Town centre

For other uses, seeTown Center (disambiguation).

Atown centreis thecommercialorgeographicalcentre or core area of atown.Town centres are traditionally associated withshoppingorretail.They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such astrainorbusstations. Public buildings includingtown halls,museumsandlibrariesare often found in town centres.

Town centre ofKajaani,Kainuu,Finland

Town centres aresymbolicto settlements as a whole and often contain the best examples of architecture, mainlandmarkbuildings,statuesandpublic spacesassociated with a place.

Canada

Town centre ofOakville,Ontario,Canada.

In some areas ofCanada,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 asBrentwoodandLougheedTown Centres in Burnaby.

Philippines

Plaza RizalinBiñan'spoblacion

These paragraphs are an excerpt fromPoblacion.[edit]

Poblacion(literally "town" or "settlement" inSpanish;locally[pobläˈʃo̞n]) is the common term used for the administrative center, central,downtown,old townorcentral business districtarea of aPhilippinecityormunicipality,which may take up the area of a singlebarangayor multiple barangays. It is sometimes shortened to Pob.

United Kingdom

Town centre ofNeston,Cheshire,England.

The first example in the UK of a purposely planned commercial or town centre is Newcastle'sGrainger Townin 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 withmoderniststyles of architecture significantly different from their surroundings.

Other major changes included the development of indoorshopping mallsin major towns and cities. Examples include theManchester Arndale Centre,theSt. James CentreinEdinburghand theBullring CentreinBirmingham.They tended to be constructed in aBrutalistorModernistfashion reflecting the architectural styles of the period.

During theThatcher governmentof the 1980s, a change in planning policy allowed competing out-of-town shopping and leisure centres to be developed. Examples include theMetro CentreinGateshead,theMerry Hill Shopping CentreinDudley,and theGyle Centrein 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 the phraseclone townbeing 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 increasedretailfloorspace. Major town centre shopping malls, such as the Arndale Centre and the Bullring Centre, have also undergone major redevelopment to improve their image.

See also

• Downtown
• City centre
• Central business district

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Ayris, I (1997)A City of Palaces
• Cowling, D (1997)An Essay for Today- The Making of the Scottish New Towns 1946-1996
• Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2005)PPS6- Planning for Town Centres
• Scottish Executive (2006)SPP8- Town Centres & Retailing