High Street Revival
High Street Revival
Lead author: Phoebe Lawlor.
Project coordinators: Dr Joanie Willett and Professor Clare Saunders.
Key Findings
- The high street is where people naturally meet and feel part of a collective.
- Initiatives such as the US Main Street Programme, 20 Minute Neighborhoods in Australia and repair cafes in Amsterdam and France offer learning opportunities for Cornish high streets.
- Repair cafes, and spaces to share expertise around making, mending, and modifying clothing provide opportunities to bring people on to the high street for the experiences that they offer.
Summary
Over the past decade, we have witnessed the decline of the UK high streets, largely due to technological advances resulting in changing consumer habits that have been further accelerated by the Coronavirus pandemic. This means that high streets urgently need support and fresh ideas. The Portas Review, Mary Portas’ 2011 report about the high street, commissioned by the then government, is still important and relevant. She uncovered deep-rooted issues that serve as blockades including lack of originality, high rents and landlords that were focused too heavily on short term profit, which all contribute to lack of footfall.
Cornwall has been significantly impacted by these issues, and workable initiatives moving forward are essential. Our report High Street Revival uses the Portas Review as a jumping off point to consider Experience Economy initiatives globally, which could help our high streets. These include the US Main Street Programme, 20 Minute Neighborhoods in Australia and repair cafes in Amsterdam and France. The high street is where people naturally meet and feel part of a collective.
The report finds that recent interest in localism experienced by retailers paired with an increased awareness for the planet, presents an opportunity to introduce environmentally conscious initiatives such as ‘Repair Cafés’. Already popular abroad they are now being welcomed in Cornwall with the launching of the ‘Repair Café network’.
These kinds of experience economy initiatives physically bring people into our high streets, and allow the public to become involved in improving our environment. They could also be extended to include making, mending and modifying clothing. Such facilities bring people to the high street and have the additional benefit of helping people to move away from a buy and dispose model, promoting a circular economy and extending the life of products that would, in most cases, be thrown away.
These places are - furthermore - a great way to incorporate a social element into the high street, providing a location with purpose, enjoyment and community spirit, something customers crave but is currently absent on the high street.