies. I mean there always has been but we used to play out because we just used to play out on the streets round where we lived, you see everybody knew one another. Neighbours were aunties and uncles and that. I don’t know how many grandmas I had because I had, either side of us a grandma. And everyone looked out for each other and now you don’t even speak to you neighbours, like my one!’

Yang Liu creator of a series of infographics, portrays the differences between Eastern and Western societies. [Figure 9] They show that there is a lot more community spirit in the East than in the Western world. The infographics show that eastern cultures are a lot more dependent on their neighbours [Falle, R, 2012: Online] similar to the way in which people lived during the 60’s for example however the changes within our society are slowly diminishing our neighbourly ways.

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Fig. 17

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IN JAN GEHL’S LIFE BETWEEN BUILDINGS: USING PUBLIC Space, [2006: p40] Gehl expresses how well designed the Piazza del Campo in Siena is, ideally arranged to function as a meeting place and public living room for its citizens, both then and now. This is not the case for many city centers today and this kind of interaction is slowly diminishing. The industrial revolution brought globalisation and homogenisation. [Molenaar, C., 2010: p18-19] Industrial mass production began to overtake local produce, technology advanced and mass transportation and channels of distribution rapidly improved. The retail sector began to boom. [Grunenberg C. & Hollein M. (eds) 2002: p18]

People’s lives were changing; architecture responded to the changes in materials, food and city centers changed dramatically. The emergence of department stores and supermarkets offered consumers a fixed price system and the introduction of credit, availability of a wide choice of standardised goods and access of a wider range of social groups. [Grunenberg C. & Hollein M. (eds) 2002: P18] This exciting concept was so different from what people were used to allowing consumers to choose goods for themselves (self-service) and the large variety within each store meant that all shopping could be done in one place. ‘Millions of acres of grassland and wasteland ploughed up to grow crops’ with women working hard to produce enough food for the country in the Woman’s Land Army after rationing having created a culture of scarcity, fresh fruit and vegetables were sorely missed. [Reader’s Digest, 1998: p132-141] It isn’t hard to imagine why there was so much excitement over the turn of events.

Fig. 18

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WHITSUNTIDE AND SHOPPING

‘When we were kids, Whitsunday meant all the kids had new clothes and we used to go round to everybody, neighbours, relations and they’d give you money. You had to show them your new clothes, picked your skirt up and show them your

underneath clothes. And you used to get, I was going to say it is about 10 pence, but that’s too much. Yeah, it would be sixpence yeah. That’s 2 1/2pence. And then we used to spend the money.’ [Carr, M, 2013: In Person]

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At the start of the 60’s, the UK had just 572 supermarkets. By 2012, there were almost 90,000 supermarkets and convenience stores in the UK with larger supermarkets typically offering 40,000 to 50,000 different products. [Lawrence, F. 2004: p2] Although the speed and efficiency was key, it brought an overlooked reality that troubled independent shopkeepers like Karl Sergison who ran a grocers shop in the television program Turn Back Time - The High Street. [2010: Program] ‘It was a bit saddening as I could see it wouldn’t be long before we became a fully fledged supermarket.’ Karl remarks on his experience working in the shop, ‘I always bang on about the fact that they have destroyed the high street as we used to know it. Now all we have is big out of town car parks with huge great shops attached to them. They’re always going to be around but it’s so important that the high street can exist alongside them.’ [Sergison, K, 2010: Online] Margaret Carr [2013: In Person] says, ‘We used to shop at the corner shop. We couldn’t go to the supermarkets because there went any. There were clothes shops. Blanchards we used to go to it’s a clothes shop. It was like yeah I suppose it would be like as big as Eve and Ranshaw (a small department store in Louth, Lincolnshire). But we really only had new clothes at Whitsuntide. Whit Sunday.’

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Margaret [Carr, M, 2013: In Person] remembers the cheese market, a market where fruit, vegetables, crockery, bread, dairy, even pets and lots of materials. ‘Fabrics because people made their own clothes. Second-hand clothes as well. That’s where a lot of people got their clothes from, second hand. We bought them yes and from, I mean I can’t remember having anything new, I got some hand-me-downs from an older girl that used to live near me.’

Although money’s value was a lot less when Margaret was a young girl, shopping was very much a treat. Whitsuntide came once a year and was an event the whole family looked forward to, still in fond memories 50 years on. Rather than having the odd item from a charity shop, most of Margaret and her friends wardrobes were made up of hand me downs and second hand buys. This all changed relatively soon after the cease of war rations. People’s needs turned into want, as the ‘Expansion of a more elaborately staged spectacle of seduction, increasing importance of consumer goods as social signifiers and finally the emergence of shopping as an acceptable leisure activity.’ [Grunenberg C. & Hollein M. (eds) 2002: p45] The public was buying much more than what they were used to and in turn, the economy began to boom and the country became a lot more affluent.

Figures 19 to 22 show Margaret and her friends wearing Whitsuntide clothing.

Fig. 21

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There were consequences that these changes brought despite despite the effects of the industrial revolution improving conditions all over the world. ‘Work, consumption and society would never be the same.’ [Goloboy, J. L., Mancall, P, C., 2008: p12] Although an obvious advantage for the country and its people, there is evidence to support the ways in which affluence affecting social change. In Point Counter Point [Cockayne, E., 2012: p128], Aldous Huxley has the young working-class socialist Frank Illidge declare that ‘The rich haven’t got any neighbours.’ By contrast, the poor, living cheek by jowl. In modern Britain, most of people can afford to live like Huxley’s rich neighbours, ‘boxed up’ in our ‘own secret house’. Between 1945 and 1951 over 2 million semi detached houses were built. [Cockayne, E., 2012: p153]

Family dynamics have changed. Children leave home earlier and there are more broken marriages and lone parents than ever before. People began living longer than they used to ‘people are living thirty years longer than they did in 1900’ with better living conditions, improved medical services etc. [Rogers, R and Power, A, 2000: p 38] and if there are more people living on their own, accommodation needs to meet their requirements to avoid overcrowding. The public gained more freedom of speech, [Rogers, R and Power, A, 2000: p 51] have the right to go and live where they please, and more instant communications weaken social ties.

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The high street used to be the hub of the community, the epicentre of social and economic activity offering everything from worship, debating, sports, local markets to trading [Coleman, P., 2006: P19] High Streets of today’s society are commonly adopting the name ‘Ghost Town’ and a lot of the time, supermarkets are blamed for the irreversible damage to our towns and communities. ‘Society

is more individualistic, and as a result is more fragmented and harder to control.’ [Rogers, R and Power, A, 2000: p51] Although it can’t be asked that shared water supplies, delivering your neighbours babies, poor standards of living and a controlled state should be brought back, there needs to be a more conscious method of regaining the social aspects that were lost and economic difficulties that came when these things declined. [Lawrence, F. 2004: p1]Fig. 25

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DYSTOPIA VS UTOPIA

‘We were trying to build heaven on Earth.’ Architect of Dunboyne Road estate in Camden, Neave Brown says, “We wanted to build a continuous, seamless society”. (Utopia London, 2010: Film)

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ARC HI TEC T URA L DE SIGN AND URBAN PLANNING ARE important aspects that make up the fabric of our city’s and high streets. [Botton, A, D, 2006: p2] Architecture can often be seen as quite a frivolous and self-indulgent task. Without the city planners that initially designed our cities, historically, and the modern urban planners that have adapted cities today, they would not function in the ways that we currently use them, so unaware to these plans.

Many novelists, artists, poets, architects, etc. realised the potential occurrences that could amass in the future due to the changes in the way that people are interacting and living around the world. Technological advances and industry such as mass production were just some of the changes that novelists such as H. G Wells, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley referred to. George Orwell’s 1984 predicted or even warned of a dark vision of the future of an unpleasant, repressive society, that could occur 35 years after it was published. [Orwell, G., 1949] ‘These nightmare visions of the future determine the life and consumer choices of the ‘masses’. The masses would then walk, zombie-like, into a tyranny of unfettered capital with its constraint of free life, thought and choice.’ [NEF, 2004: 11]

Modernist ideologies changed science and technology as it was previously known, reshaping cities, artefacts of daily life and believed to be improving the standards of living. What critics and the public neglected to realise was that under this new, unique way of thinking was inequity and oppression. [Prakash, G. 2010: p1] Modernist architects played a great role in designing and popularising the ‘utopian’ ideals of the 20th century. The Newton Building in Nottingham that is now part of the Nottingham Trent University campus and was originally opened as a Technical College [Nottingham 21, 2007: Online] is an example of the modernist movement ‘neo-fascism’ and was the first building to ‘break Nottingham’s skyline’. [Brownie Bear, 2011: Online] This eclectic mixture of styles and eras. [Nottingham City Council, 2009: p5] on a tightly-packed city centre is what makes Nottingham’s unique character However the large concrete multi storey car parks, huge 1960s office blocks, hotels and council flats and houses aren’t always thought of with such well regard. Geoffery Trease, author of Nottingham a Biography first published in 1970 said, ‘The face of the city has changed since 1970. Regrettably featureless modern blocks too near the castle, have robbed the ducal palace of its old unchallenged dominance’. [Nottingham City Council, 2009: p33] Figure 28 visualises the extent of concrete buildings near the Castle in Nottingham.

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Fig. 27

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Ebenezer Howard’s ‘Garden City’ designs (Howard, E, 2003) and Le Corbusier’s ‘Radiant City’ (Le Corbusier, 1986) expressed that cities of the future will have a large place for transport and Howard discussed the popularisation of new materials such as glass and iron. These cities and many others alike were designed to eliminate the oppressive, dark and narrow streets that the dominated the world’s cities with growing population affluence and standards of living. [Ruggeri, D., 2009: p2] Le Corbusier, a hugely influential architect on designs within many of the world’s cities and still inspiring architects and students today designed the new urban forms that he named the ‘towers of the park’, [Lichfield, J, 2006: Online] This entirely new and unique design integrated a serene, green location with at reasonable expense, spacious, peaceful, light-filled homes for the masses, with which people failed to find a fault. Tony Garnier’s ‘cité industrielle’ [Architecture and Urbanism, 2010: Online] also understood that ‘fundamental, natural and primitive conditions were stressed’ therefore ‘the emphasis on exercise, health, and physical well being was a corollary to the awakening interest in natural life. Garnier‘s inclusion of a large public area for sports and spectacles in his city related to early utopian philosophy, pagan antiquity and love for games.’

Tony Garnier designed the ‘Cité Industrielle’ which although was not designed for a specific location and was never built, aspects of it were put into practice in the South of France and Garnier directly influence Lyon himself having been appointed as Architecte-en-chef. The Cité Industrielle was designed to reflect the basic goodness of man believing that his city, governed by socialist law, would have no need of churches, prisons, police or a law court. This, although a bold statement, was what many of the architects believed would come of their work. Modern day ‘utopias’, that is until they were tried and tested by real residents. So what was it that eventually came of these Utopias?

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Fig. 28

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The modern city, after all, appears to be an instantiation of a dystopic form of society. [Prakash, G., 2010: p2]

WELCOME TO DYSTOPIAFig. 29

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Modernist and functionalist ideologies paid very little attention to the psychological and social aspects of the buildings and public spaces that they influenced. Functionalist buildings were designed solely with physical and material needs in mind. Jan Gehl suggests that functionalist buildings were seen ‘as an alternative to the existing dark, overpopulated, and unhealthy workers’ housing, the new, light multi-storey blocks offered many obvious advantages, and it was easy to argue in their favour.’ [Gehl, J., 2006: p54]

Brutalist architecture was a very popular form of architecture during the 50s through to the 70s and is still a prevalent feature in many cities and towns of the UK and other parts of the world. ‘Brutalist architecture’s distinguishing feature was the use of naked concrete. The name derives from the French phrase béton brut meaning ‘raw concrete’; a term first used by the French (Swiss-born) architect Le Corbusier.’ [Ambrose, G, Harris, P. Stone, S. (eds) 2008: p66] At the time, similar to the other modernist architect movements of the time, Brutalist architcture was developed in reaction to the pollution, lack of open space and social inequalities of London for the better good of the population. [Ruggeri, D., 2009: p3] ‘Brutalism was promoted as a positive option for forward-moving, modern urban housing. In practice, however, many of the buildings built in this style lacked many of the community-serving features of Corbusier’s vision, and instead, developed into claustrophobic, crime-ridden tenements’ [Creative Commons, 2010: 4] The buildings were in effect pernicious in the way that they slowly deteriorated. Le Corbusier’s towers in the park [Fishman, R. 2004: 31] are slowly being demolished one by one with the Government spending billions demolishing the very towers they had constructed some forty years earlier, living a humbly short life.

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Fig. 30

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Concrete was used in architecture that was innovative to its time [Oxford Royale, 2012: Online] and was being widely experimented with; it’s popularity was apparent all over the world. A paramount example of butalist architecture is the Trellick Tower in London and the Forschungseinrichtung für Experimentelle Medizin in Berlin-Steglitzs. [Planitzer, M, 2012: Photograph] Putting this aside the concepts’ popularity soon faded and ended up haphazardly being thought of as a ‘spiritual, intellectual, and moral deformity.’ as described by Theodore Dalrymple, [2009:

‘It was hard to predict that they would turn out this way all the glitz and shine overshadowed the bad. But people started to move out.’ [Moss, S, 2011: Online]

Online] a contributing editor of City Journal. He called the buildings ‘cold-hearted’, ‘inhuman’, ‘hideous’, and ‘monstrous’ in his article The Architect as Totalitarian. It is also stated the reinforced concrete ‘does not age gracefully but instead crumbles, stains, and decays’. Le Corbusier, obsessed with concrete, constructed city ‘gardens’ such as these. It is understandable how his and comparable designs became so unpopular, displaying very few signs of it being what is traditionally considered as a ‘garden’. [Figure 31]

Fig. 31

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THE AUSTERITY YEARSIn the 1950’s [Reader’s Digest, 1998: p186] Winston Churchill’s Government promised to do away with poverty and mass unemployment. The utopias of the 20th century were designed to house a lot of people in small amounts of space containing ‘sociable elements’ and gardens. [Hackney, R., Sweet, F., 1990: p23] The damage Britain saw ‘from the combination of German bombs and wartime neglect’ meant the rebuild had to be quick and effective. The post-war housing programme named ‘operation housing’ and Government departments such as the Ministry of Supply were in response to the desperate need for new homes and in ‘dragging Britain out of the rubble.’ [Reader’s Digest, 1998: p196] ‘The post-war housing programme and building was booming. Vast areas in the suburbs and city centres were being razed to the ground in a bit to conquer the squalor of the slums. Massive blocks were altering the skylines of almost every town and city government.’ The Festival of Britain was an event that followed the aftermath of the war in the summer of 1951 to give Britons a sense of recovery and to promote the British contribution to science, technology, industrial design, architecture and the arts. The event tagged ‘A Tonic for the Nation’ [Museum of London, 2002: Online] influence architecture to follow through the ideas of modernism and particularly by Scandinavian adaptations of modern ideas. David Nissen who was aged 9 in 1951 ‘I remember that the whole experience was like being on another planet, in a Sci-Fi way... It was like walking into a film set, with such a feeling of optimism. We were told that this was a new world that would be built all over the country and that one-day everything would be like the Festival. It was perhaps the most exciting thing that I can remember of my youth.’ The feeling of optimism, anticipation for the future overwhelmed the country.

