Planned and unplanned retail development in a ‘dumb-bell-shaped’ shopping center

Paul Whysall, "Retail planning and retail change in central Nottingham since the 1970s," The Town Planning Review 84 (2016): 6

The take-away: his article concerns the relationship between unplanned and planned developments in the context of a shopping center in Nottingham’s since 1970. While noting possible drawbacks of the Nottingham center’s design with respect to being partially unplanned, the article ultimately appraises the center’s ‘dumb-bell-shaped’ design as a promising “template for the larger-scale structuring of a city centre”, in which planned and unplanned development can both be beneficial. 

Abstract: Nottingham has performed well amongst British city centres. This paper explores the structural changes that underpin that. Nottingham is unique amongst British cities with two large enclosed shopping centres at either side of the traditional core creating a configuration akin to the dumb- bell model of a planned shopping centre. Latterly, one of those centres has clearly underperformed, as occupancy data demonstrates, suggesting parts of the dumb-bell might also have suffered. Yet detailed analysis shows that an organically derived fashion cluster has made this a vibrant retail area. The paper concludes with thoughts about the relationship between planned and unplanned centres.

Full article (FREE public access)