LSE Cities’ Ordinary Streets project’s research into UK high streets features in a new report released in December 2012 by the London Assembly’s Economy Committee. The summary report, ‘Empty Shops on London’s High Streets’, reviews measures designed to reduce shop vacancies and boost the capital’s high streets. The Economic Committee acknowledged key findings from LSE Cities researcher Dr. Suzanne Hall’s work on high streets in London, in particular Walworth Road and Peckham Rye Lane. It highlights the increase in independent shops on London’s high streets with the possible connection to London’s increase in ethnic diversity and migration, and suggests the need for a more careful consideration of a ubiquitous application of the BID model for managing high streets, especially where ethnic diversity and varied retail models might require more site-specific approaches to street stewardship.
You can download the Economy Committee’s summary document on empty shops here (pdf) or find out more about the on-going investigation. To learn more about LSE Cities’ Ordinary Streets research project, please click here.