Fig. 32

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38The architects that envisaged these dwellings were a ‘group of young idealists were fusing art and science to build an egalitarian city.’ [Utopia London, 2010: Film]

Fig. 33

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39The architects that envisaged these dwellings were a ‘group of young idealists were fusing art and science to build an egalitarian city.’ [Utopia London, 2010: Film]

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he sudden downturn of the Lansbury Estate makes you question if it really was the design of the buildings or if it was in fact the types of people that these buildings attract and house. The influx of travel and wealth leaving behind unemployed and the elderly, those blaming the brutalist design of the buildings could be mistaken.

Refer to Appendix Page 106 for in depth analysis.

THE LANSBURY ESTATE, POPLAR

POPLARLOW-RISE

PEOPLE FRIENDLY

GHETTOISATIONDOWNTURN

70’S and 80’S

NO-GO AREADRUGS

STREET CRIME

FEAR

Fig. 34Fig. 35

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“WELCOME TO FAILED UTOPIA”

STAIRWELLSDARK ALLEYS

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

HARRY BROWNDEMOLITION

UNPOPULAR SOCIAL HOUSING

5,000 NEW HOMESUTOPIAN IDEAL

he same antisocial behaviour came as poplar, what would have come of these buildings if they had been sold and marketed as luxury flats?

Refer to Appendix Page 106 for in depth analysis.

‘THE ELDERLY LADY RECENTLY SUFFERED A STROKE AS A RESULT

OF THE STRESS.’‘THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE REHOUSED ARE DELIGHTED WITH

THEIR NEW HOUSING’

‘RESIDENTS ARE BEING DISPLACED AND THE HOUSING IS BEING REPLACED WITH A CITADEL OF LUXURY HOUSING WE WON’T BE

ABLE AFFORD.’

THE HEYGATE ESTATE, ELEPHANT AND CASTLE

Fig. 36Fig. 37

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UNPOPULAR SOCIAL HOUSING

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Demolish. Destroy. Tear down. Kick out. Expropriate.

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POVERTYUNATTRACTIVE AREAS AND BUILDINGS

NEED FOR SPACE

2010 WORLD EXPO

£35 BILLION

BETTER CITY - BETTER LIFE

SHANGHAI STREET STORIES

Fig. 40Fig. 41

Fig. 38Fig. 39

Previous Page This Page Refer to Appendix Page 107 for in depth analysis.

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THE ‘GREAT RECESSION’ [WORSTALL, T, 2012: ONLINE] IS STILL SHOWING ECONOMIC difficulties in 2012. The British Retail Consortium have calculated that more than one in ten shops are empty on the UK high street. [BBC News, 2012: Online] ‘The recession, government regulation and the rise of the Internet all mean that costs and competition are rising but turnover is not.’ [Molenaar, C., 2010: p1]Today’s retail landscape has changed dramatically. ‘The phenomenal growth of online retailing, the rise of mobile retailing, the speed and sophistication of the major national and international retailers, the epic and immersive experiences offered by today’s new breed of shopping mall, combined with a crippling recession, have all conspired to change today’s retail landscape.’ [Portas, M,. 2011: p2] Shopping was a novelty in the past as incomes were lower and rationing, now can it be seen as over-indulgent and greed? ‘The New Look burst over Britain like a fashion Bomb’ [Reader’s Digest, 1998: p184] Margaret Carr reflects on how much she had to live on as a young girl, which seem like it would be barely enough to live on for a day in our modern society. ‘£2 10 shillings for the week. Nine till half past five I worked. £2 10 shillings and I gave me mother £2 for board and I had 10 shillings and it was like a fortune. I used to get bus fairs to town and it’d buy me, it wouldn’t be tights then, it’d be stockings and go to the pictures, save up a little bit. All with ten shillings. 50 pence. Pictures where only about 9 pence that’s less than a shilling.’

RETAIL REVOLUTION

Consumers can get whatever they want, wherever they are. That is without even stepping out onto the high street. People aren’t wandering round, stumbling upon new shops. Online shopping, home delivery and technology like iPhone’s Google maps, people can get straight to their destination quickly and without sidetracks. There is so much less serendipity because of this. ‘Serendipity also plays an important role in the context of shopping’ [Online Behaviour, 2012: Online] People are rushing everywhere, less free time or the want for more time shows peoples perceptions of time has decreased. In passing, high street shoppers generally say ‘Sorry I’m in a hurry’ ‘Busy!’ and ‘Too busy. No one has any free time’ when asked to complete a questionnaire. These are some of the responses that I got from people conducting questionnaires in Nottingham when asked what attitudes people have. Dr David Lewis at the British Council of Shopping Centres Conference, 2002 states that, ‘Society today finds itself with a shortage of time. And time, together with attention and trust, have been categories as the ‘new scarcities’.’ [Coleman, P., 2006: p54] ‘Consumers are more likely to overestimate the product quality, or the value of the deal, lower their intentions to search, and have higher intentions to buy. Shorter time limits may augment this effect’ [Mountainview Learning, 2010: p4]

Have our perceptions of time weakened, or is it that todays world filled with more entertainment, working hours and a greater need for more ‘free time’ making everyday tasks such as shopping hurried? To make matters worse, Online retailers such as Amazon have low VAT costs, give consumers fast, reliable and arguably some of the cheapest priced items put this along with home delivery and e-tailing, it is easy to understand why retailers could be seeing hard times. [Tech Eye, 2012: Online] These online retailers alongside the recession are forcing high street retailers to lower their prices, decreasing margins which, in return has forced many shops into administration. Britain’s second-largest electrical retailer Comet announced it will go into administration early in November 2012. ‘2012 has been the worst year since 2008, when 5,793 stores closed and more than 74 thousand employees lost their jobs. Compared to 2008, only two-third of the number of stores and employees have been affected.’ [Retail Research, 2012: Online] Consumers need to be given more exciting reasons to shop on the high street in order to keep their city centers alive. Do local councils and the Government have a part to play in this?

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These photographs show a small proportion of vacant shops in Nottingham and Birmingham. Fig. 42

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Fig. 43

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Nottingham in particular is made up mostly of 425 chains and 505 Independents. Mobile phone shops, chain coffee shops and charity shops are prominent features in Nottingham city center. [Cooper, E, 2013, Email] The Evening standard states, ‘After all, it is difficult for Starbucks or Costa to lose business to an online competitor.’ [2012: Online] ‘An affordable treat’ and ‘the coffee chains also have far lower cost bases, simpler supply chains and require smaller outlets than Topshop or Next.’ Many town centres throughout Britain are adopting the name ‘clone town’. [BIS, 2011: p52] There are 16 charity shops in Nottingham City Center [Tipped, 2013: Online] and 8 in Louth. [Riddington, H. 2013: Research] Mary Portas proposed in her Portas Review that charity shops should be capped however, Wendy Mitchell, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at the Association said that they are ‘often occupying premises which would otherwise be empty – so any cap on the number of charity shops is likely to increase the number of empty shop fronts.’ [Charities Direct, 2011: Online] Mitchell also says that there should be more of a focus on, ‘the lack of consumer confidence, competition from out of town developments and ways to support small businesses through the downturn.’

NOTTINGHAM CITY CENTRE SHOPS

Fig. 44

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Louth Market town maintains a very healthy level of independent greengrocers, butchers, cheese shops and coffee shops. [Riddington, H. 2013: Research] There are 6 vacant shops, 8 dentists and opticians, and with 8 charity shops, it is possible to see an increase in local shops struggling within the current economic climate in a town of just 200 shops. Nottingham city center also has 7 dentists and opticians which could show that they are recession proof industry’s. [Cooper, E, 2013: Email] However locals are supporting their local markets and shops by fighting off chains and in particular, supermarkets and also, petitions against paid parking, proposed by the Council. Campaign group ‘Keep Louth Special’ was launched to oppose selling off Louth’s Cattle Market site for a Tesco which it feels would destroy the town’s unique collection of independent shops and a Sainsbury’s proposed for a separate location in Louth ‘received a large amount of local opposition, including a 585 signature petition.’ [This is Lincolnshire, 2012: Online] Over 2012, posters, signs and a protest of the 500 people in Phuket town, Thailand assembled to voice their views on Tesco stores. The slogans read “Tesco ruins our life in Phuket Town” and “We don’t want Tesco” among others expressing the negative feelings towards Tesco stores. [Thai Visa, 2012: Online] Local business is beginning to suffer in the same way that local butchers, grocers, bakers, etc. in the UK did following the introduction of supermarkets in the UK over 50 years ago.

LOUTH TOWN CENTRE SHOPS

Fig. 45

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In an approach to create a more self-sufficient community, a few unique towns in England such as Totnes in Devon which has taken a step towards having its own currency after a month-long experiment. [Morris, J, 2012: Online] Although a rather unconventional idea, it seems to have worked as the town is having an extra 3000 notes printed.

During a career that spans 45 years culminating in leading some of the country’s best-known chains – including Wickes, Iceland and Focus DIY – Bill Grimsey, author of Sold out have witnessed decades where thousands of independent stores have disappeared. [This is Money, 2012: Online] he suggests that ‘They cannot be saved as a destination for retailing alone. Much needed affordable housing, turning our high streets into domestic living centres would be a good place to start.’

Retired architect, Kate Macintosh, [Utopia London, 2010: Film] reflects on the state of our towns and cities today. “When you look at the landmarks around us in London today, ones that have gone up since this was erected (the Heygate Estate), very largely they are banks, share dealing houses, perhaps a few flats for the very rich, and that symbolism of where the wealth and the power is vested, is a very accurate reflection of the way society has changed”. There are towns in France where the local authorities can veto the construction of supermarkets. The town of Homer in Alaska banned ‘big-box’ stores. In Carmel, California, a bye law was passed banning ‘formula restaurants’ (chains). The territory of Western Australia has an aggressive ‘buy local’ policy to help local enterprises stand up to big business and Ocean Beach in California banned chain stores. [NEF, 2004: p4-7]Fig. 46

INDEPENDENCE

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Chains can generate greater margins as many owners of multiple stores invest in their own warehouses and also distribution networks, and consumers know what they are getting, as they are the same all over the world. This is a recently new phenomenon called Homogeneism. ‘International monetary flows – now more deregulated than ever before – have delivered us a global culture where you can participate in the same ‘consumer experience’ from Los Angeles to Lagos – but only, of course, if you can afford it. From Bangor to Bangkok, it is possible to buy the same Burger King or pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, see the same advertisements, listen to identical music or catch the latest Hollywood movie.’ [NEF, 2004: p10]

Similarly, Jean Francois Lyotard defines ‘Eclecticism’ as ‘the degree zero of contemporary general culture: one listens to reggae, watches a western, eats McDonald’s food for lunch and local cuisine for dinner, wears Paris perfume in Tokyo and ‘retro’ clothing in Hong Kong; knowledge is a matter of TV games. It is easy to find a public for eclectic works.’. [NEF, 2004: p10] who wrote The Postmodern Explained. 76 year old Margaret Carr explains that her mother never left Sheffield let alone went on holiday. [2013, In Person] Margaret holidayed in Skegness and Mablethorpe when she was a girl and it wasn’t until she and her husband were in their 60s that she went on an aeroplane with her daughter and daughters family. You can now fly to anywhere in the world, live anywhere in the world with things that Margaret could have never got access to, if she had lived abroad as a younger woman.

This section looked at the changes city centres has seen and how they have gone on to affect other factors. This next section looks at understanding the importance of these changes and why the high street needs to be kept alive.

Fig. 47 Fig. 48

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Fig. 49

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‘This matters because the decline of the high street is not only an economic issue; it’s a cultural, social and a moral one too. Say goodbye to the high street and you rip the heart out of thousands of communities across Britain. Not to mention the livelihoods of many people in those communities.’ [Saatchi & Saatchi London, 2012]

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

DESPITE EVER GROWING TECHNOLOGY, A LARGE assemblage of chains and increased online shopping, research that was carried out in Nottingham and Louth in December 2012 gave strong evidence that Independent shops have seen a boost of customers wanting a more authentic product and shopkeepers in turn feel positive about the future of independents. The owners of Recreation in the West End Arcade are seeing a rise in younger people shopping with them, ‘they could realise that there’s more interesting things around.’ [Foster, R., 2012: In Person]

UK digital sales broke £1 billion in 2013 [Budden, R, 2013, Online) for the first time. Despite this, Recreation record shop in Nottingham [Foster, R., 2012: In Person] feels that their record shop is doing well amongst young people, in particular. This shows that they are wanting to get away from the technology that is being thrown at them day to day and predicts good potential for the future of independents. As younger consumers hold the key to the future of our high streets and the results from a recent survey by JWT Intelligence found that ‘74% of ‘millennials (people aged 21 to 34) would be interested in shopping at a store that offered something extra, like a special event or the opportunity to learn something new.’ [Urban Pollinators, 2012: p56]

Fig. 50

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‘Supermarkets are doing irreversible damage to our towns and communities.’ [Lawrence, F. 2004: p1] ‘Results typically show that genuinely local stores have greater local benefits, and that there are good economic reasons for maintaining diversity on Britain’s high streets.’ [NEF, 2004: p7] There are ‘more than 30 Chain stores are closing a day’ [Smithers, R, 2012: Online) and independent shopkeepers argue that local/independent is what consumers want. Recreation said ‘Sometimes people kind of want to revolt, and to kind of come back, you know they don’t always want to go to along that path. They come round.’ [Foster, R., 2012: In Person] Nick Bertram from Stow Film Lounge, a Pop-Up Cinema says, ‘It’s about personality, value for money and the extra little touches or details are important.’ [2012: Email Interview] He says. ‘People are seeking these experiences out rather than going to the local multiplex.’ which could mean if it is available, people would prefer to use it however, Nick does admit that ‘The thing is that some people think that they won’t bother supporting something and then expect it to still be running when they do!’ Meg Hale from Aubery’s creperie states that she has very loyal customers who keep the business alive but also, ‘people who just drop in almost by accident and end up finding their little treasure!’ [2012, In Person]

There is a certain amount of angst and frustration towards the council. Smaller businesses feel that they don’t offer enough help considering how much importance they have in getting the high street rolling. Alison Haud, owner of pop up shop Dezigne in Nottingham said that ‘I think that the council should get far more involved in it I mean this is a totally private enterprise that myself and my partner have put our money into and we’re working with a few of the designers and makers and they’ve put some money into it as well so that we can pay the rent so it’s a totally kind of independent enterprise really.’ [2012: In Person] ‘Yeah that would be nice if they just let us have it at for a very low council tax, just for the two months that would really help us out.’

