In defence of shopping streets: the public domain

The characteristic quality of Melbourne streets is systematically and dramatically being changed by property developers hell-bent on grabbing the social benefit of those public spaces and privatising them for their own private economic gain. The result is that the public streets are less active, pleasant and safe than they were previously. Observation of other State capitals suggests that it is an Australia wide phenomenon. The demise of the public street is able to occur because of the competitiveness of new alternative shopping forms compared to streets. However, the public domain of the shopping streets has commonly been decimated in the process of developing the new shopping forms which makes the private domain so much more attractive: 'the oasis is all the more appealing because it is surrounded by desert'. The demise of the public street is also able to occur because of the mismanagement of the streets themselves by the public authorities. Planning authorities have been slow to learn from their competitors, the new shopping forms, and have failed to initiate regulations and design changes to improve the competitiveness of the shopping street. It is intolerable that the shopping streets of our major cities have been allowed to deteriorate to the point that they have. Further deterioration should be prevented from occurring in the future. We need to reassess our values about shopping streets, the public domain, before they vanish forever, leaving only private shopping spaces in their place. The paper analyses the new shopping forms, their implications for Australian cities and how traditional streets can learn from them and be more competitive.

• Authors:
  • Flannigan, N
• Publication Date: 1991-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 33-51
• Serial:
  • Urban Futures
  • Volume: 1
  • Issue Number: 2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Land use planning; Pedestrian areas; Shopping centers; Sociology; Urban highways
• ATRI Terms: Land use; Pedestrian precinct; Shopping centre; Sociology; Urban road
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01408543
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 24 2012 12:59AM