The Future of the City Centre: Global Perspectives

288 Pages·2022·3.202 MB·English

by  Bob Giddings, Robert J. Rogerson

THE FUTURE OF THE CITY CENTRE
The Future of the City Centre: Global Perspectives debates future directions. It looks beyond the
post-industrial, post-commercial, and post-retail city centres to examine differing visions of
the future form and function of the urban core. This theme and the related sub-topics will
assist the development of future city models and help to contextualise urban change.
The in-depth research covers not only urban form and the re-use of the built heritage but
also the provision for cultural events and different forms of entertainment that will offer vital-
ity, together with visitors and responsible tourism. City authorities are starting to realise that
structural changes are happening in city centres, as their influence is declining, and therefore
new forms of governance will be needed. The book is based on an international research
network hosting four symposia over 24 months. They took place in four cities in four dif-
ferent continents to encompass a world view of developed and developing countries. This
book offers theoretical and practical perspectives from leading thinkers, academics, and prac-
titioners, drawing on thematic issues explored across four international cities: Newcastle, UK;
Newcastle, Australia; Pretoria-Tshwane, South Africa; and João Pessoa, Brazil. It draws on a
wider set of global examples to reveal the shared issues and pressures being brought to bear on
city centres and the diversity of responses being undertaken to ensure their long-term future.
The book includes illustrations from cities around the world, and it is directed at academ-
ics, students, and professionals in architecture, planning, urban design, the built environment,
geography, economics, sociology, and cultural studies.
Bob Giddings is Professor of Architecture and Urban Design in the Department of
Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
He has extensively researched the city, which included work for his doctorate – Towards the
Urban Restoration of Newcastle upon Tyne. He has since published over 70 papers on archi-
tecture and urbanism and supervised 20 successful PhDs. Bob was the principal investigator
on the Future of the City Centre project. Previously, he was one of the originators and
associate director of the acclaimed Sustainable Cities Research Institute and has been Visiting
Professor at two European university faculties of architecture.
Robert J Rogerson is Academic Director of the Institute for Future Cities at the University
of Strathclyde, UK. Trained as a geographer, he has worked for more than 30 years with and
for communities, seeking to improve their quality of life, making them more sustainable and
resilient, and helping to create more inclusive cities. He was co-investigator on the Future of
the City Centre project and is currently undertaking projects that enhance social connected-
ness. Robert has published extensively on sustainable communities and active citizenship and
works with local authorities globally as well as the UK Foreign Commonwealth and
Development Office to find innovative solutions to urban problems.
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The Future of the City Centre
Global Perspectives
Edited by Bob Giddings and Robert J Rogerson
For more information about this series, please visit https://www.routledge.com/
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THE FUTURE OF THE
CITY CENTRE
Global Perspectives
Edited by Bob Giddings and Robert J Rogerson
Cover image: Joao Pessoa Historic Core towards the River; photo by Geovany Silva
First published 2023
by Routledge
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© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Bob Giddings and Robert J Rogerson;
individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Bob Giddings and Robert J Rogerson to be identified as the
author[/s] of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual
chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Giddings, Bob, 1952- editor. | Rogerson, Robert J., editor.
Title: The future of the city centre : global perspectives / edited by Bob
Giddings and Robert J Rogerson.
Description: First Edition. | New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. | Series:
Routledge studies in urbanism and the city | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022034048 (print) | LCCN 2022034049 (ebook) | ISBN
9780367692735 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367692759 (paperback) | ISBN
9781003141198 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Urban cores. | City planning--Environmental aspects. |
Urban renewal.
Classification: LCC HT131 .F88 2023 (print) | LCC HT131 (ebook) | DDC
307.3/42--dc23/eng/20220831
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022034048
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022034049
ISBN: 978-0-367-69273-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-69275-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-14119-8 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003141198
Typeset in Bembo
by SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Straive)
CONTENTS
Lists of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
Foreword x
List of Contributors xii
Introduction 1
Bob Giddings and Robert J Rogerson
PART I
Introduction 11
1 The City Centre: Its Future Role and Significance 13
Robert J Rogerson and Bob Giddings
2 Managing City Centre Change 27
Robert J Rogerson
PART II
Profiles of the City Centres 45
3 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 47
Bob Giddings, Sepideh Hajisoltani, and James Charlton
4 Newcastle NSW, Australia 65
Marcus Jefferies
vi Contents
5 Pretoria–Tshwane, South Africa 83
Pantaleo D Rwelamila
6 João Pessoa, Brazil 100
Geovany Jessé Alexandre da Silva and Carlos Alejandro Nome
PART III
Shaping the Future of the City Centre 117
7 Image and Visions 119
Jonathan Wallace
8 Public Realm 134
Julian Dobson
9 Social Change 150
Nicola Bacon and Sepideh Hajisoltani
10 Economic Competitiveness 166
Florian Wiedmann, Sabena Thomas and Michael Peterek
11 Multi-level Governance 182
Yingyin Wu and Andrew Lombardi
12 Mobility, Movement, and Access 198
Tom van Vuren
13 Culture and Heritage 214
Sandra Guinand and Robert J Rogerson
14 Innovation and Higher Education 231
Kevin Kane, Robert J Rogerson and Bob Giddings
PART IV
Moving Forward 249
15 Conclusions and Future Scenarios 251
Bob Giddings and Robert J Rogerson
Index 265
FIGURES
2.1 The Extent of the Pittsburgh 2030 District Projects, June 2021 39
3.1 Newcastle City Centre Plan 48
3.2 Grey Street 49
3.3 Metro Lines, Central Newcastle 59
4.1 Newcastle City Centre Plan 66
4.2 Christ Church Cathedral from the Hill Looking North-East towards
Nobbys Lighthouse 67
5.1 Tshwane City Centre Plan 84
5.2 Street Market and Kruger Statue 85
5.3 Tshwane Rapid Transit 94
6.1 São Francisco Church towards the River 101
6.2 João Pessoa City Centre Plan 101
7.1 Piazza del Campo, Siena 124
7.2 Design for a Contemporary Square 125
8.1 Figure-Ground 135
8.2 The Green City Centre 141
8.3 Small-Scale Square 142
9.1 Enghave Square, Copenhagen 160
9.2 La Bodeguita Café Bar now demolished 161
9.3 Sewoon Sangga 162
9.4 City Centre Food Hub Design 162
10.1 Informal Street Trading, India 169
10.2 Recreation and Tourist Spaces in Downtown Manila 175
11.1 Business Improvement Districts as a Transformational Tool 192
12.1 Vying for Space: Traffic Congestion in Kolkata City Centre 199
12.2 Revenue Generated per Day by Different Kerbside Uses 204
viii Figures
12.3 Amsterdam Bicycles 204
13.1 People Lining up to Visit Lello Bookstore, Porto, Portugal 223
13.2 An Example of Space Activation during Dark Winter Evenings, Vienna 224
13.3 Local Community of Porto du Capim, João Pessoa 226
14.1 Glasgow City Innovation District 238
14.2 NUspace, Newcastle University NSW 240
14.3 MetroLab Network 241
14.4 Governance with Academic Leadership 243
TABLES
2.1 Extracts from Newcastle City Business Improvement Area
Deliverables Plan 2020–2021 37
2.2 Districts Reduction Goals 2030 38
3.1 Current Development Areas 50
3.2 Design Criteria for Squares in North West Europe 55
4.1 The Three Hubs 68
11.1 Breakdown of Responsibilities among Subnational
Government Levels 184
12.1 Car Ownership by Income Group, UK, Financial Year
Ending 2018 201
15.1 Responses to Key Urban Design Issues in the City Centres 253