Fig. 51

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Fig. 52

Fig. 53

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Fig. 54

Fig. 55

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Serendipity in an independent gift shop in Louth stated that Louth Town Council were ‘planning on starting to charge for the parking areas in the cattle market, which is the biggest, most popular place to park in town’ [Sherrington, M, 2012: In person] in order to raise revenue for the town. They have started a highly popular petition against this proposal with other shops in Louth and local consumers, claiming that it would be suicide for well-being of the town. Jeremy Hague stated that a 150 year old jewellers in Nottingham’s Lace Market shut down in 2012, claiming that the lack of suitable local parking was the cause of their closure. Mark, owner of Serendipity said ‘It’s happened before, again we used to live in a little market town, they got rid of the free parking and people went elsewhere. You can go to Tesco or Morrison’s or all the rest of them because they’re easier, you can park for free and all of your shopping can be done under one roof, so why would you bother coming into a town?’ Although introducing paid parking could create a decline in footfall in Louth due to the already limited amount of shops, I feel that Nottingham has a sufficient amount of parking and if a shops has been able to survive 150 years without parking, other factors could have influenced the closure of the Jewelers such as the recession, changing consumer attitudes or even lack of demand for their service. [Hague, J, 2013: Email interview]

It is important that emphasis is put on the wealth effect and initiating consumer confidence in return. ‘It’s the idea that you will spend more because you feel richer. You feel richer because you think prices are up or because your stock portfolio has increased in value.’ [Moon, N, 2012: Online] Consumer confidence can be achieved through an improved economic situation but something that is easier to resolve is more optimism and enthusiasm in what is being sold to consumers or how it is being sold to them.

I feel that they are starting to understand the importance of doing something different for example ‘12 Windows of Christmas Cheer is part of wider Christmas campaign organised by the Nottingham BID designed to attract more people to the city for their Christmas shopping and entertainment.’ [Nottingham City, 2012: Online] however more needs to be done in order to create really enthusiastic consumers.

Nick Bertram, owner of Stow Film Lounge says ‘I have to have four licences per film per screening. It is fair to say that there isn’t a huge profit in this and that is why, in my opinion, the cinema industry is polarised into the big multiplexes who can absorb running at a loss sometimes and at the other end Filmclubs that are not for profit but only really focussed on niche/arthouse films.’ [2012: Email Interview] ‘Add in Love Film and Netflixs and you can see to be a small independent cinema business is not easy.’

The independent 1920’s Art Deco Cinema in Louth has gone through a recent £200,000 refurbishment and was taken over by a local cinema firm. [This is Grimsby, 2012: Online] Even though Stow Film Club is a highly popular experience ‘our licences don’t allow us to show new releases. Another example of distributors manipulating the market.’ [Bertram, N, 2012: Email Interview] This may however, be the niche appeal that consumers are looking for and can’t get from chains.

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Fig. 56

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CONCLUSIONIN SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH SECTION OF THE REPORT, I looked at the ways in which events during the 20th Century shaped our world into how it is today. The architects of the 20th century, as an architect in any era, changed the way people live their lives, and influenced their day-to-day routines. The high street is currently seeing a decline with shop vacancy rates high and footfall low. The current recession, Internet shopping and other factors have influenced this decline and the changes to the ways in which our generation utilises our city centres. This has often resulted in a less sociable public. The negatives that have come as a result of the events of the 20th century have influenced our world and it wouldn’t be the same today without the influences of globalisation, eclecticism etc. The public have adapted to these advancements, resulting in widespread progress. What has become apparent is that through this development, we do not lose sight of our history and culture.

It would be impractical to rebuild every city and style them on historical buildings. The progressions that have occurred suit our generations’ lifestyles’. It is however, essential to look at implementing ways in which new buildings and spaces are planned in order to ensure longevity and prosperity of our cities; regarding social aspects as highly as their architectural form.The implementation section of this report will identify more specific suggestions of how city environments can be improved. This will ensure that face-to-face interaction can be achieved and that competitive, young and skilled workers can be attracted. What measure can be put onto the high streets in order to enhance footfall and how can cities be more sustainable in attaining growth?

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IMPLEMENTATION

THE RESEARCH SECTION EXPLORED THE changes that our towns and cities have undergone, the issues that people have faced throughout history and as a result, how they affect today’s society. Alterations have been made to enable cities to survive and then go on to flourish in today’s changing world. Over ‘half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – currently live in cities and by 2055 an estimated 75% of the world’s population will live in urban areas.’ [Sustainable Cities, 2012: Online] Within these cities, it is important to encourage social behaviour, community and happiness. In return, economic outlooks will improve, [Moon, N, 2012: Online] the country will be free from recession and create longevity in the future. Consumers are the key to getting back to sustainable long term growth. Consumer confidence is like a domino effect. [Financial Post, 2012: Online] When consumers are more optimistic and upbeat about their financial situation and the short-term economic outlook, they are more likely to spend money. This results in higher demand and spending. We need to be able to understand the factors that could influence consumer confidence and how to encourage optimism.

Fig. 57

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The research section found that independent shops are thriving; the public are looking for more personalisation and authentic experiences. Chains, online shopping and e-tailing are at their highest however, if you look forward far enough, it looks like the future will be local. ‘You can already see evidence for this shift in the fact that the opposite, localisation - is a major trend in everything from food to politics.’ [Now and Next, 2013: Online] ‘And it is entirely possible that the EU could collapse back into local units or even small city-states and the consequences of this would be extraordinary. Theoretically, globalisation still has many years to run (and will run alongside an interest in all things local) but we are increasingly at the mercy of resources. Put simply, when natural resources such as oil run out, we will have no choice but to stop moving around and adopt a more local way of life; ‘back to where it all started in other words.’

From this research, the recommendations will focus on the regeneration of Nottingham and will enable it to thrive as a social and financial hub. Nottingham city council and other organisations investigating the welfare of the city centre could consider implementing as many or as little of these ideas as they feel appropriate. With Nottingham currently going through a vast regeneration throughout a large part of the city, extensive research has proven that the recommendations are relevant in creating consumer confidence, a successful economy, a sociable public and their wellbeing, but may not be ideas that have been explored by the regeneration teams. Nottingham City Council believes ‘To prosper, Nottingham needs to diversify. It needs to readjust the balance of its economy and reconnect with its historical roots as a centre for manufacturing excellence and enterprise.’ [Nottingham City Council (beer), 2012: p 5]Holding one of youngest populations of any city in the UK, two out of five residents are under 24. The average age is just over 34 – compared with 40 nationally and 41 for the county of Nottinghamshire. [Nottingham City Council (b), 2012: p 11]

NOTTINGHAM REGENERATION

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Fig. 58

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The WGSN report How Local Characteristics Become National Assets: Design Summit 2012 [WGSN, 2012: p2-4] reported on the importance of community, history and the importance of the public realm within a city. The Design Summit concluded that cities need to ‘Build a sense of place through public realms and connectivity’, ‘Attract mobile talent with distinctive places’ and ‘Create something that builds culture’. Sir Howard Bernstein, CEO of Manchester City Council said ‘We have to intelligently create the pathway between the classroom and the working world.’ Although with a high percentage of young people, Nottingham and other cities shouldn’t focus solely on ‘young professionals’, but older professionals, retirees and people of all income levels and stages within their lives too need to be catered to. [Boyle, J, 2012: Online] ‘The city has to exploit its strengths: identifying sectors where it already has competitive advantage or where natural strengths will provide a competitive edge. Research highlighted three sectors: digital content, lifesciences and clean technology.’ [Nottingham City Council (b), 2012: p 20]

The Creative Quarter is a new concept being explored by Nottingham City Council andother businesses within Nottingham. The Quarter will draw more people into the Hockleyand Lace Market Areas, rather than the most attention being put on the Market Square.Alison Haud from Dezigne Pop-up in Nottingham expressed how quite Hockley canbe. ‘People tend to stick around the Market Square area and go to the big shopping centres and a lot people don’t even come to this side of town, I don’t think, which is a shame because there are some really nice shops. And definitely you know a lot of the other shopkeepers they want to keep it as vibrant as possible really.’ The Creative Quarter aims to encourage the creation and growth of business, the retention and maximisation of talent, property occupancy and consumer spending. [Hague, J, 2012: Lecture]. An area ‘already home to leading incubators and clusters of technology-based companies across the city’s growth sectors of life sciences, digital content and clean technologies. It is also a hotbed of culture and home to many of the city’s independent retailers, bars and restaurants, small creative companies and artists.’ the city will be a flagship model for cities across Europe. [Nottingham City, 2012: Online]

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· Social capability · Environmental footprint · Economic stability

I feel there needs to be more events, activities and opportunitiesin order to make the city as vibrant as possible, in returnkeeping current residents within the city, rather than movingto London for example, attracting new talent and boostingconsumer confidence which brightens economic outlooksand increases happiness and wellbeing. These are theareas that I have focused on for the implementation:

Fig. 59

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Nottingham needs to have more ways of allowing people to engage in social behaviour which could be greatly beneficial to the economic and social outlooks of the city. Events and experiences need to be available in order for people to feel a part of a shared experience and an innovative city, attracting tourists, workers, investors and new residents.

When looking at communities and socialising in Western society, I found that women get together on evenings for Pampered Chef and Tuppawear etc., men entertain themselves with sports and hobbies. [Riddington, H, 2012, Research] More emphasis should be put on lifestyle, sport and recreation within the high street to create social aspects and increase high street footfall. Experiential opportunities give people more reasons to go into their city centres, as retail alone cannot eternalise them. ‘High streets and town centres that are fit for the 21st century need to be multifunctional social centres, not simply competitors for stretched consumers. They must offer irresistible opportunities and experiences that do not exist elsewhere, are rooted in the interests and needs of local people, and will meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.’ [Dobson, J., 2011: p2]Research found that independent

SOCIAL CAPABILITY

shops, experiences and events can create loyal customers and a community who feel like they have a sense involvement and belonging, ‘As though they’re part of it and gives them a sense of community.’ [Hale, M, 2012: In person]. When talking about Stow Film Club, Nick says that ‘The sense of ownership that people develop is quite interesting.’ [Bertram, N, 2012: Email Interview] Nick [Bertram, N, 2012: Email Interview] believes that Cinema in particular ‘is all about a shared experience, a community coming together to be entertained.’ ‘At our screenings friends/neighbours with kids intermingle and interact and at our first evening screening a couple met who found out they were neighbours!’.‘It is not just going to the cinema. I have teamed up with a local not for profit community arts project and a local storyteller and they provide an activity session before the film at our Kids Film Lounge. We have a range of organic refreshments at affordable prices (cheaper than the multiplexes and far superior products). People are seeking these experiences out rather than going to the local multiplex.’

Fig. 60

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Dan Thompson, expert on the reuse of empty shops, and on how to create a pop-up shop, and runs the Empty Shops Network. [Thompson, D, 2013: Online] He believes that although shopping will still be at the heart of our future high streets, there will be ‘more locally-owned shops that serve distinct local markets, but there will be much more mixed use, driven by people like arts and community groups. Services will be delivered on the high street - from Apple stores to things like youth service, Police and the NHS.’

Fig. 61

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When asked their opinion on Christmas markets and other seasonal markets, shop keepers in both Louth and Nottingham were positive on the outcomes of the markets. ‘I do feel events such as the Christmas markets do bring in a flourish of new customers wanting to try something a bit more unique.’ [Hale, M, 2012: In person] ‘People don’t expect to find somewhere like West End Arcade in Nottingham when they come to do their Christmas shopping.’ Alison Haud agrees that people find an unexpected treasure. Recreational, a n independent record shop in Nottingham questioned the city council in response to their feelings on the Christmas Market, ‘Why is the city council just committed to fair grounds? They don’t have to turn everything into a fairground.’ [Foster, R., 2012: In Person] Although this was a negative response about the Christmas market, on average they were very positive in both Louth and Nottingham. Something needs to be found that can make a difference all year round in benefitting footfall and creating a more exciting and interesting city centre.

MARKETS AND EVENTS

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LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Choosing your holiday locations is the most important choice in your holiday, but how and why do you choose that one location over everywhere else? When choosing a holiday, consumers were frequently influenced by the events and attractions that the location in particular offered. For example, the idea ‘New York’ is marketed by the media, photographs and film. The candidate’s expectations lived up with these two people as the city did cater for everyone’s needs and lived up to its image. The candidates were seeking new and unique experiences from their holidays. The unique selling points of the city are important to attract tourists and people wanting to live here. Nottingham’s has so much potential with key unique selling points such as central location, great transport links, Biocity and antenna already in place in Nottingham. [Nottingham City Council, 2009: Online]

The high street needs to be as appealing as it is to stay in your front room so that consumers are less likely to engage in online shopping. Events and different experiences within the city can create excitement and greater reasons for people to visit the city centre. Sustainable Man reveals the negatives of living in a routine ,‘Creating unique memories from new experiences is the method by which we can slow our life down.’ [Sustainable Man, 2012: Online]

Bill Grimsey suggests that ‘People don’t want to shop on the High Street any more - so convert stores to houses instead’ [This is Money, 2012: Online] as a way to generate more footfall. City centres need to be as accessible as possible, whether it is parking, defeating the weather or finding out what consumers really want. Creating more homes within the city centre, rather than suburban areas. Nick Bertram [2012: Email Interview] at Stow Film Club is trying to find ways for keeping people in the area. ‘There are plans also for hooking up with some local arts groups and in particular looking at screenings for teenagers. Again the local angle is important to parents and it saves the kids having to travel/be taken out the area for their entertainment.’

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Fig. 67

Fig. 68

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Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding [Crowdfunder, 2012: Online] are ways in which the public are outsourced to problem solving within smaller, community projects to larger scale projects in urban planning. Having such a direct influence in the development of your town gains public trust and passion for the projects as you are able to combine collective intelligence, assess quality and process work in parallel. Robert Rogers and Anne Power [2000: p207] discuss the best ways in which effective change can happen within a city in their book Cities for a Small Country. Local communities are an essential way to make this change happen and also, starting with these enthusiastic pioneers allows bottom-up initiative. Plus Pool [Plus Pool, 2012: Online] is a concept pool on the Hudson River in New York City. The project Give a Minute [Give a Minute, 2012: Online] is an online post-it note board that allows residents of Memphis to give their say on what they feel needs improvement or action that needs addressing in their city. A simple idea like that is a cheap and effective way that Nottingham City Council could gain more public say and involvement, influencing them to do the right thing.

