The Vitality and Viability of Town Centres

Following growing concerns about the future of many town centres in the UK, this paper considers the factors that contribute to measuring and understanding their continuing health. Recognising that past studies have tended to concentrate on measures of relative performance between towns, the paper presents a methodology for analysis at the micro level, distinguishing between both the relative and the absolute performance of different areas within individual town centres. Using the key indicators of town centre viability and vitality, as outlined in recent government planning guidance, the paper uses case-study data to develop a time-series model for tracking changes in the health of different areas of a town centre. Although the predictive capability of this model is currently limited by the lack of suitable data, the paper shows that relatively simple measures of vitality and viability can be useful tools in understanding the changing dynamics of the health of town centres.