A town centre is the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town . Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail . They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations. Public buildings including town halls , museums and libraries are often found in town centres.
12-462: Town Centre may refer to: A town centre Town Centre (KCRC) , station on MTR Light Rail, in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong Town Centre (ward) See also [ edit ] Town Center (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with
24-464: A British think tank, in the 2004 report on "Clone Town Britain". The report further elaborates the definition as follows: 'Clone towns' occur where 'the individuality of high street shops has been replaced by a monochrome strip of global and national chains' as opposed to 'Home Town' which is a 'place that retains its character and is individually recognizable and distinct to the people who live there, as well as those who visit '. A survey conducted by
36-551: A whole and often contain the best examples of architecture, main landmark buildings, statues and public spaces associated with a place. In some areas of Canada , particularly large, urban areas, town centres refer to alternate commercial areas to the city's downtown. These centres are usually located within a large neighbourhood and characterized by medium-high density commercial and residential property; such as Brentwood and Lougheed Town Centres in Burnaby. The first example in
48-730: The Metro Centre in Gateshead , the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Dudley , and the Gyle Centre in Edinburgh. Developments of this type have, in a number of places, resulted in a decline in traditional town centres. The preponderance of chain stores using the same corporate identity, livery and so on in most or all of their outlets has led to a lack of diversity in many towns and cities, with
60-644: The Arndale Centre and the Bullring Centre, have also undergone major redevelopment to improve their image. Notes Bibliography Clone town Clone town is a term for a town where the High Street or other major shopping areas are significantly dominated by chain stores , thus making that town indistinct from other town centres. The term was coined by the New Economics Foundation (NEF),
72-516: The NEF in 2005 estimated that 41% of towns in the UK and 48% of London villages could be considered clone towns, with the trend rising. Alternatively, clone town can also be looked upon as a stage of growth of retail market i.e. from out of town retail parks and shopping centers to so-called clone towns dominated by chains. The NEF report argued that the spread of clone towns is highly damaging to society because of
84-529: The UK of a purposely planned commercial or town centre is Newcastle's Grainger Town in the 1840s. As changes in shopping patterns occurred, town centres have been forced to adapt and meet those changes. Comprehensive redevelopment of many British town centres occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, which often resulted in development of larger store formats, often with modernist styles of architecture significantly different from their surroundings. Other major changes included
96-812: The development of indoor shopping malls in major towns and cities. Examples include the Manchester Arndale Centre , the St. James Centre in Edinburgh and the Bullring Centre in Birmingham . They tended to be constructed in a Brutalist or Modernist fashion reflecting the architectural styles of the period. During the Thatcher government of the 1980s, a change in planning policy allowed competing out-of-town shopping and leisure centres to be developed. Examples include
108-475: The phrase clone town being used. Today, there is a focus on the redevelopment of town centres and the creation of a greater mix of uses in the centres. Planning policy focus aims to maintain town centres as vibrant successful places, which are accessible to everyone by means other than the private car. Many town centres have undergone major redevelopment, with environmental improvements and increased retail floorspace. Major town centre shopping malls, such as
120-421: The removal of diversity: The NEF report also notes that the creation of chain stores and supermarkets has been in part a response to the consolidation of retail land ownership in the UK. Retailers are forced to consolidate to have any leverage over landlords that have already consolidated. Other commentators have raised concerns regarding the loss of "sociability" offered by traditional shopping: "the demise of
132-499: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Town_Centre&oldid=1053387749 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Town centre Town centres are symbolic to settlements as
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#1732845417116144-401: The small shop would mean that people will not just be disadvantaged in their role as consumers but also as members of communities – the erosion of small shops is viewed as the erosion of the 'social glue' that binds communities together, entrenching social exclusion in the UK". The 2005 survey rated Exeter as the worst example of a clone town in the UK, with only a single independent store in
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