CROWDSOURCING

PROBLEM SOLVINGTHE PUBLICGAIN TRUSTPASSIONPUBLIC INTELLIGENCEEFFECTIVE CHANGE

CHEAP

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Although pop-up shops are not a new, or particularly innovative concept, they could be a crucial way of making city centres thrive. When speaking to from A Haud from Dezigne Pop Up in Nottingham, she said that she set up an online shop early 2012 but ‘it’s been fairly quiet so we wanted to get a pop-up shop to see what the difference was, actually coming onto the high street.’ [Haud, A., 2012: In person] I think that a pop up would be an effective way of giving shop owners the confidence to open up shops. In a recent report from Nottingham city council, [2012: p6] it states that ‘For many new businesses taking the step up to premises from a market stall, the internet or selling through local networks can be a daunting prospect.’ The name ‘Ghost Town’ is coming up more and more. [Lawrence, F. 2004: p1] Dan Thompson believes that ‘they’re social, unusual, and force people to think and discuss new ideas.’

“Curtsey while you’re thinking what to say, it saves time” [Caroll, L., 1872: p28]

POP-UP SHOP

The public love this stuff. It’s enjoyable, it’s entertaining, it’s exciting. Sometimes people are bewildered and sometimes they get angry because of that - but they’re always won over in the end!’ Along with Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding, pop ups create exciting, new ways for the public to really get involved with their communities and their city itself.

On 23rd November 2012, Broadmarsh Shopping Centre in Nottingham, [Riddington, H, 2012, Research] it was very busy considering there were 25 empty shops. There were queues on the elevator into the centre and people were flooding the isles in the limited amount of shops that were open. Pop-up shops could be temporarily used to occupy the empty shops. With so many vacant shops available, there could be many ways to create buzz and excitement around a pop-up event. Meanwhile Space [Meanwhile Space CIC, 2010: Online] and Shopping in Birmingham [Shopping in Birmingham, 2012: Online] are two projects that allow vacant shops to be utilised. Manchester city council have begun to eliminate the vacant shop issue with ‘Unique in Birmingham’ project, designed by Retail Birmingham is an initiative to activate vacant shop units in the city centre. Local artists were asked to interpret the theme ‘Unique in Birmingham’ through the design of visual displays to bring vacant shop units to life for all to see. The winning nine artists’ work is displayed across the city centre.’ It also creates art around the city, which can be believed to be highly beneficial to your mood.

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Fig. 69

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Daily mail [2010: Online] reports on the changes in working times, ’forget the 9 to 5: Britain’s official hours are 8.33am to 5.29pm... and we lunch at our desks.’ When shops tend to open from around 9am - 7pm, the average population has to rush in their shopping in the short amount of time available after work or at the weekend. City councils in places such as Covent Garden [Covent Garden London UK, 2012: Online], Birmingham [BBC, 2012: Online] and Brussels [Brussels, 2012: Online] have successfully introduced ‘After Work shopping’ more frequently rather than at Christmas only to allow more city center activity in the evenings.

Space collaboration is a great way to either liven up city centres at night in ways that they wouldn’t normally be used. A space squatting collaboration in Islington Hungry Nomad, 2012: Online] is a Pie and Mash Shop by day and turns itself around to become a seasonal squatter restaurant by night. Co-working is another form of space collaboration whereby working environments are shared. ‘Coworking is also the social gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with like-minded talented people in the same space.’ [Miller, K, 2007: Online]

Nottingham Urban Design Guide [Nottingham City Council, 2009: p52] expresses that where possible; ground floor uses should ‘include opportunities for street cafes or shop displays to spill out onto the pavement.’ The way in which peoples kitchens, livingrooms etc. spill out onto the streets of Shanghai (more sociallising) Cafes and shops could perform in this manner.

SPACE COLLABORATION

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Collaborating spaces allow people to socialise, work and also be more ecologically friendly at the same time through shared environments. A report exploring the ways in which libraries function [Aabø, S., Audunson, R. & Vårheim, A. ,2010: p2]says that ‘Through survey data, six categories of places are identified: the library as a ‘square’ as a place for meeting diverse people, as a public sphere, as a place for joint activities with friends and colleagues, a metameeting place, and as a place for virtual meetings.’ This isn’t the case in Nottingham and many other places. Libraries are closing at an accelerating pace. ‘Some 201 libraries, including mobile vans, closed in 2011-12, a marked increase on the 146 that closed the year before, according to the annual survey by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.’ [Rowley, T, 2012: Online] Space collaboration within libraries in Nottingham could be a way to make them more accessible, preferred place to visit. Integrating coffee shops, opening up the space for collaborative work and making them more comfortable, interesting areas that people want to spend their time. Coffee shops such as Costa collaborating in Waterstones showing how this could work but public libraries are cheaper options for the public. Fig. 71

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ART AND CREATIVITY

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The use of colour, art, sculpture and a diverse range of materials such as glass and steel round Nottingham could lift the mood of the City Centre area to produce a more sociable environment. When walking around city centres you are inundated with grey toned concrete buildings, pavements and thoroughfares. These images are photographs of buildings in Nottingham City Centre that are visible as you walk around on a day-to-day basis. The photos were put in Photoshop and were blurred to their average colour and shown together, the result is a mass of dark greys, murky blues and greens.

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When asked whether the colours that you see on a day-to-day basis affect your mood, responses varied from ‘Subconsciously’, ‘Bright colours tend to cheer me up’, ‘White walls make me feel isolated’, ‘possibly if I am stuck in the house all day then I feel a bit deflated’, ‘Bright colours in stores confuse me though, I don’t know where to look!, Distracting.’, ‘Bright colours put me in a better mood, hence why I’m always in a better mood in the summer’ and ‘Not ones you see in passing but I think the colours of the environment you spend most your time in definitely do!’ These opinions generally agree and in an effort to encourage people to spend more time in the city centre then the surroundings need to be made a more attractive environment. ‘Before wireless took hold, entertainment was a communal activity and fun was found in a crowd’ (Reader’s Digest, 1998: p65) Readers digest outlines how people had to find ways of socialising but the influx of technology has hindered this type of social activity.

Art could be used as a way of brightening up these untouched, plain surroundings that can be seen around us every day and gain a sense of pride and community within these projects? The Urban Playground Project [Ciminello, G and Freese, K, 2012: p 95] ‘Public art around the world has been transformed from permanent murals and outdoor sculpture to include any temporary works, in any media, visible to the general public. This includes dance and music performances processions, street are and theatre, lighting effects, poetry readings, flash mobs, interactive projections, etc.’ [Ciminello, G and Freese, K, 2012: p97] Three examples of prominent features of art within the city centre are in Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia and Amsterdam. ‘Supported and practiced by the people. There is a desperate passion in Philadelphians to experience arts culture and each other. Social interactions in public spaces come alive during events organised, from the bottom up, to improve the community.’ [Ciminello, G and Freese, K, 2012: p98] Chicago spent $450 million on the Millennium Park and Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto ‘was created after the demolition of a block of commercial buildings and opened as a public square in November’. Urban Play in Amsterdam was a ‘collaborative effort that engaged a community in spontaneous ways. It explored how this latest wave of interaction with the urban landscape is challenging the rules of engagement between citizens and sanctioned urban creative expression – moreover, how it is changing the language of creativity in the city.’ [Ciminello, G and Freese, K, 2012: p 100] These cities offer the public opportunities to get together and celebrate their culture and create a lively, interesting and cultural atmosphere whilst creating reasons for their cities to be visited as tourist destinations, homes and work places.

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The city that markets itself ‘creative and vibrant as never before and attracting millions of visitors.’, [Germany, 2013: Online] Berlin has a unique attribute, ripe with culture

and arts in its own way, quite different from the other examples. A sombre take on art, the weather complements the plethora of graffiti art, Tasheles Art Squat and mixture of modern, brutal and historic architecture.

BERLIN

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ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT

Human population growth [Ecology, 2011: Online] is undeniably tied together with increased use of natural and man-made resources, energy, land for growing food and for living, and waste by-products that are disposed of, to decompose, pollute or be recycled. Having such a large impact on the environment, cities need to be consciously more ethical. In a report by Nottingham City Council, [2009: p52] section 5.6 focuses on renewable energy space collaboration: ‘saving electricity, creating relationships and community which also supports the use of collaborative spaces.’ as suggested in the space collaboration section within this report.

Solar and thermal power providing electricity within shops, offices and homes is unrealistic in the UK as the weather and lack of sufficient power at night keeps solar thermal facilities as an expensive choice. However, with around 2,000 miles of waterways in the UK [Lubbadeh, J and Waldermann, 2009: Online] owned by Canal & River Trust and being an island surrounded by the sea, hydroelectric power has huge potential as a power source in the UK. Nottingham, being situated on the River Trent, could make use of

Fig. 80

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this. 5% electricity is generated by hydroelectric power in Germany and ‘almost all German rivers have been dammed and have been for quite some time.’ Nottingham needs to do the right things in order to acquire investments from companies such as Voith, one of the largest manufacturers of hydroelectric equipment. Voith, 2013: Online]

There is room for generation and enlargement- cities are creating less of a human footprint, keeping people tight. Cities can be made with ecological and ethical values in mind. For example by making use of what buildings are already there rather than the expensive process of demolition, then the new materials and pollution made when building. Out With the New, In With the Old: Architecture and Nation [Falcón, R, 2009: p450-451] expresses how old buildings are essential parts of a city. ‘Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them. By old buildings I mean not museum-piece old buildings, not old buildings in an excellent and expensive state of rehabilitation — although these make fine ingredients — but also a good lot of plain, ordinary, low-value old buildings, including some rundown old buildings. Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings. (Jacobs 1961: 187–88)’ The older, industrial area In St Ann’s, Nottingham is part of a set of plans to rebuild accommodation and leisure areas. [My Nottingham, 2012: Online] Instead, the existing factory like buildings could be regenerated without being demolished to give revival to Nottingham’s history and culture.

Fig. 81

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With a regeneration of the train station and routes from Clifton Campus into Nottingham City Centre already going forward, [Nottingham City Council (b), 2012: p10] focus needs to be put on pedestrianised areas, cycle routes and public transport to make the city centre more accessible.Nottingham Urban Design Guide [Nottingham City Council, 2009: p61] says that cycling should be promoted as a safe and convenient form of transport, ‘at least one secure and weather-proof cycle parking space should be provided for every new residential unit and per 100m2 of office space. Cycle parking should be incorporated into new office developments as well as the public realm at convenient points. New streets and public spaces should be designed to include features that make them safe for cyclists.

TRAVEL

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Electric Transport and other technological advances are the future of travel. As petrol and other nonrenewable energy sources threaten to run out, these sources of power need to be researched and put into production. ‘By 2040, production levels may be down to 15 million barrels per day – around 20% of what we currently consume.’ [Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 2013: Online] There is still a long time before electric cars will be in common use. ‘Until charging stations dot the country, electric scooters make more sense than electric cars.’ [Enderle, R, 2012: Online] Many brands are soon to or, have already released their electric scooters and are becoming more widely available. BMW, [Boyle, R, 2010: Online] Smart, [Phillips,T, 2010,: Online] Mini Miles, S, 2010: Online] and Peugeot [Peugeot Scooters, 2013: Online] are companies investing in research into electric scooters. Ideal city transport for short journeys and for cutting through traffic, where cars are less efficient, promoting electric scooters could be a great way to make Nottingham more sustainable.

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The areas looked at in order to make Nottingham a more social and environmentally friendly city could benefit economic stability hand in hand. Creating more social opportunities could give people more reasons to visit, reside in and regard the city highly. This would result in greater footfall, increased consumer spending and capital investment being made within Nottingham.

Potential future development that utilise current buildings in addition to creating jobs, homes and a more attractive environment is something that could benefit the St Ann’s area in particular, in Nottingham. London’s Battersea Power Station and Canary Warf, Birmingham City Centre, Shanghai’s M50 Art District and Beijing’s 798 Art District are all areas within city centres that are in the process of or have undergone regeneration. The economic stability that could be achieved by Nottingham and the social benefactors that come with a regeneration like this would be a highly advantageous move for Nottingham.‘The city’s attractions – its young population, central location, excellent transport links, universities and excellent quality of life – have encouraged many other talented people to Nottingham. Steps already taken to support these emerging sectors – the creation of hubs like BioCity and Antenna – have all helped to generate momentum. This Growth Plan believes that the areas outlined will create this needed push.’ [Nottingham City Council (b), 2012: p30]

ECONOMIC STABILITY

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Fig. 84Fig. 85

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TO CONCLUDE

I set out to understand the changes that the City’s of the UK have undergone over the last 100 years and the architects, movements and ideologies that influenced them. The appropriacy of looking into the history and the importance of doing so were key areas to be looked at in order to identify the opportunities concerning improving the current climate of our city centres.

Within the report I asked the question ‘Why does it matter?’ Why would it be so catastrophic if the high street were to disappear altogether? ‘This matters because the decline is not only an economic issue; it’s a cultural, social and a moral one too. Say goodbye to the high street and you rip the heart out of thousands of communities across Britain. Not to mention the livelihoods of many people in those communities.’ [Saatchi & Saatchi London, 2012]

This quote from Saatchi & Saatchi epitomised every point that has been made within this report. If left the same disregard and unnurtured state, the’ high street’, as we know it will be lost forever, resulting in social integrity failing.The identified best practices which include renewable energy sources, pop-up and collaborative spaces are influential in ensuring that the decline of the high street is but a temporary speed bump in an otherwise prosperous economic and socially harmonising hub.

The suggestions made outline the benefits of an alternate route for Nottingham City Council to take in regards to urban planning, city design and placemaking. Although Nottingham City Council have reported on the ways in which working with Antenna, BioCity and other organisations could push Nottingham forward as a leading and pioneering city, this report brings to attention issues that could improve the city socially, economically and environmentally. Summarising each of these sections in a more detailed manner, a better conclusion of suggestions can be drawn. Nottingham has the potential to be a leading pilot of these three areas.

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SociallyThis report looks at the ways in which Nottingham City Centre could market itself as a more desirable and accessible place for its current residents and with the potential to attract more residents and tourists. The suggestions could accomplish the advancement of Nottingham being a must see and holiday location where tourists flourish, crime is reduced and the residents are healthy and flourishing.

The report aimed to keep the talented, young professionals within the city and attract new talent; challenging the credibility of London as a financial centre. This was accomplished through introducing innovative and exciting features onto the high street, taking the most attention away from retail. Space collaboration, pop up shops and after work hours make the high street more accessible to not only the consumers, but allows more first time and independent shops to make their mark on the high street. A more eventful, diverse city centre that integrates experience within the high street will ensure the high street is kept alive.

EnvironmentallyA truly forward thinking, socially successful city needs to consider the environmental factors. With an outstanding environmental stance, Nottingham would be setting the scene for the rest of the UK and other towns and cities to follow in it’s footsteps. The ability to become a pioneer in environmental advances could set Nottingham in the limelight. The UK needs to make its advance in order to keep up with Germany for example, who are way ahead of the UK in HydroElectric Power. The River Trent is undeniably a perfect opportunity to capitalise on HydroElectric Power. Utilising current buildings could benefit not only the environment and save money, the culture and history within Nottingham could be restored and protected.

