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The effect of urban quality improvements on economic activity

The effect of urban quality improvements on economic activity
The effect of urban quality improvements on economic activity
This paper is concerned with the link between urban quality improvements and economic activity. A key question is whether improvements in the urban environment which might be achieved, for instance, through pedestrianisation, will affect business location choices - for example, are office or retail businesses particularly keen to locate in more pleasant urban places? The paper outlines the current state of development of the literature with respect to the influence of urban quality on economic activity, and proposes a framework for forecasting economic impacts based on three communities of reference: customers, employees, and the businesses themselves. The results from original modelling of a case study area in Manchester, England are reported and suggest that the positive uplifts that may be expected from environmental improvement programmes may well be on a scale which is significant. The research is obviously important for the urban regeneration and renaissance agendas which posit attractive and well-designed environments as a way to create the right conditions for promoting economic growth.
town centre regeneration, urban quality, economic impact, pedestrianization, land use/transport interaction models
0301-4797
1-12
Whitehead, Tim
80b302e4-eafa-49f9-9145-c4749f72a49d
Simmonds, David
4f536cba-94b6-4066-ad92-dfba539fd9a8
Preston, John
ef81c42e-c896-4768-92d1-052662037f0b
Whitehead, Tim
80b302e4-eafa-49f9-9145-c4749f72a49d
Simmonds, David
4f536cba-94b6-4066-ad92-dfba539fd9a8
Preston, John
ef81c42e-c896-4768-92d1-052662037f0b

Whitehead, Tim, Simmonds, David and Preston, John (2006) The effect of urban quality improvements on economic activity. Journal of Environmental Management, 80 (1), 1-12. (doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.01.029).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the link between urban quality improvements and economic activity. A key question is whether improvements in the urban environment which might be achieved, for instance, through pedestrianisation, will affect business location choices - for example, are office or retail businesses particularly keen to locate in more pleasant urban places? The paper outlines the current state of development of the literature with respect to the influence of urban quality on economic activity, and proposes a framework for forecasting economic impacts based on three communities of reference: customers, employees, and the businesses themselves. The results from original modelling of a case study area in Manchester, England are reported and suggest that the positive uplifts that may be expected from environmental improvement programmes may well be on a scale which is significant. The research is obviously important for the urban regeneration and renaissance agendas which posit attractive and well-designed environments as a way to create the right conditions for promoting economic growth.

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More information

Published date: July 2006
Keywords: town centre regeneration, urban quality, economic impact, pedestrianization, land use/transport interaction models

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 53438
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/53438
ISSN: 0301-4797
PURE UUID: 9aec15d1-50dd-4e5a-83a3-54cc8658285b
ORCID for John Preston: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6866-049X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 21 Jul 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:48

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Contributors

Author: Tim Whitehead
Author: David Simmonds
Author: John Preston ORCID iD

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