United Kingdom
The first example in the UK of a purposely planned commercial or town centre is Newcastle's Grainger Town in the 1840s.
As changes in shopping patterns occurred, town centres have been forced to adapt and meet those changes. Comprehensive redevelopment of many British town centres occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. This often resulted in development of larger store formats, often with modernist styles of architecture which significantly differed to their surroundings.
Other major changes included the development of indoor shopping malls in major towns and cities. Examples include the Arndale Centre in Manchester, the St. James Centre in Edinburgh and the Bullring Centre in Birmingham. These tended to be constructed in a Brutalist or Modernist fashion reflecting the architectural styles of the period.
During the Thatcher government of the 1980s, a change in planning policy allowed competing out-of-town shopping and leisure centres to be developed. Examples include the Metro Centre in Gateshead, the Merry Hill Centre in Dudley, and the Gyle Centre in Edinburgh. Developments of this type have, in a number of places, resulted in a decline in traditional town centres.
In Britain, in particular, the preponderance of chain stores using their own same corporate identity, livery and so on in all, or nearly all of their outlets has led to a lack of diversity in many towns and cities with the phrase clone town being coined.
Today, in the UK, there is a focus on the redevelopment of town centres and the creation of a greater mix of uses in the centres. Planning policy focus aims to maintain town centres as vibrant successful places, which are accessible to everyone by means other than the private car.
Many town centres have undergone major redevelopment, with environmental improvements and increased retail floorspace. Major town centre shopping malls, such as the Arndale Centre and the Bullring Centre, have also undergone major redevelopment to improve their image.
Read more about this topic: Town Centre, National Differences
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