Queen of Shops Saves Britain's High Street

Celebrity retail expert Mary Portas has published her report into the UK's retail sector, telling the Government how to rejuvenate city centres and advocating 'town teams'. In the report there are 28 recommendations on what can be done by government, local authorities and business to help high streets revive. Of course, cultural planners, urban design and niche retail specialists have been arguing for special measures to be taken to revitalize town centres for ages... but that was yesterday and we are not celebrities...

Thinking Culturally About Place

Think Piece in: Place Branding and Public Diplomacy
Vol.3, Number 4, October 2007, ISSN 1751-8040, Palgrave journals.
Franco Bianchini and Lia Ghilardi

Abstract:
This article explains the bases for an alternative approach to place branding and marketing, based on the disciplines of Cultural Mapping and Cultural Planning. After an introduction of key cultural mapping and planning concepts and issues, the article discusses some innovative practical examples of culturally sensitive place branding and marketing from Sweden and the UK, and concludes by outlining some components of a possible future agenda for action.

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