Towns, High Streets and Resilience in Scotland: A Question for Policy?

Leigh Sparks
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Leigh Sparks: Institute for Retail Studies, Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling FK8 2AP, UK

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-14

Abstract: The “death of the high street” has become a common refrain, particularly in the United Kingdom, often accompanied by calls for action and demands for improved resilience in town centres and high streets. This paper considers the policy context for towns and town centres in Scotland and the recent review of the country’s approach to towns, town centres and places. With the adoption of National Outcomes linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the declaration of a Climate Emergency, the conclusion is drawn that a more fundamental and radical shift in policy is needed, if the resilience of town centres is to have any meaning, and that a clearer and more widely understood conceptualisation of resilience needs to be developed.

Keywords: retailing; resilience; sustainability; high streets; towns; town centres; public policy; Scotland; United Kingdom (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:10:p:5631-:d:556776

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