The idea of making use of the resources and buildings that are already there saves time, money and is comprehensively more environmentally friendly. these propositions will enhance the impressions of the city highly, attracting investors, new business and workers.

EconomicallyNottingham has one of the highest vacancy rates in the country, the young population and potential that the city already harnesses, needs to be exploited. The social and environmental propositions would increase large and global investments, benefitting economic activity within the city in addition to increased wellbeing, vitality and activity within Nottingham. The opportunity to gain value from ‘empty units’ through art as used in Birmingham, ensures that this negative vacancy rate is not obvious to potential new and expanding business.

Although the implementation section of this report focuses on Nottingham, there are essences of which every forward thinking town and city in the UK and globally could take ideas and inspiration from, learning how and why it is paramount that changes should be introduced.

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Figure 1: Wong, W, L, 2013, The Gaff (Drawing) China: The High Street CollectionsFigure 2: Stockdale, J. (2011) Student Protests 2011. [image online] Available at: janestockdale.co.uk [Accessed: 22nd November 2012].Figure 3: Riddington, H, 2012, To Let Lincoln. [Own Photograph] Lincoln High StreetFigure 4: Stockdale, J. (2011) London Riots 2011. [image online] Available at: janestockdale.co.uk [Accessed: 22nd November 2012].Figure 5: Stockdale, J. (2011) London Riots Car on Fire 2011. [image online] Available at: janestockdale.co.uk [Accessed: 22nd November 2012].

ILLUSTRATIONS

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Figure 6: Riddington, H, 2012, Louth Town Centre [Own Photograph] Louth Town CentreFigure 7: Wong, W, L, 2013, Great Western Arcade Birmingham (Drawing) China: The High Street CollectionsFigure 8: Riddington, H, 2012, Bibliography [Own Photograph] Books and Magazines in BibliographyFigure 9: Falle, R, 2012, East Meets West: An Infographic Portrait by Yang Liu. [Online Image] Available at http://bsix12.com/east-meets-west/ [Accessed 20 October 2012]Figure 10: Gehl, J., 2006, Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space. [Online Image] Available at www.bibliovault.org [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 11: Zukin, S, 2010, Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places. Available at blog.oup.com [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 12: Glaeser, E, 2011, Triumph of the City. [Online Image] Available at www.futureoflondon.org.uk [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 13: Libr8, 2011, Glasgow Road, Clydebank in 2011 and the 1930s. [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/libr8/5342927476/sizes/l/in/pool-1493055@N20/ [Accessed 27th December 2012]Figure 14: Winster, Derbyshire, 2009, Maypole Dancing, Market Place 1960s [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/winsterderbyshire/3610509144/sizes/o/in/photostream/ [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 15: Museum of London, 2005, Children with Milk Bottle [Online Image] Available at http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Research/Your-Research/X20L/objects/image.htm?rid=59807&size=3&pid=5&oid=743073 [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 16: Newcastle Libraries, 2009, Children playing marbles [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/newcastlelibraries/4087090566/sizes/o/in/photostream/ [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 17: King OFFA Primary School, 2009, School Playground [Online Image] Available at http://www.kingoffa.e-sussex.sch.uk/history_2.htm [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 18: Self Shadow 2010 Piazza Del Campo. [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/self_shadow/4850181198/sizes/o/ [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 19: Carr, M, 1959, Friends. [Photograph] Holiday PhotosFigure 20: Carr, M, 1962, Fashion Designer. [Photograph] Summer 1962Figure 21: Carr, M, 1962, Car. [Photograph] Summer 1962FIgure 22: Delplanque, P, 2009, The Past is Another Planet [Online Image] Available at http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2009/04/the-past-is-another-planet.html [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 23: Delplanque, P, 2009, Marks and Spencer exterior [Online Image] Available at http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2009/04/the-past-is-another-planet.html [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 24: Delplanque, P, 2009, Dickens[Online Image] Available at http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2009/04/the-past-is-another-planet.html [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 25: Museum of London, 2005, Foot Clinic [Online Image] Available at http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Research/Your-Research/X20L/objects/image.htm?rid=59792&size=3&pid=5&oid=742918 [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 26: Lang, F, 2013, Metropolis. [Online Image] Available at http://metropolis1927.com/ [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 27: Riddington, H, 2013, Newton Building. [Own Photograph] Nottingham City CenterFigure 28: Riddington, H, 2013, Concrete Castle. [Own Photograph] Nottingham City CenterFigure 29: Riddington, H, 2013, Car Park Castle. [Own Photograph] Nottingham City CenterFigure 30: Planitzer, M, 2012, Forschungseinrichtung für Experimentelle Medizin Space Ship [Photograph] Berlin’s Brutalist ArchitectureFigure 31: Design 2 Share, 2009, Staying at Hotel Le Corbusier [Online Image] Available at www.design2share.com [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 32: Planitzer, M, 2012, Forschungseinrichtung für Experimentelle Medizin Flats[Photograph] Berlin’s Brutalist ArchitectureFigure 33: Planitzer, M, 2012, Forschungseinrichtung für Experimentelle Medizin Glass[Photograph] Berlin’s Brutalist ArchitectureFigure 34: Nicobobinus, 2012, Chrisp Street Clocktower [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicohogg/8017453565/[Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 35: Nicobobinus, 2012, Chrisp Street Clocktower [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicohogg/8017448479/in/photostream/ [Accessed 22nd November 2012]Figure 36: Vincent-Rous, A, 2010, Dishes, Heygate Estate [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/by-jack/5151977384/in/photostream/ [Accessed 27th December 2012]Figure 37: JB Raw Images, 2008, Heygate Estate [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/44639544@N00/2660179105/in/photostream/ [Accessed 27th December 2012]Figure 38: Planitzer, M, 2012, Forschungseinrichtung für Experimentelle Medizin Spikes (Photograph) Berlin’s Brutalist ArchitectureFigure 39: Planitzer, M, 2012, Forschungseinrichtung für Experimentelle Medizin Concrete (Photograph) Berlin’s Brutalist ArchitectureFigure 40: Riddington, H, 2013, China Demolition [Own Image] Mood BoardFigure 41: Woods, D, 2011, Life Goes On. [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodsbarrack/5373064532/

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sizes/o/in/set-72157625636005781/ [Accessed 2nd January 2012]Figure 42: Riddington, H, 2012, Vacant Nottingham. [Own Photograph] Nottingham City CenterFigure 43: Riddington, H, 2012, Vacant Nottingham Collage [Own Photograph] Nottingham City CenterFigure 44: Riddington, H, 2012, Infographic, Nottingham [Own Photograph] Nottingham Town CenterFigure 45: Riddington, H, 2012, Infographic, Louth [Own Photograph] Louth Town CenterFigure 46: Riddington, H, 2012, No To Tesco [Own Photograph] Phuket Town, ThailandFigure 47: Carr, M, 1959, Friends at Beach. [Photograph] Holiday PhotosFigure 48: Carr, M, 1959, On the Beach. [Photograph] Holiday PhotosFigure 49: Wong, W, L, 2013, Lincoln High Street (Drawing) China: The High Street CollectionsFigure 50: Riddington, H, 2013, Recreation Independent Shop. [Own Photograph] Nottingham Independent ShopsFigure 51: Wong, W, L, 2013, Louth Co-Op (Drawing) China: The High Street CollectionsFigure 52: Riddington, H, 2013, Auberies Creperie [Own Photograph] Nottingham Independent ShopsFigure 53: Riddington, H, 2013, Dezigne Pop Up Shop. [Own Photograph] Nottingham Independent ShopsFigure 54: Bertram, N., [email protected] (2012) Dissertation Research. [Image] Message to Riddington, H. ([email protected]) Sent 26 November 2012Figure 55: Riddington, H, 2013, Serendipity, Louth. [Own Photograph] Louth Independent ShopsFigure 56: Riddington, H, 2013, Playhouse Cinema, Louth [Own Photograph] Louth Independent ShopsFigure 57: Wong, W, L, 2013, Nottingham (Drawing) China: The High Street CollectionsFigure 58: Zawtowers, 2008, Top of the Town. [Online Image] Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/zawtowers/2774505347/ [Accessed 22nd January 2013]Figure 59: Riddington, H, 2013, Independent Shops [Own Photograph] Independent ShopsFigure 60: Design Council, 2012, The Design Summit 2012 - Communities. [Online Image] Available at http://distilleryimage8.s3.amazonaws.com/f5db3408c08011e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg [Accessed 14th December 2012]Figure 61: Riddington, H, 2013, Shanghai Street [Own Photograph] Shanghai Street PhotosFigure 62: Riddington, M, 2013, Favourite Holiday. [Photograph] Louth: 2nd January 2012Figure 63: Rodgers, J., 2012, Favourite Holiday. [Photograph] 17th July 1971.Figure 64: Lismore, F, 2013, Favourite Holiday. [Photograph] 3 January 2013.Figure 65: Rodgers, S., 2012, Favourite Holiday. [Photograph] Louth, 22nd December 2012.Figure 66: Baker, S, 2013, Holiday Photos. [Photograph] Nottingham, 3rd January 2013Figure 67: Adventures in Media Land, 2012, Plus Pool. [Online Image] Available at http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GH1-ZpMrg84/Th1uh7-0vmI/AAAAAAAAAiM/KVBph6ZpM-U/s1600/pluspool.jpg [Accessed 14th January 2013]Figure 68: Give a Minute, 2013, Give a Minute. [Online Image] Available at http://giveaminute.info/ [Accessed 14th January 2013]Figure 69: Meanwhile Space, 2012, Meanwhile Space. [Online Image] Available at http://www.meanwhilespace.com/[Accessed 12th November]Figure 70: Hungry Nomad, 2012, The Seagrass: Occupy Islington, Pie and Mash Style. [Online Image] Available at http://www.hungry-nomad.com/the-seagrass-occupy-islington-pie-and-mash-style/ [Accessed 24 November 2012]Figure 71: Conceptual Devices, 2011, The Hub Zurich Co-Working Space for Social Innovators. [Online Image] Available at http://www.conceptualdevices.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_34361-262x480.jpg [Accessed 13th November 2013]Figure 72: Riddington, H, 2012, Average Colours Collage. [Own Image] Nottingham City CenterFigure 73: Ciminello, G and Freese, K, 2012, The Urban Playground Project: Chicago. [Online Image] Philadelphia: MID. Masters of Industrial Design: The University of the ArtsFigure 74: Ciminello, G and Freese, K, 2012, The Urban Playground Project: Toronto. [Online Image] Philadelphia: MID. Masters of Industrial Design: The University of the ArtsFigure 75: Tactical Design, 2012, ‘Save it’. [Online Image] Available at tacticaldesign.mit.edu [Accessed 2nd January 2013]Figure 76: Tactical Design, 2012, ‘Save it’ Obsessions. [Online Image] Available at tacticaldesign.mit.edu [Accessed 2nd January 2013]Figure 77: Aldridge, L, 2012, Berlin Street. [Photograph] Berlin: 20 January 2012Figure 78: Aldridge, L, 2012, Berlin Tacheles. [Photograph] Berlin: 20 January 2012Figure 79: Aldridge, L, 2012, Berlin Door. [Photograph] Berlin: 20 January 2012Figure 80: Gonzalez, B, 2011, Hydroelectric Power Station. [Online Image] Available at http://www.yatzer.com/hydroelectric-power-station-by-becker-architects [Accessed 3rd January 2013]Figure 81: Gonzalez, B, 2011, Hydroelectric Power Station Inside. [Online Image] Available at http://www.yatzer.com/hydroelectric-power-station-by-becker-architects [Accessed 3rd January 2013]Figure 82: Living in the Bike Lane, 2010, Paris Bike Sharing. [Online Image] Available at livininthebikelane.blogspot.com [Accessed 13th January 2013]Figure 83: The Telegraph, 2010, Sorry, No Petrol. [Online Image] Available at http://cochesconchispa.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/sorry_no_petrol.jpg [Accessed 13th January 2013]Figure 84: Riddington, H, 2012, Bejing 798 Art District Barrels. [Own Image] Berlin: July 2012Figure 85: Riddington, H, 2012, Bejing 798 Art District Factory Building. [Own Image] Berlin: July 2012

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Lansbury Estate

The Lansbury Estate in Poplar was an assembly of low-rise, ‘people-friendly’ buildings which embody the popular architectural values of it’s time. [Crace, J, 2001: online] In an interview with John Jones, the Lansbury estate’s resident director of the Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association (HARCA) Jones Crace talks of the ‘Ghettoisation’ of the estate which began on a sharp downturn when repairs weren’t meeting standards. The wealthier and better travelled residents (In the 50s, it was not unusual for someone never to have travelled outside the borough) discovered more places to live and moved out leaving the unemployed and elderly behind. Ron Steering, [Crace, J, 2001: online a resident who lived at poplar his whole life expresses that ‘Things began to go downhill in the 70s and 80s. The buildings began to develop problems, kids started spraying graffiti and the estate no longer felt safe.’ Similar to many of the estates alike the Lansbury, the mid-90s were often endorsed as ‘no-go areas’ to many residents and people who knew of the area. Drugs and street crime constrained elderly people to staying inside their homes. “You would just have to sit and watch while some kids sprayed their initials on your front wall,” says Jones, ‘You didn’t dare make a fuss for fear of what would happen.’The sudden downturn of the Lansbury Estate makes you question if it really was the design of the buildings or if it was in fact the types of people that these buildings attract and house. The influx of

APPENDIX

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travel and wealth leaving behind unemployed and the elderly, those blaming the brutalist design of the buildings could be mistaken.

“Welcome to failed utopia”, Adrian Glasspool. [Moss, S, 2011: Online]

The Heygate Estate in South London Southwark Council said the estate’s stairwells and dark alleys instead turned into areas which encouraged crime and anti-social behaviour. The film Harry Brown [2009, ÒÒFilm.] used the Heygate Estate as the backdrop to this chaotic crime thriller, which suggested the sinister, already doomed state of the estate. The estate was slowly pulled down in stages of demolition after having been vacated of all residents by 2012. [Southwark Council, 2012: Online]To justify the demolition of Heygate, Southwark Council used the three phases ‘An arrangement of monolithic land uses.’, ‘Out of place in a city fringe location.’ and ‘Unpopular social housing’. [Southwark Council, 2012: Online] The regeneration agreement will include 25% affordable housing, a new shopping and leisure center that together aim to create ‘a new pedestrianised town centre, market square, 5,000 new and replacement homes, up to 450,000 square feet of retail space, an integrated public transport hub, five green spaces.’ The estate once gave home to over 3000 people and due to a range of ‘physical design challenge, such as poor security, low energy efficiency and environmental issues’, [Southwark Council, 2012: Online] residents were rehomed for their better good, however not all residents felt that it was in their favour, in fact, quite the opposite. Adrian Glasspool, 38, a leaseholder on the estate for 15 years said ‘Perhaps the utopian ideal of social housing is unpopular in the eyes of some people these days but I wouldn’t say people living in it share that view.’ [Dangerfield, A, 2012: Online] One of the few last standing residents was an 82 year old woman and her husband, 83 were ‘So traumatised’ by the way in which they were being moved out of their homes.”The elderly lady recently suffered a stroke as a result of the stress,” said Mr Glasspool. [Dangerfield, A, 2012: Online] Residents were deprived of their life long homes. Do the positives outweigh the negatives of people being forced out of their homes? Southwark Council said: ‘The majority of people rehoused are delighted with their new housing’ [Southwark Council, 2012: Online] and residents also have the ‘right to return’, however Mr Glasspool said, “Residents are being displaced and the housing is being replaced with a citadel of luxury housing we won’t be able to afford.” [Dangerfield, A, 2012: Online]

The same antisocial behaviour came as poplar, what would have come of these buildings if they had been sold and marketed as luxury flats?

