General Public And Retail/Shopping Centres

In recent years, shopping centres in Germany have largely been developed at inner-city locations. This return from detached greenfield sites to town centres is to be welcomed in terms of urban development and sustainability. However, positive interaction can only result for all the actors and the complex urban structure if the shopping centres can be integrated such that the cityís attractiveness is maintained or even enhanced and synergies are produced. The theoretical examination and subsequent case study in the interdisciplinary paper mainly tackle issues regarding the attractiveness of cities and how it can be influenced from the angle of different actors along with factors determining the development of shopping centres within existing structures. Findings were obtained from primary surveys. A representative survey among local authorities clearly reveals that local authority representatives have a surprisingly positive opinion of the benefits of town-centre shopping centres. Project developers, operators and investors are three groups of actors who all report that integrative aspects (functional, architectural and urban space) are increasingly being given priority in development and construction. These basic findings are both confirmed and refuted by the case study. Furthermore, a transferable method of assessment is derived to examine the impact of town-centre shopping centres. The modules used (quality criteria/set of indicators, a public and expert survey, analysis of aerial photographs, and the evaluation of press reports) and their application are explained.