Comment on How can we revitalise the high street?
Swaus01@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
My ideas:
- Remove the numerous money laundering fronts
- accept the fact that lots of shopping is done online now, and there will be some decline in the number of stores to reflect this.
- This might lead to sites which used to be shops becoming houses, which has already happened when supermarkets and commuting hypermarket started to replace local grocery stores.
- introduce parcel lockers near
- Have non for profit organisations, like charity shops, libraries, small (donation-funded) art galleries, or other third spaces
- Pocket parks encourage people to actually visit and be present in that neighbourhood rather than just drive through.
- ideally remove physical betting houses on highstreets, because it’s a direct drain on people’s disposable income, which would otherwise go towards local stores. Also, online gambling exists now.
Where I live (in Sheffield) actually ticks a lot of these boxes, and seems to be benefiting from it. I go to other parts of the city or the wider country and when they aren’t doing these things they’re visibly suffering
withabeard@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
Have places in town that people want to go to, for things they can’t get online.
I don’t want a TV shop in town, how the fuck do I get a TV home anyway? Carry my new TV through the high street? I might want to see a few TVs in a large store outside town, but TBH all TVs now are a thin black rectangle and some software. So I can research the software online.
I want a good cafe, different types of pub, arcade cabinets. Experiences that I can’t get in my living room. Sitting areas and third spaces as you’ve said. Libraries holding talks/conferences. Local bands, during the day.
Make me want to be in town, don’t tell me I have to “save the highstreet” while bemoaning the shops I don’t want to go into are failing.