Shanghai Street Stories

A similar story all over the world; poverty, unattractive areas and buildings, and the need for space has resulted in residents of many cities being forced out of their homes. China is a prime example of this: ‘Shanghai residents have been forcibly evicted by a collaboration between local government and property developers in order to make way for Expo 2010 fair’ Demotix, 2010: Online] It promised to be ‘one of the biggest and most expensive trade fairs to date while generating the largest number of visitors in world trade fair history. The 2010 World Expo has cost China a staggering £35 billion, and the general feeling is that it will catapult Shanghai firmly onto the world stage. The theme of the exposition will be “Better City - Better Life” and it will signify Shanghai’s new status in the 21st Century as a major economic and cultural centre.’ The blog Shanghai Street Stories [Shanghai Street Stories, 2013: Online] documents the stories of various people, families and friends that have been seperated from their homes in Shanghai. This shocking, real life blog documents the emotions and reality that people are facing. It can be asked whether these troubling times for the people of Shanghai and the loss of culture from trying to impress the rest of the world is worth the hardships that it has brought to many people.

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Independent Shop Keepers

Recreational In West End Arcade, Nottingham. R FosterH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?R: I think there’s a split. Some people only go near big name stores that they’re familiar with. I think it’s some sort of a comfort zone that they have. But erm, once they step out of that, they could realise that there’s more interesting things around.H: Have you recently seen a decline in clients or are more people wanting to shop at independents?R: Erm, no. No, we’re seeing an increase if anything. Yes it’s developing. We are definitely seeing an increase in younger people, they seem very open to the idea of things that are different. Absolutely.H: Do you feel that the Christmas market has generated more traffic to your shop?R: No. Not at all. The Christmas market is a fairground with a few things attached. I’m not in favour of it. I think that the Christmas market has gone from being something that was quite sort of interesting to aiming at the lowest common denominator. Why is the city council just committed to fair grounds? They don’t have to turn everything into a fair ground.H: What do you think that the future is, within the music industry?R: The CD is for certain dying. It will not be around much longer. People have kind of by-passed CD’s and suddenly re-discovered records again. That’s what’s happening within a lot of industries though, for example Vintage Clothing. There’s a real growth of people wanting to go back to their roots. Absolutely. There’s always been a collectors market. That is there, it’s not changed. But those guys are getting older and it’s now younger people now that are buying Vinyl. It’s brilliant. It makes you feel more of a connection to the history. And CD’s are dead in the water. There’s no market for second hand CD’s. It’s all about vinyl. They’re not very good, I mean they don’t sell very good. Another year and chains like HMV will be gone, won’t they really. I mean Fopp. Look at Fopp, they are owned by HMV and they are selling Vinyl. It’s the only bit of HMV’s empire that is actually making any money and I think that is partly because they have got Vinyl now, new vinyl. It’s like magazines and books. I’m sure a lot of people would still like to have these things, wouldn’t they? I don’t like to read things off of screens, I like to have the material in hand, in front of me. It’s something a can feel and you know, it’s real! But swimming against the tide as far as that goes. I think people will reject a lot of this. I think, you know, twitter and all of that kind of nonsense. I think eventually, people might actually realise that it’s all worthless, you know, and it isn’t important. I mean I don’t want to be like those people that put every second of their lives on twitter, because it’s crazy! In a few years time they’ll realise that having their lives plastered around for other people to watch isn’t so much of a good thing. If you think about teenage girls, teenage girls of 16 that think that that’s really cool, might soon realise that actually it’s not so great really. Maybe, we’ll see what happens. I sound like a grumpy old man but hey! The problem started with this thing (holds up mobile phone) this takes hold of peoples lives, they become obsessed with it. The problem is we’re having a conversation you know and a lot of people, if that phone rang, they’d be far more interested in that, than this conversation. The sense of place, the sense of place and time has just been completely killed by it. Because what’s happening out there becomes more of a focus than actually, real life. I think that’s actually quite worrying really. Because no, because people don’t concentrate on, on now, here, do they? But sometimes people kind of want to revolt, and to kind of come back, you know they don’t always want to go to along that path. They come round. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be sitting here with all these old vinyl’s, would we! Because people recognise the quality of what was maybe before or what the style of what was before, you know, I hope! Otherwise, we are just a museum!

Dezigne Pop-Up shop/Department Store, Nottingham. Alison HaudH: Can you ou tell me a bit about yourselves?A: This place was set up by myself and my partner Adam who run a place called the Nottingham workshop which has been running for about two and half years. And we also rent out spaces to artists, photographers, Yoga groups, things like that. We set up an online shop back about a year ago with items made by designers and makers. But it’s been fairly quiet the online shop’s been fairly quiet so we wanted to get a pop-up shop to see how, what the difference was, actually coming onto the high street.H: How long are you here for?A: We’re just here for two months just until 6th January. But we were lucky to have got this place we literally sort of put a letter under the door, we saw it was empty, put a letter under the door to the landlord to see if it was available and they came back to us with quite a low rent for just a couple of months. I think because it’s temporary and and this building has been closed up for about five or six years, and they recently re-opened it and decorated it and got it ready to rent out at the full rent and then we kind of spotted it and so I guess they just let us has it for a few months before they got a more temporary resident.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?A: Definitely, definitely yes. I think that the council should get far more involved in it I mean this is a totally private enterprise that myself and my partner have put our money into and we’re working with a few of the designers and makers and they’ve put some money into it as well so that we can pay the rent so it’s a totally kind of independent enterprise really.H: Why do you think that people would shop at the Independent store rather then at the local chain?A: Just for something different really. We’ve had a lot of really nice comments actually; a lot of people have come in and said ‘Oh

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it’s really nice to found something different and unique’. It’s about personality. I mean we had a couple of ladies come in the other day, well they came into town to do their Christmas shopping, but the ended up buying everything here which is really nice. They got their list out and bought everything here, which is really great!H: Do you I think that the Christmas market brings more people into the city?A: Definitely, yes. I would say that, yes I’m not sure what it would be like out of the Christmas period. I mean Hockley can be quite quiet anyway. People tend to stick around the Market Square area and go to the big shopping centers and a lot people don’t even come to this side of town, I don’t think, which is a shame because there are some really nice shops. And definitely you know a lot of the other shopkeepers they want to keep it as vibrant as possible really.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?A: Most definitely yes definitely I mean we were sort of hoping to talk to them. We will have to pay council tax for this place, just over the two months And we were hoping that they might, sort of, be a bit more lenient with us but I don’t know if they will be or not. Yeah that would be nice if they just let us have it at for a very low council tax, just for the two months that would really help us out.

Aubery’s Traditional Creperie West End Arcade, Nottingham. Meg HaleH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?M: People are definitely wanting something a bit more unique. People can’t get this kind of experience from chains. I mean there isn’t anywhere else in Nottingham that I know of that sells crepes? Is there? I don’t think, no. it’s like People feel like they have a stake in it, as though they’re part of it and gives them a sense of community. Have you seen the new Nero across the road, they can’t offer that kind of erm you know experience I suppose you could call it.H: Have you seen a decline in clients or are more people wanting to shop at independents?M: If anything, we have seen an increase in customers. People are excited when they walk past and see something different. We are a really small café but we most certainly have very loyal customers, definite regulars that we see on a day to day basis and then people who just drop in almost by accident and end up finding their little treasure!H: Do you I think that the Christmas market brings more people into the city?M: Let me think. I think maybe. Yes it brings a range of new customers and I think we’re something a little special and unexpected. People don’t expect to find somewhere like West End Arcade in Nottingham when they come to do their Christmas shopping. Yes I do think there should be more varied events going on in Nottingham. Again it’s attracting people by offering variety. But yes, I do feel events such as the Christmas markets do bring in a flourish of new customers wanting to try something a bit more unique.

Page 205, Nottingham. D KiddH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?M: Well there aren’t many places like us. You cant really get anything we sell from a chain, its pretty niche. We have an online shop, which brings in a lot of the revenue, this shop here is really just our warehouse or a place where people can see the items for themselves, people will come in if they want something. But for sure, most of our profit comes from the online shop.H: Do you I think that the Christmas market brings more people into the city?M: Yea I suppose there are more people wandering around looking for things going on. It gives the city a buzz that you don’t normally get from your average day. People are intrigued and come in and have a look around but it usually stops at that!

Serendipity, Louth. Mark SherringtonH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?M: Personal service, quality of goods, more personal.H: Have you seen a decline in clients or are more people wanting to shop at independents?M: We haven’t. No, we’ve been okay actually. People who come here are looking for something slightly different, so that they know they’re not going to get something that they can find anywhere else in the town or even around the county really.H: Do you feel that the Christmas market has generated more traffic to your shop?M: Yes. Definitely, well we had a stall on the Christmas market, yeah, and the shop was open as well so we had a really really busy weekend. I mean there were a lot of people in the town so yea.H: Do you think that there should be more events like that in the town?M: Yea I mean I know the partnership, the, we do the Victorian market erm they set up in town, there’s the food fair, erm I suppose its trying to fit everything in for things. I know they’re doing Sunday trading from now, from now over the Christmas period, yea we’re open every Sunday so we’re open seven days a week now. The markets three times a week bring in a lot of people, so yes, we’re busy. But the fairs seem to bring a lot of people in. the Victorian fair was excellent. Yes that was a really successful day so we’ll be glad to keep those up.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?M: Well I know at the moment are planning on starting to charge for the parking areas in the cattle market, which is the biggest, most popular place to park in town. We’re trying to get a petition; we’re doing a petition against that with a few other shops. It’s just another overhead. I mean, we spend £30 plus on petrol every week and double that if they start charging for parking. I know they are doing it to raise revenue but I wrote a letter to the council saying that if they want to they should start charging people at Tedder Hall, the staff there, I mean all the people that are up there are people that work in the town, the shops and everyone, they haven’t really thought of that one. It really would be suicidal of the council. People would just stop coming into town. Vacant

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shops don’t help people’s outlooks on a town. People just bypass it, I mean we are a little market town; it’s going to be different from a big city. It’s happened before, again we used to live in a little market town, they got rid of the free parking and people went elsewhere. You can go to Tesco or Morrison’s or all the rest of them because they’re easier, you can park for free and all of your shopping can be done under one roof, so why would you bother coming into a town? I know Louth is slightly different with the uptake on shops which are empty. There aren’t that many. Compared nationally I suppose. Again like any town or city, there are a lot of charity shops and phone shops!

Piccadilly Jewellers Manchester. Gordon HarrisH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?G: Well, we’re unique. People like to support local industry, don’t you think?H: Have you seen a decline in clients or are more people wanting to shop at independents?G: The new jewellers offer cheap and poor quality goods so we aren’t affected. We are in a different category to the others and we’ve been here for 25 years. Custom is as good as the day we started.H: Do you feel that the Christmas market has generated more traffic to your shop?G: We get busier during the Christmas period and the Christmas Market brings hundreds of thousands of people er more, a lot of people er to the city. Yes it is fantastic way of drawing people into Birmingham.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?G: No. What more can they do? It’s up to the individuals to make it work for them.

Curtis’s Louth, Louth. Maggie WilkinsonH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?M: I just think that we’re smaller than and all of our produce is home baked. Yeah we’re a smaller company, we’re less mass produced, I would say we’re better quality.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?M: Yes definitely. I wouldn’t say more because people have only got so much money if we spread more business on small events then people are less likely to come to it. The excitement isn’t there. But the odd ones are good for the town.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?M: I think so. Yes.

Ashton’s, Louth. Sally AshtonH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?S: Friendly, honesty, good service, reliable.H: Have you seen a decline in clients or are more people wanting to shop at independents?S: You there’s probably been more shops that have opened but to be honest I don’t think it affects us as much but the Internet is a big problem for us.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?S: Even though we’re not classes as being on the high street, we still have to pay ‘high street’ rents. The companies on the industrial estate are at an advantage because they are paying out of town rents and it’s not really fair trading is it? We do have an online site but we don’t really do a lot with it. It’s time consuming and we have to spend a lot of money on it keeping it up to date so we try not to rely on it.

Scott’s Jewellers, Louth. Jessica DunnH: Do you think that people would prefer to shop in local/independent shops like yourself rather than a chain shop?J: For the Personal service, You can get a lot more individuality Rather than going in the same shops all the time With the same stuff every time you go in. There are a lot more different shops in a variety in LouthH: Have you seen a decline in clients or are more people wanting to shop at independents?J: No no we are doing really quite well.H: Do you think that there should be more events like that in the town?J: Yep definitely yea. That was very well and it seems to be getting bigger each year I don’t think they should be too often because I mean they do one or two here in the summer Anyway I mean you don’t want to do too many or else It takes the novelty away. They do a few other Sunday markets and other markets like that.H: Do you think that the council should make it easier for independent shops?J: I don’t think that there’s anything they can do really. It’s up to the businesses to do what they need to do.

Market Research CandidatesC AshEr we get a range from people being very positive to being quite rude. What is it called when they totally ignore you? ignorant! Erm, busy! Too busy no one has any free time, at least not for us!

Fields

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Positive, er, polite, aggressive, helpful, ignorant and I think I can probably go negative. I would say on the whole people are gen-erally polite out of the day there are only a few that are you know ignore you and the ones that are rude. But people generally say sorry I’m in a hurry which.

Favourite Holiday

Sara Rodgers:H: What made it your favourite?S: Several reasons. 1. New York is one of those places we all know from films, books etc and has to be one of the places in the world to visit, there really is just so much going on all of the time. 2. I had just had my third baby and was in need of some time on my own with hubby. 3. We went with Husbands company as an incentive prize and stayed in a fab hotel, did all the sights, ate great food and the weather was great.H: Did your expectations of New York live up to the reality?S: Yes they did, you really felt like you knew all the places as you have seen them so often on tv etc. It is a BIG city that really does never sleep!H: Would you go back?S: I would definitely go back if I had the chance again. If I could choose I would go in Winter though as it was hot when I went. Christmas would be especially cool.

