Shifting Spaces of Consumption: An Institutional Analysis Of Retail Policy And Development In Northwest Europe
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Date
1999
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AESOP
Abstract
One of the most socially important, yet often neglected, aspects of spatial behavior regards how and where goods are obtained. Shopping, be it for everyday items such as milk or bread or durable items such as washing machines or stereo systems, constitutes a major activity which is clearly linked to the existing physical structure. It is widely accepted that changes in individual shopping habits can create new traffic patterns and even alter social and cultural relationships (Zutkin, 1998; Miller et al, 1998). Furthermore, the ramifications of major shifts in the retail structure, the establishment of a large out-of-town regional center for example, can have profound effects on the viability and vitality of town centers (DETR, 1998) and can place the consumer choice of less-mobile segments of the population at a disadvantage.
Since the retail market has generally proved swift in reacting to consumer demand, it has generally been thought to function well, and thus require comparatively little guidance from the public sector (Davies, 1995). Regulation, when it does occur, usually takes the form of rules regarding opening hours, distribution, antitrust laws, and more importantly, land-use planning. The latter offers a particularly wide range of indirect and direct mechanisms to control the retail sector, from transportation and environmental policies which tend to favor certain types of development, to conscious promotion of inner cities through urban renewal programs and zoning ordinances. Despite its potential, however, little continues to be written about public sector retail planning policy. This is confirmed by the virtual studied neglect within the spatial planning literature: despite its uncontested importance to the fabric of the urban environment, planning textbooks often fail to devote a chapter or even a section to retail issues (Cullingworth, 1997). In fact, barring a few exceptions (Davies, 1996; Guy, 1994), little has been heard from academic circles in this regard. This paper seeks to partially redress this deficiency by examining the mechanisms and ideologies underlying retail development policy in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK.
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Book of abstracts : AESOP PhD workshop 1999, Finse, Depertment of Geography Univeristy of Bergen, Norway
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CC-BY