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Revitalising CBDs in MEDCs  

The rise of the motorcar and the cheapness of land at the edge of the city led to a rise in out of town shopping centres from the 1960's to 1980's.  Shopping centres such as Meadowhall in Sheffield, Lakeside in Essex and the Metro Centre Gateshead all developed and posed a threat to city centre shopping.  At the same time, a lack of investment in the CBD (central Business District) led to the dereliction of some buildings and a general decline in the shopping environment.  In addition, city centres suffered from crowding, poor air quality, a crime ridden image and poor parking availability.  There was genuine concern that many CBDs would not survive and that we would experience the urban doughnut effect (an economically empty city centre surrounded by other functions).

Empty shop units in Grainger Town, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Initiatives were put into place in order to try and protect and revitalise the CBDs of many cities;

CBD improvements

Pedestrianisaton was one method - restricting motor vehicle access along shopping streets and allow shoppers to feel safe and have good air quality.

CBD shopping centres were covered to prevent people being exposed to adverse weather - Eldon Square in Newcastle is a good example of this.

Money was spent on the public realm - all of the street furniture and paving, to ensure that the shopping environment looks nice.

Grants were made available to retailers to take on derelict buildings.  This happened in Grainger Town in Newcastle.

Investment was made in Gentrifying (making buildings look nice!) the outside of old and historic buildings, as happened along the Quayside area of Newcastle.

Think about it

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