Matthew Riddington:H: What made the holiday your favourite? (Was it the location, your company, etc.?)M: A combination of visiting my no.1 dream city with a group of people who just wanted to have fun and finding out that this really is the City that doesn’t sleep.H: What was it that attracted you to go to this place initially?M: New York has always been a city that offered a cosmopolitan atmosphere with a something for everyone image.H: Did your expectations of the location live up to the reality?M: We spent 5 days and nights in the City, getting lost, being entertained by buskers, getting drunk and taking a horse drawn carriage at 2a.m. all helped to make this a trip of dreams!!H: Would you go back?M: We visited New York 6 months before 7/11 and we have left retuning to the Big Apple too long. Christmas 2013 is on the cards!

Frances LismoreH: What made the holiday your favourite? (Was it the location, your company, etc.?)M: The beautiful surroundings, the warm weather, the nice views and the things that we did. I was with all my friends so it made it better.H: What was it that attracted you to go to this place initially?M: School trip, sounded fun because I’d be with my friends and help people who were worse off than me.H: Did your expectations of the location live up to the reality?M: Pretty much yes. The surroundings were beautiful and I was with friends. We got to do some really extraordinary activities such as helping build houses and buildings for people who needed our help. Even though our bungalows were horrible and had cockroaches, it was still so funny!H: Would you go back?M: Definitely. Because its completely different to what I normally do, it was so much fun. I never got bored.

Alice RiddingtonH: What was it that attracted you to go to this place initially?A: Lots of different experiences, doing new things that I wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to do, like riding an elephant! So relaxing after doing this first year of International Baccalaureate! And I got to see you and the family, Christmas is always fun, just different in Thailand!H: What attracted you to coming here?A: The weather, the beach was filmed here so I wanted to see it for myself!H: Did your expectations of the location live up to the reality?A: Yes probably better. Because it really is this amazing!H: Would you go back?A: For sure!

Sarah Baker:H: What made the holiday your favourite?S: The whole experience, it was in Switzerland on our school trip skiing. I was probably about 14/15 and it seemed so exciting at the time to be going abroad into another world with all my best friends. There were snow blizzards on the way there and by

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the time we were up in the slopes the sun had come out and the air was so clear. I felt so free in the vast and beautiful space and scenery around me. To make it even better I was with all my school friends to share the moments and the adventure around the mountains. Learning to ski was tricky and challenging at first but once I got the hang of it with everyone it was extremely fun. Falling over plenty of times, we had many laughs and the evenings were also great too. It was a massive sleepover - talking to the early hours and sharing past stories. I think it was also a step to more independence and being away from my parents being left to our own initiative that was also exhilarating.H: What was it that attracted you to go to this place initially?S: I had never been skiing before and I wanted to go and try something that I hadn’t already. It was a picturesque place to visit and my friends were also going.H: Did your expectations of the location live up to the reality?S: I think the reality was better than my expectations. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I had been to Finland before where it was very snowy too so maybe I was comparing it to that. I was probably a bit anxious to try skiing as I hadn’t got any idea of what to expect!H: Would you go back?S: Yes. I like to try different places so maybe when I am older I would return and be able to have a different perspective of it. There’s always the risk of comparing it to the first holiday and then it not necessarily living up to the expectations.

Janet Rodgers, Born 1944H: What made the holiday your favourite?J: I love going back to a place that I used to love going to when I was younger. To then take my family put the cherry on the cake. It’s my favourite place to go still today.H: What was it that attracted you to go to this place initially?J: It was my mother and dads favourite holiday place when I was a young girl. We’d go, with my whole family, grand parents, aunts, uncles, friends. So when I had my own family I wanted them to see it for themselves!H: What was it about this place that you loved?J: It never changed, you know, every time I went back, the same people, stayed in the same house every time we went, it felt like home from home. We knew all the neighbours, we had so much fun, there was always something to do. It was a get-away from everyday troubles. You know ‘so n so’s making food for every one’ and we all lived in each others pockets for a week!Margaret Carr, Reminiscing - Born in 1937Shopping used to be a treat. We didn’t use to do it. My parents never, never had any money. We would shop it the corner shop I suppose. We also used to have a mobile shop come when we went to live on a new estate. New lane, New parsons cross. And it used to come on A Sunday. They’d go round everyone! The Butchers came to the door on Sunday’s. I remember a man used to sell flowers on a huge tray thing. And then there was the man with oatcakes, you know, they would pick them up from a little shop on Hillsborough, they used to come by and we’d buy them.

There was another little shop near us, two women would come round and the men would stay at the shop to bake, don’t know it they were married, probably, these women would come with powder cakes, like tea cakes. It was in their front room the shop, thats all they made.

We used to shop at the corner shop. We couldn’t go to the supermarkets because there went any. There were clothes shops. Blanchards we used to go to it’s a clothes shop. It was like yeah I suppose it would be like as big as Eve and Ranshaw (a small department store in Louth, Lincolnshire). But we really only had new clothes at Whitsuntide. Whit Sunday. It’s a church thing Whitsunday. It’s after Easter. Actually, when I was looking at my calendar this morning I saw it straight away. They don’t cel-ebrate it any more. We were, when we were kids, Whitsunday meant all the kids had new clothes and we used to go round to everybody, neighbours, relations and they’d give you money. You had to show them your new clothes, picked your skirt up and show them your underneath clothes. And you used to get, I was going to say it is about 10 pence, but that’s too much. Yeah, it would be sixpence yeah. That’s 2 1/2pence. And then we used to spend the money. Grandma, we used to go to my grandmas and then came her sister and then a few more and then a few of her neighbours. They’d be saying this is out so n’ so, this is our so n’ so... ‘Oh you do look nice’ and you know. And they’d give you a penny. Six pence well I could get me, well I started working and I got nearly £2 10 shillings, so 10 Shillings is 50p. I, and £2 10 shillings for the week. Nine till half past five I worked. £2 10 shillings and I gave me mother £2 for board and I had 10 shillings and it was like a fortune. I used to get bus fairs to town and it’d buy me, it wouldn’t be tights then, it’d be stockings and go to the pictures, save up a little bit. All with ten shillings. 50 pence. Pictures where only about 9 pence that’s less than a shilling. Yeah and when you got older you didn’t have your Whitsunday clothes. To show that you are getting older, getting to be a young lady and I think I was 14 you didn’t have Whitsunday you put them on on Monday! And she had what we used to call a costume, that’s a suit, a jacket and a skirt to match and high heels. Oo, that were like being really grown-up. I can remember they were digging the road up outside the houses. They must have been Irish blokes and we will always going to school. And you know we didn’t have school uniform, not actual school uniform, just school clothes. Then we got, it came to Friday night and we put our new costume after Whitmonday you know me and my friend and they were like all ‘ooo look at these!’. (Laughs) Little lace gloves. You always had gloves at Whitsuntide, little lace ones. And a new bag. Oh, this was in 37 I was born so it must have been in the 50s, 1950s.

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I can’t remember when supermarkets started coming in. I can’t even remember the first supermarket. We were married in 1959 and I used to go to, no I was going to say there was a Tesco’s in Darnel. I think that was the first one. We used to get our groceries, meat, bread, veg, oh all-sorts. I think it were about £5 for a week.

The men were obsessed with beer in them days. We weren’t allowed in pubs as a kid. Women went in some pubs. A lot of women wouldn’t have but some did. I can remember standing outside the pub looking in the window they were singing and all that in there, we were looking through the window lifting up and looking through the window. When I used to go out with hazel, my friend hazel. Her mother and dad used to go out on a Saturday night and they used to take us with them sometimes to different pubs. But we didn’t go in the pub, we had to sit in the kitchen! So they’d fetch us a drink out and we’d sit out with the landlady in her kitchen! It was a matter of doing something different you know cause we didn’t go anywhere. We didn’t go on holidays and things that you do. We just didn’t go anywhere we used to walk about, pictures if we got money we used to go on the bus to Bakewell. but that was like, that was it. We just walked around Bakewell, looking at the boys, just like what you do really, what any young people do! Now when my mother was here she used to call it the Monkey Run! It used to be like in Hillsborough right to Middlewood Road terminus, tram terminus, and that were called the Monkey Run! And that would just be lads and lasses walk-ing up and down and walking past one another and shouting at one another (laugh)

The markets were so busy, oh yeah, very busy. They used to sell, in Sheffield, cheese market you could buy er, tea sets and things like that at the cheese market. They used to buy animals like cats and dogs. You know, pets. All your fruit and veg, bread, dairy. I remember this man who used to sell tea pots. He used to balance all these plates on his arms, all over, he started to you know shout out how much they were. And you can buy them and they’re all in big baskets, oh I would always wish I could buy one of those but they were too expensive. It would be nice to be able to just step back and have a look at it all an see how it was. There used to be a man and he had a, it was like a weighing thing that you could get weighed on. It was like a chair that you sat on! To get weighed! Strange things, now. Materials, there were a lot of materials. Fabrics because people made their own clothes. Second-hand clothes as well. That’s where a lot of people got their clothes from, second hand. We bought them yes and from, I mean I can’t remember having anything new, I got some hand-me-downs from an older girl that used to live near me. I can remember this dress, it was a really nice dress. Big pockets with like beads and things on the pocket. And when the dress didn’t fit me I cut the pockets off! (Laugh) Yes I had a lot of hand-me-down clothes and shoes. Grandad lived in wellingtons. Never anything else but that’s why he always used to say that he had good feet! He were paddling down at Sherrington and he came back up and said that woman’s just said to me ‘by God I wish I had your feet’ He loved it!

You see now kids get killed in the cars when there’s a crash but you see kids used to be running across roads and were on the streets. One of Grandads sisters was killed, got hit by a car and Sandra Samuel, I don’t think she was quite 15, a really extrovert girl, popular with everybody and they were walking down to a cafe near Hillsborough football grounds with her friend and they were on the zebra crossing when this car, it was just speeding and hit her and killed her. Kids were playing out a lot more. Played on the streets. No televisions to sit and watch, well they did, one or two had televisions. We used to play on the, the back of this Sandra’s dads’ lorry. He were a coal man, we used to play on the back of the lorry. When the coaches used to come for the football matches for Sheffield Wednesday football matches, they’d come in on the coaches and they’d park on the streets everywhere and we used to play on the coaches. We thought it was great playing on the coaches, charas is what we called them, charabancs. Wouldn’t let you do that now, would they? And I mean we didn’t wreck them or anything like that, we just played, you know, we just sat on the seats and played. There weren’t such a thing as vandalism then. It wasn’t that there wasn’t any crime, I mean you used to get men flashing at you and things like that. I remember the buckle man. It was horrible, when you saw him it looked as though he was going to take his trousers off! Oh, he used to frighten us to death. Used to cry ‘oh the buckle mans here’ Oh and we’d go cold, you know when you’re really scared. If you were on your own it was a nightmare. There was some roughies. I mean there always has been but we used to play out because we just used to play out on the streets round where we lived, you see eve-rybody knew one another. Neighbours were aunties and uncles and that. I don’t know how many grandmas I had because I had, either side of us a grandma. And everyone looked out for each other and now you don’t even speak to you neighbours, like my one! Some things were better Holly but some things weren’t.

There was a lot of poverty because, I mean, it’s alright if you were a little bit well off but if you weren’t, you didn’t get the help that you get now. I mean people I knew people at Middle Raisen and people in Lincolnshire, they only lived at Market Raisin and they never went to the coast and it’s not that far. Less than an hours drive. Never went to Mablethorpe or anything like that because they hadn’t got cars. The first holiday I ever had was when my aunty Alice took me. She had two daughters then Ann and Lynn. I don’t think she had Jayne then. She took me because we are all about the same age, to a caravan at Cleethorpes. I was about six and I cried the whole time! We went with my aunt, aunty Emma and our Edna but she were older than us, she were courting so she left her boyfriend behind. And their two lads John and Keith. And we got in this caravan and it was lovely, lovely caravan, little kitchen at the end and it turns out we were in the wrong caravan. They must have given us the wrong keys or something, I don’t know but I knew we were in the wrong caravan and somebody must have come along and said and we had to come out and go into a little one! I always remember that. That was my first holiday and I never went away with my mother. No my mother never went anywhere but my grandma was worse. She were born in Exeter and when she were about three year old she came to

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live in Sheffield and that was it, she never went anywhere. She couldn’t travel, she got motion sickness so if she had to go into town for anything, not that she ever did really, can’t remember what she would have had to go for, something to do with rent or something like that, she had to walk from Hillsborough into town and she never ever went anywhere in her whole life, she never saw sea, I mean me mother started to go away, they went to Isle of Man, her and our Julie, they went when I was about 14, but then I, after that holiday at Cleethorpes with my aunty Alice I never went anywhere until I used to go away with Hazel and her mother, Hazel’s an only child and her mother and father used to get a caravan at Skegness near Butlins and we used to go there for a week, think I did that probably about two or three times. Then we went away on our own ‘cause we were getting to be about 18. Grandad never went anywhere, never had a holiday. We used to have day trips like club trips, they used to have all these coaches, we used to go to Cleethorpes to Wonderland. But grandad never had a holiday, never went away till he met me and we went to Bridlington when we were courting and me mother were there and aunty Alice. And we went in this boarding house place and Grandad slept with our Georgie. (Laughs) and that was his first holiday away and he was twenty. I don’t know, twenty-two and that were the first time he ever went on holiday away, to stay over. And we were 24 when we got married. We met at the pub. Pubs used to be like discos. The first time he ever went out with me he took me home, walked me home from Shire Green to Pitsmore on New Year’s Eve. 1957 and I was 20. All this reminiscing!

Twitter - Do you think that the colours you see on a day-to-day basis affect your mood?

Alice RiddingtonI believe that colours have a massive impact on our daily moods. If you were to stand in a room that was painted completely black, it may make you feel depressed or uneasy. This is due to the blackness and emptiness of the room therefore making you feel on edge. Whereas a bright room may make you feel positive and optimistic. This is demonstrated in schools whereby studying and examinations are conducted in bright rooms with windows and fresh air. This has been examined and the results have displayed that you are more motivated and positive when in a brighter room with colours around you such as white, bright pinks, blues and greens.

This can be supported by the discovery of baby’s likes and dislikes towards bedroom colours. You would rarely see a baby’s room being decorated with bright colours, this is due to it shocking their sense perceptions and therefore having an emotional impact on them. Strong, bright colours such as orange and yellow have the effect of shocking the baby’s inner vibrations, which can make them unsettled and restless. Light pinks and blues have traditionally been used for baby’s rooms as they are great for both genders and create a calming, peaceful atmosphere.

Colours can also represent how a person may be feeling, for example if a person is wearing black it could symbolize depression, sadness or grief. Whereas someone wearing a bright yellow top may suggest that they are very happy, excited, etc.

