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News { RTPI calls for ‘bottomup’ approach to post-Covid high street planning By Laura Edgar Covid-19 has and continues to speed up changes to high streets and town centres that were already happening in the UK, according to a report published by the RTPI. There is “unlikely” to be a return to past shopping habits, warns the institute. For this research project, nearly 4,000 comments posted under articles published on The Guardian website were examined using sentiment analysis and text-mining techniques. The results showed that commenters believe Covid19 is speeding up changes to high streets that were already happening before the pandemic took hold in the UK in March 2020. Many noted that the repurposing of existing buildings in town centres was inevitable and welcome, leaving city centres able to “take the blow”, adapt, and thrive again. Also, some suggested using Italian and French cities as “aspirational” city centre models, despite, the institute explained, many of these being reminiscent of more old-fashioned shopping destinations that are comprised primarily of independent retailers. For the RTPI, the research
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Some respondents suggested using Italian and French cities as “aspirational” city centre models
highlights the “vital importance” of community engagement in the planning process; it could, the institute said, inform a more inclusive and ‘bottom-up’ approach post Covid-19. Report author Professor Aude Bicquelet-Lock, deputy head of policy and research at the institute, said: “The Covid-19 outbreak has come at a challenging time for many high streets and town centres already suffering from reduced footfall and has forced built environment experts and politicians alike to rethink the way we plan future towns and cities “However, the views of the public on the topic have largely remained absent from the debate. This is a significant absence – especially in a context where the impact of placemaking on people’s health and wellbeing has been
widely acknowledged.” The institute, she continues, believes that communities have a vitally important role to play in making decisions about the future of the places where they live, work or play. “We know from our recent research with Grayling Engage [see this month’s
“THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLIC ON [HIGH STREETS] HAVE LARGELY REMAINED ABSENT FROM THE DEBATE. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ABSENCE – ESPECIALLY IN A CONTEXT WHERE THE IMPACT OF PLACEMAKING ON PEOPLE’S HEALTH AND WELLBEING HAS BEEN WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED”
page 46] that people are more interested and invested in their local communities than ever before. “As we recover from the pandemic, it is vital that we capitalise on this renewed interest to ensure that decisions are being taken that truly reflect the needs of local communities.” Bicquelet-Lock has presented her preliminary findings from the research to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. The research will also inform the High Street Task Force Resource Library and the RTPI-chaired High Streets Task Force Professional Research and Data Group. Planning for PostCovid Cities can be found on the RTPI website: bit.ly/planner0221highstreetchanges
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