Research into the functions of local high streets and how they contribute to the Government’s agendas on public spaces, social inclusion and sustainability.
This study looks at the significance of local high streets to people, as spaces that they travel through and as places where they meet, shop and pursue other activities. It records and investigates the varied aspects of daily life on streets in three case study areas:
The authors conclude that high streets have a key part to play in developing sustainable urban communities, but that the planning and design of these streets needs to address their sometimes conflicting roles as places for people to visit and as through routes for traffic.
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This study demonstrates the key part that local high streets play in contributing to the Government's public spaces, social inclusion and sustainability agendas, using three case studies from different English cities. The research investigated the varied functions these streets performed, and the problems that street users experienced. The study, by Peter Jones at University College London and Marion Roberts and Linda Morris at the University of Westminster, found that:
This study arose from a desire to answer a number of questions about mixed-use high streets:
People of different ages, ethnicities, cultures and class were often seen at the same time in the town-centre market squares and the high street. While most residents and visitors used these places to encounter both difference and familiarity, there could be disincentives for some groups. In particular, older people and many under-18s were discouraged from using the cobbled market square and redeveloped piazza-style square at night because of the dominance of bars and clubs based around these areas.
The study investigated sections of mixed-use local high streets in three inner-suburban areas: Ball Hill in Coventry, London Road in Sheffield, and the Upper Tooting Road/Mitcham Road approaches to the Tooting Broadway junction in South London. Each has a substantial residential catchment area that has suffered from some degree of social deprivation or has a substantial ethnic mix.
The aim was to understand these streets' significance to their users, as spaces they travel through and as somewhere to shop, meet and pursue other activities, thus contributing to local identity. The objective was to investigate and record all the varied aspects of daily life on these streets – what people did there, and what they felt about the streets. Particular attention was paid to the potential conflicts that could arise through the streets' dual function as a 'link' or through route and as a 'place' or location to shop or meet friends.
The study found that the three case-study streets had much to offer their local populations, though they varied in their retail mix:
In each location, all sections of the local population used the high street, including a broad cross-section of age ranges and ethnic groups. Patterns of use varied by time and location, reflecting the different lifestyles of the various population groups and the location of different types of businesses. The only groups with indications of under-representation and possible exclusion were disabled people and people with children in pushchairs. However, the samples were too small in each case to pursue this issue in more depth.
The 'link' function of all three locations was very important, with high volumes of road traffic and significant numbers of pedestrians 'just passing through' the area, at all times of day. In Tooting in particular, large volumes of interchange between bus and underground and bus-to-bus also took place on the two streets. However, the main movements of pedestrians were associated with 'place'-related activities, and in Tooting very high volumes of pedestrian activity were recorded:
Video analysis showed ten different types of activity taking place on the footway by day or night, ranging from street-workers at stalls or selling pirate DVDs, to people chatting, resting or waiting for others, as well as small numbers living on the street.
Detailed investigation drawing on CCTV evidence found that the competition for space between the different street activities and modes of transport were a source of tension and conflict because of the high intensity of use. In both Tooting and Ball Hill, there were 'pinch points' where pedestrians had to walk in the road when the pavements were too busy to accommodate everyone. Over 50 per cent of people surveyed on the street in Ball Hill and Tooting thought that there was a problem in moving along the pavement.
In addition to problems at road junctions, traffic accidents were also concentrated around points of public transport interchange, for example where passengers changed from one bus route to another and made 'informal' crossings through the traffic. Buses were also delayed through lack of adequate pull-in space. In Ball Hill, 70 per cent of businesses loaded and unloaded in the street itself, and 60 per cent reported problems in doing so.
Both residents and visitors expressed satisfaction with their local high streets in terms of the range and quality of the goods and services they had to offer, and the opportunities for informal social contact they provided:
There was much less satisfaction, however, with the experience of visiting these streets as 'places'. Concerns were recorded about the high levels of traffic noise, poor general appearance, the lack of greenery, and limited and poor-quality amenities such as public toilets and places to sit:
Street audits also identified problems in each location with uncared-for pavements and messy, cluttered street furniture.
The majority of local residents who came to each centre did so on foot. The streets also drew in shoppers and visitors from outside their immediate areas, many arriving by public transport and others by car, and so they had a wider, more regional economic and social significance:
In general, visitors spent more time and money per visit than local residents, but came to the area less often. As a consequence, while car users spent more money than public transport users or those arriving on foot on a per trip basis, this difference disappeared when account was taken of the frequency of their visits.
Crime and anti-social behaviour did not feature as a major problem in any of the three case-study areas. The overall condition and maintenance of the streets were of more significance to most people. However, only Tooting had an appointed local authority town-centre manager, whose brief was to care for the condition of the town centre as a whole in terms of both the vitality of the businesses and the quality of the street scene. In each area, maintenance and improvement activities were hampered by lack of powers and the division of responsibilities among agencies.
The study found that the mixed-use local high streets were well used and well liked, and encouraged sustainable and inclusive patterns of usage. Realising their potential as significant public places has been hampered by the priority given to their through-traffic or 'link' functions, over the needs of people who visit them as places for a variety of purposes. Local planners and urban designers have also not given priority to the 'traditional' high street. Resolving the challenges posed by the problems and tensions experienced on current mixed-use high streets is no small task, but by doing so these streets could become a cornerstone for future sustainable communities.
The study derived policy and practice recommendations in four broad areas relating to the need to: (i) adopt a balanced 'link and place' approach to mixed-use street planning and design; (ii) provide better co-ordination between agencies and street-user stakeholders; (iii) encourage enhanced information-gathering and sharing; and (iv) provide more resources and powers.
The researchers also make specific recommendations, based on experience from the three case-study areas. Some of these would require more resources for local authority departments with a responsibility for mixed-use high streets, and include the need to:
This study, by Peter Jones at University College London and Marion Roberts and Linda Morris at the University of Westminster, was part of a Joseph Rowntree Foundation programme aiming to improve understanding of how people use urban public spaces. It used a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, drawing on existing and new survey data.
The research collated a broad range of data from public agencies, and carried out urban design appraisals and a community street audit for each location, including traffic and pedestrian counts. Stakeholder surveys were carried out with 150 businesses in Tooting, 78 in Coventry and 86 in Sheffield, and resident surveys with 309 households in Tooting and 207 in Sheffield. In Tooting, there were 512 questionnaire interviews with people walking along the street, 489 in Coventry and 405 in Sheffield. In addition, 33 interviews were held with officers from the public agencies most involved with the case-study streets. Three focus groups were held in Tooting, and informal workshops were held with key stakeholders in each location. To observe street behaviour, existing CCTV footage was provided in Tooting and was specially commissioned in Coventry.