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Where do you believe the future lies within our high streets?I believe the future is local; smaller town centres, stronger neighbourhood shopping centres and a more diverse high street. Shopping will still be at the heart of that, with more locally-owned shops that serve distinct local markets, but there will be much more mixed use, driven by people like arts and community groups. Services will be delivered on the high street - from Apple stores to things like youth service, Police and the NHS.

Do you feel that changes need to be made to enable city centres to thrive?Yes - we need to recognise that we’re in times of change and not hold back from trying, testing and having fun while we do it. Specific changes are laid out in popupreport.co.uk!

For what reason do you regard pop ups so highly and what do you feel that they can do for our high streets?I believe town centres need to be public spaces - not dominated by big retail, and not policed by unaccountable bodies like BIDs and town centre management. Pop ups are the places where that’s already happening - they’re social, unusual, and force people to think and discuss new ideas. At the same time they’re good for starting new business and they support existing businesses.

I have made a Flickr group called Pop-Up Britain, I am trying to find various ideas, inspirtation that people are doing with pop ups. What are the most inspiring ideas you have come across?I have a new favourite every week! Brick Box are doing great things in South London, I love Theatre Absolute in Coventry, there’s always something new happening when I visit Margate, and similarly there’s always something going on when I visit Leeds.

What reactions have they had from the general public?The public love this stuff. It’s enjoyable, it’s entertaining, it’s exciting. Sometimes people are bewildered and sometimes they get angry because of that - but they’re always won over in the end!

Dan

-- Dan Thompson FRSA

--“Dan Thompson showed the best of Britain by helping organise the clean-up operation after last summer’s riots” David Cameron

Time Out/ Hospital Club - Culture 100 winner 2012The Independent – Happy List 2012Winner Coast Awards 2011 ‘Unsung Coastal Hero’Mayor of London – Team London Award 2011Listed in Twitter’s 2011 Year In Review for #riotcleanupNamed in GQ ’100 Most Influential Men In Britain’

danthompson.co.uk

revolutionaryarts.co.ukemptyshopsnetwork.co.uk

Started #riotcleanup, made #wewillgather.

Feel free to send some questions over

You should also read Pop Up People - popupreport.co.uk

And this might be interesting:

http://emptyshops.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/the-high-street-isnt-dead-dan-thompson-at-townstock/

All the best

Dan

Hello Dan,

I am a third year Fashion Communication and Promotion student at Nottingham Trent University. I am doing my project on the decline of the high street and the ways in which an overarching idea and hands-on tools can influence lifestyle and commerce within the contemporary society. I have been doing a lot of research on pop up shop, space collaborations, etc. I need to do some primary research into consumer’s and business’s thoughts about vacant shops, pop ups etc.Having such a large interest and involvement within the topic, it would be great if I could ask a few questions on your views of pop up shops etc., what they can do for communities, other ideas that could help revive high streets and also, their future.I would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to give me.

Kind Regards,

Holly Riddington

To comply with the research and practice ethics of the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University, you have to fully understand this information. The information you provide will be collated with others and analysed. The information provided will be treated in strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. All questionnaires will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. The information you give me will be used in support of my work and will be written up in my project/dissertation. Anything you say will be treated with the strictest confidence and your contribution to the discussion will not be attributed to you as an individual, what you said will be used for illustration only; to reinforce a point that I am making.

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Hi Holly

No probs, I’ll send you what I have...

I might have explained to you before that there are several data sets, from different sources, using different city centre boundaries. The different boundaries are based on different methodologies for calculating the city centre retail core

Different surveys/boundaries are produced by Experian - GOAD data, Local Data Company (LDC), FHP, Nottingham Retail and Leisure BID and Nottingham City Council

I will rovide you with a summary of the Nottingham City Council data:

We don’t count ‘shops’ as such. We survey every unit in the city centre and give it a classification, this includes retail, leisure, office and industrial. I have pulled out the units that have a retail classification for you, there are 1133, broken down as follows:Commercial, Retail, Public House / Bar / Nightclub - 82Commercial, Retail, Bank / Financial Service - 53Commercial, Retail, Other Licensed Premise / Vendor - 9Commercial, Retail, Restaurant / Cafeteria - 124Commercial, Retail, Retail Service Agent - 11Commercial, Retail, Shop / Showroom - 854

For info, we include all retail and leisure units when reporting vacancies in the city centre.

Of the 1133 retail units:505 are Independent425 are National203 are either vacant or have never been occupied (new units)

The 505 Independents are classified as follows:Bakers - 1Financial matters - 4Bookmaker/amusements - 1Café/restaurant - 68Charity store - 5Clothes store - 42Domestic/elec goods - 1Estate agents/lettings - 11Florist - 2Garage - 1General convenience - 1General retail - 10Hair/beauty - 60Health centre - 1HFTA/Food Outlet - 38Launderette/Dry Cleaning - 2Newsagent - 16Off-licence - 8

Hello Dan,

I am a third year Fashion Communication and Promotion student at Nottingham Trent University. I am doing my project on the decline of the high street and the ways in which an overarching idea and hands-on tools can influence lifestyle and commerce within the contemporary society. I have been doing research on the types of shops within Nottingham City Centre. I was just wondering if you could give me some information on how many shops there are in Nottingham city centre. Also if you could go into more detail of the number or ratio of chain and independent shops that would be great but no worries if not.

Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Kind Regards,

Holly Riddington

Office - 10 Opticians/Dentists - 7Pharmacy/Chemist - 1Other - 1Pub/Bar/Club - 60Public/Community Service - 4Small Supermarket - 4Specialist Retail - 124Specialist Services - 21

... I will see if I can send you some Experian stats too...

ThanksLiz

Elizabeth CooperSector Development OfficerEconomic Innovation and Employment

Development DepartmentNottingham City Council | Loxley House | Station Street | Nottingham | NG2 3HX

0115 87 [email protected]

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/economic-developmentFacebook: www.facebook.com/mynottinghamTwitter: www.twitter.com/nottmconnect

This e-mail message has been scanned for Viruses and Content and cleared by NetIQ MailMarshal.

This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of Nottingham City Council unless specifically stated. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system, do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it and notify the senderimmediately. Please note that Nottingham City Council monitors e-mails sent or received for the purposes of ensuring compliance with its policies and procedures. Further communication will signify your consent to this. The contents of e-mails sent or received may have to be disclosed if a relevant request is made under currentlegislation, such as, but not limited to, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000

Types of OccupierNational Units

Independent Units

Unclassified Units

Vacant Units

Primary Shopping Area Polygon

Experian have 1,651 records for Nottingham, split as below:

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Hello Jeremy,

I am a third year Fashion Communication and Promotion student at Nottingham Trent University. I am doing my project on the decline of the high street and the ways in which an overarching idea and hands-on tools can influence lifestyle and commerce within the contemporary society.

I have been looking into the various schemes that are going on in and around Nottingham in regards to the regeneration areas and having such a large involvement in the subject, it would be great if I could email you some questions to answer regarding the topic.

I would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to give me.

Kind Regards,

Holly Riddington

To comply with the research and practice ethics of the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University, you have to fully understand this information. The information you provide will be collated with others and analysed. The information provided will be treated in strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. All questionnaires will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. The information you give me will be used in support of my work and will be written up in my project/dissertation. Anything you say will be treated with the strictest confidence and your contribution to the discussion will not be attributed to you as an individual, what you said will be used for illustration only; to reinforce a point that I am making.

Dear Holly,

Thanks for your email. I’m not much of an expert on this area really, but why not look at the questions that Mary Portas was seeking to answer in her review of the high street last year- I think that would be a good starting point.

Today’s news suggests more music and film purchases were made last year than ever before, so what strategies might retailers take to diversify and encourage people into their shops?

For some small independent retailers, they are just too small to do much buy themselves so are there any successful examples of where retailers have formed associations to collectively market and promote an area - creating more ‘dwell time’ around their shops? What role do local authorities play in supporting retail districts - or not - see the recent closure of a 150-year old jewellers in the Lace Market, who blamed the lack of suitable local parking. Are there any particularly good examples anywhere and what lessons could be transferred elsewhere?

There’s plenty to go at, but only you can decide ...

I hope this helps.

Jeremy

Hi Holly,

Just to clarify, I am involved in a number of economic discussions on behalf of the University -but I haven’t been involved in creative quarter discussions to date. It’s actually, a rather vague concept at the moment, so it will be interesting to see how it shapes up into concrete actions - so, I do know a little about it.

The City have been doing quite a bit recently around retail - there’s been a lot in the Nottingham Post about the Nottingham Retail Business Improvement District - these have been developed in other cities too.

http://www.itsinnottingham.com/news/30/NEW-CHAIRMAN-FOR-THE-NOTTINGHAM-RETAIL-BUSINESS-IMPROVEMENT-DISTRICT

Staff within Nottingham Business School have been undertaking quite a bit of research into retail:http://www.ntu.ac.uk/apps/news/117176-1/Experts_to_strengthen_retail_sector_research.aspx

I may have not been so clear in my previous response. Today’s news was about £1bn digital download sales last year; I was Just asking what will shops like HMV/FOPP do to compete with that?

Good luck!

Jeremy

Hello Terry,

I am a third year Fashion Communication and Promotion student at Nottingham Trent University. I am focusing my project on the decline of the high street and the ways in which an overarching idea and hands-on tools can influence lifestyle and commerce within our society.

I have been looking into the various schemes that are going on in and around Nottingham in regards to the regeneration areas and I have found that you are in some way involved in the Regional Growth Fund, of which Nottingham has a part in. It would be great if I could get some information on the subject and what role it is that you are playing within the Growth Fund. If I could possibly email you some questions to answer regarding the topic it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to give me.

Kind Regards,

Holly Riddington

Hi Holly

I’d be pleased to help you. Send questions when you have them

Best wishes

Terry shave

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Hi Nick,

Thank you for replying so promptly.

What I have been doing is visiting various types local and independent businesses, asking a few questions and then taking a photo of the exterior, interior and another photo of either the shop keeper or member of staff in the shop. Your cinema caught my attention and is a perfect example relating to what my research is suggesting so this is why I have contacted you in particular and wish I had the means to be able to come and visit the Film Lounge for myself.

If there is any chance that you could take any photos similar to what I have been doing previously, it would be greatly appreciated but I completely understand if you are too busy/don’t want photos taken etc. Due to the ethics of Nottingham Trent University I will need you to just confirm that any information/photos that you present may be used within my dissertation and that you are happy for me to do so. Here are the questions:

Do you feel that there should be more lifestyle shops and events (e.g cinemas) present on the UK high streets and do you think that it would attract a more diverse range of people to city centres?

Do you think that pop up shops are a feasible way in which city councils could activate vacant shops until a more permanent resident is found?

What reason do you think that people would visit your film lounge as oppose to the chain cinemas available nearby?

What kind of a reaction do you get from visitors to your unique approach to the cinematic experience?

Please take as long as you wish to answer these questions, don’t feel that you have to do all of them as any response will be fantastic! I

Hi Holly,

What a very worthwhile topic so good on you. Yes I am more than happy to answer some questions for you.

Let me know more details.

Best wishesNick BertramStow Film Lounge

Hello,

I am a third year Fashion Communication and Promotion student at Nottingham Trent University. I am doing my project on the decline of the high street and the ways in which an overarching idea and hands-on tools can influence lifestyle and commerce within the contemporary society. I have been doing a lot of research on the pop up shop and space collaborations. I need to do some primary research into consumer’s and business’s thoughts about vacant shops, pop ups etc.

I think that your pop up cinema is a fantastic example of ways in which communities can get together to create more of a sense of society. It would be great if I could ask a few questions on your views of what you feel that the cinema does for your community and whether you feel that pop up shops or events are feasible ways in which city councils could fill their vacant shops until a more permanent resident is found.

I would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to give me.

Kind Regards,

Holly Riddington

To comply with the research and practice ethics of the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University, you have to fully understand this information. The information you provide will be collated with others and analysed. The information provided will be treated in strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. All questionnaires will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. The information you give me will be used in support of my work and will be written up in my project/dissertation. Anything you say will be treated with the strictest confidence and your contribution to the discussion will not be attributed to you as an individual, what you said will be used for illustration only; to reinforce a point that I am making.

Hi Holly,Apologies for the tardy reply but I was launching my evening screenings over the weekend so a bit busy.

Regarding the photos: I haven’t got any really good quality ones yet. I need to get a proper photographer in to take some. Let me know if you still want inferior quality ones!

Yes I do think there should be a more diverse range of lifestyle things on the high street. Cinema in particular is all about a shared experience, a community coming together to be entertained. At our screenings friends/neighbours with kids intermingle and interact and at our first evening screening a couple met who found out they were neighbours! The sense of ownership that people develop is quite interesting. It is as if the cinema is personally linked to them. I think it transcends entertainment per se and becomes a really important tool for connection and social cohesion.

Diversity is key however and I don’t think you can find one service that can cater to all it is a range of services that will. The local community here is very very divers ethnically and economically. I have to price the cinema to be sustainable (it is openly commercial and receives no grants/income) but also to be affordable. Value for money and the extra little touches or details are important. It is not just going to the cinema. I have teamed up with a local not for porfit community arts project and a local storyteller and they provide an activity session before the film at our Kids Film Lounge. We have a range of organic refrehments at affordable prices (cheaper than the multiplexes and far superior products).

It is not easy though. I have to have four licences per film per screening. It is fair to say that there isn’t a huge profit in this and that is why, in my opinion, the cinema industry is polarised into the big multiplexes who can absorb running at a loss sometimes and at the other end Filmclubs that are not for profit but only really focussed on niche/arthouse films. Add in Love Film and Netflixs and you can see to be a small independent cinema business is not easy. However, with the correct programming, good high spec technical set up, quality environment it is possible to survive and thrive. People are seeking these experiences out rather than going to the local multiplex.

I do think that councils have a big part to play in encouraging pop up culture amongst businesses. It is not easy and in the same way that empty properties are being highlighted for the homeless why not put the spotlight on empty shops for businesses. After all it is the diversity that is going to add to regeneration in my

thank you in advance for helping me out so kindly!

Kind Regards,

Holly

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view.

I hope I have said enough about the last two questions. I would add in that rooted in the local community is important and keeping money very much in a local context. The whole buzz around Amazon/Starbucks not paying UK taxes and people have said they want to support local businesses. The thing is that some people think that they won’t bother supporting something and then expect it to still be running when they do! I have linked in with local restaurants offering pre-screening deals also.

There are plans also for hooking up with some local arts groups and in particular looking at screenings for teenagers. Again the local angle is important to parents and it saves the kids having to travel/be taken out the area for their entertainment.

We are smallish (we can seat about 100), friendly and fun but we don’t compromise on the technical quality either. We aim to screen contemporary films that did not receive a wide distribution and may be ones that people go - oh great I wanted to see that when it first came out (our licences don’t allow us to show new releases. Another example of distributiors manipulating the market).

Let me know if you need anything more at this stage.

Good luck with it all.

BestNick Bertram

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