Four Steps to Create a Thriving 15 Minute Town
The High Streets Task Force’s recently published Review of Footfall shows a mixed pattern of recovery following the Covid-19 Lockdown restrictions with multi-functional, rather than purely retail, high streets recovering faster.
Post lockdown, people are also more likely to visit their town centre in the afternoon, travel shorter distances and spend less dwell time. Those that can attract the local population are also out-performing other town centres, suggesting the 15 Minute City concept is being realised.
15 minute villages, towns and cities are local places that are walkable or cyclable and meet the needs of their local catchment, thereby reducing the need to travel longer distances so frequently for work or leisure. Structural changes triggered by Covid-19 and subsequent movement restrictions, and also enabled by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, have brought new patterns of urban life in which high streets that offer a range of services and experiences have the potential to thrive by attracting their nearby market. High streets that are better at this will also be able to deliver more return visits and longer dwell time.
The High Streets Taskforce Review indicates that town centre recovery is patchy. As new patterns of urban life are formed, many high streets will find themselves at a crossroads: either they fall further behind or they adapt to seize the opportunity of hyper-localism. Town centres are enjoying a revival because their competition, city centres, have become less attractive but they need to use this temporary uplift to make structural changes in order to become attractive in their own right.
High streets need to offer a curated and dynamic blend of cafés, gyms, art spaces, cultural experience and retail or car parking space repurposed as cycle hubs. There is also potential to provide flexible workspaces and super connectivity for the increased numbers of Zoom-tied remote workers, so local people can work away from their homes.
The origins of the name ‘high street’ comes from its function as being the most important street in a town. Today, we need to draw on what are the most important needs and activities of the local population, so the high street can retain its relevance as the most important local place. The AttisTowns four step process - building local partnerships, analyse the near market and opportunities, develop a transformation plan and create a delivery body and team - is ideally suited to ensuring every high street adapts to turn these challenging times into an opportunity to remain relevant and thrive.
