Geographical study on the retail regeneration of town centres in the UK

自20世纪90年代S以来，英国中央和地方政府一直致力于鼓励传统中心的复兴，英国零售业的地区政策的特点是限制位于中心外的大型零售设施，并维护和加强现有的购物区。这项研究项目旨在考察购物区的最新趋势和购物区的更新项目。本研究的结果如下：(I)随着许多新的零售业态的发展，如超市，这些新的零售业态经常对传统的零售等级产生不利影响，许多购物区面临着“螺旋式下降”。其中，与城镇或城市中心相比，区中心以下较小的购物中心受到了严重破坏。(Ii)英国城市更广泛地制定了城镇或城市中心的再生计划，许多城镇中心都有自己的再生计划和城镇中心管理机构。城镇中心重建项目的效果因城镇中心而异，但近年来，许多城镇中心总体表现良好。(Iii)另一方面，较小城镇中心的重建集中在面临食物沙漠问题的购物区，并正在“邻里重建项目”下进行。更新策略主要分为购物区改造和新建购物区改造。(4)随着城镇或城市中心更新项目的推进，区域零售结构出现了新的问题。最大的问题之一在于对较小购物区的负面影响。

Since 1990's, central and local government in the UK has aimed to encourage the regeneration of traditional centres and regional policy on retailing in the UK is characterized that large retail facilities located in offcentres are restricted and existing shopping districts are maintained and reinforced. This research project seeks to examine the recent trends on shopping districts and the regeneration projects of shopping districts.The results of this research are as followings :(i)As many new retail formats like superstores which have often impacted adversely on traditional retail hierarchy has been developed, many shopping districts has faced 'a spiral of decline'. Among them smaller shopping centres below district centres has been seriously damaged in comparison with town or city centres.(ii)Regeneration plan of town or city centres are wider established in the UK cities and many town centres have own regeneration plan and town centre management institutes. The effect of town centre regeneration projects are varied among town centres, but in recent years many town centres have generally got good performances.(iii)On the other hand, regeneration of smaller centres focus on shopping districts where is faced with food desert problems and is carrying out under 'neighborhood regeneration projects'. The strategies of regeneration are mainly divided into refurbishment of shopping districts and rebuilding new shopping districts.(iv)As the regeneration projects of town or city centres have made progress, new problems on regional retail structure have been coming out. One of the biggest problems lies in the negative impact on smaller shopping districts.