Clr Yarwood wrote:Mainstreet National Conference
I was lucky enough to attend the National Mainstreet Conference in Fremantle last week; here are some critical issues for the future of our mainstreets:
Back to the Future - The move towards localised communities and away from big box shopping centres is gaining momentum.
Support the rise of authenticity and diversity - All over Great Britan local businesses are being pushed out by retail franchises that result in the cloning of mainstreets. We need to support small business that keep dollars local.
“Business Improvement Districts” – are needed to coordinate mainstreet planning, marketing, cleaning and more to compete with shopping centres.
Mainstreet 2011 – 8 Adelaide councils will work together to bring 400 national and international experts to Adelaide – watch this space!
It's great that this issue is getting some attention in Australia. Mainstreet is vital! I had never thought about it too much before coming to the US, but living here has shocked me out of my ignorance (and it sounds like things are pretty bad in the UK too).
In America, they are spending a lot of time talking about the effect that the financial meltdown on Wall Street is having on "mainstreet" (due to credit drying up for small business). But really, it looks to me like Wall Street was already hurting mainstreet long before the financial crisis started - Wall Street financed corporations taking over just about any retail opportunity you can name. Stockholders need to see constant growth, resulting in these chains mushrooming all over the US. They dominate the market by having lots of outlets and cover practically every need. Thus, categories of small business that we enjoy in Australia are quite uncommon here (for example, butchers, newsagents, bakeries, greengrocers, florists, delis).
In my opinion, America has lost a great deal of its character and diversity due to misguided, over-the-top "growth". Though a beautiful country, it seems a shadow of what it could be, or maybe of what it once was. I've driven through loads of states and finding a "real" town is a cause for excitement amongst the big-box/strip mall/regional mall, fast food, chain restaurant, carpark landscapes that dominate too many American towns.
It's imperative that Australia learn from the lessons playing out in US and UK. We need to do all we can to support our small businesses and mainstreets. Many people in America are waking up to the mistakes made (especially in the face of the GFC, which seems to be putting the spotlight on business practices of the last few decades). But I'm not sure how they could start to unravel what they have created here, even if they want to.
In Australia, we really must make sure we keep our eyes wide open to the choices we are making (as individuals and as a society). I'm so very glad to hear that there is going to be a mainstreet conference in Adelaide. Let's get talking about this super important issue!
Sorry for ranting, I feel pretty strongly over this subject
