Exploring CBD Retail Performance, Recovery and Resilience of a Smart City Following COVID-19

Peter Fieger (), Girish Prayag, David Dyason, John Rice and C. Michael Hall
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Peter Fieger: School of Education, Federation University, Mount Helen, VIC 2351, Australia
Girish Prayag: UC Business School, Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
David Dyason: Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
John Rice: College of Business Administration, University of Sharjah, University City, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
C. Michael Hall: Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, incurred significant damage due to a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The city had, by the late 2010s, regained economic and social normalcy after a sustained period of rebuilding and economic recovery. Through the concerted rebuilding effort, a modern central business district (CBD) with redesigned infrastructure and amenities was developed. The Christchurch rebuild was underpinned by a commitment of urban planners to an open and connected city, including the use of innovative technologies to gather, use and share data. As was the case elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions to social and economic life in Christchurch. Border closures, lockdowns, trading limitations and other restrictions on movement led to changes in traditional consumer behaviors and affected the retail sector’s resilience. In this study, we used CBD pedestrian traffic data gathered from various locations to predict changes in retail spending and identify recovery implications through the lens of retail resilience. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns have driven a substantive change in the behavioral patterns of city users. The implications for resilient retail, sustainable policy and further research are explored.

Keywords: retail; recovery; resilience; COVID-19; smart city; pedestrian traffic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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