Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to document the results and the impact of the ESRC-funded High Street UK 2020 (HSUK2020), a project designed to take the existing academic knowledge relating to retail and high street change directly to UK High Streets, to improve local decision-making and, ultimately, their vitality and viability. Design/methodology/approach-Through a systematic literature review, and by following the tenets of engaged scholarship, the authors identified 201 factors that influence the vitality and viability of town centres. Through the consensus-building Delphi technique, a panel of 20 retail experts identified the top 25 priorities for action. Findings-Taking a place management approach led to the development of a more strategic framework for regeneration, which consisted of repositioning, reinventing, rebranding and restructuring strategies (4R's of regeneration). Collaboration with the project towns resulted in identification of the strategy area that would

Town centre management (TCM) has evolved considerably over the last 25 years in terms of both its purpose and methods. Whilst most reviews of TCM to date have focused on its development within the Anglo-Saxon world (typically North America and the United Kingdom), comparatively little attention has been given to other models of place and town centre management that have emerged across Europe. This paper seeks to redress the balance by exploring the relevance of other models from a number of European countries, which were researched using a case study approach and conceptualised within a framework which seeks to classify TCM schemes by their funding sources and structural formality. It is argued that, despite their lower budgets or lack of formal recognition, other models of TCM such as informal place management schemes or hybrids of formal and informal TCM schemes can often be just as effective in delivering positive outcomes for urban communities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the development and current position of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the UK, drawing on the content within a State-of-the-Art Review of Business Improvement Districts in the UK: setting the agenda for policy, practice and research, commissioned by The BID Foundation and produced by members of the Institute of Place Management. Design/methodology/approach The paper is divided into seven main sections. The first section defines the concept of BIDs, outlines their process of establishment and provides a brief critique of BIDs from the academic literature. Second, the process of introducing BIDs into the UK is discussed. Third, the different types of BIDs that currently exist are detailed. The fourth section outlines the development of BIDs since their introduction in 2004. Fifth, an analysis of BID ballots is provided, involving details of ballot results, demonstrating a general improvement as BIDs develop over time. The sixth section comprises a discussion of unsuccessful ballots and BID terminations. The paper concludes with a brief analysis of issues BIDs face in the UK, looking into the future. Findings The paper contains three main empirical contributions: first, a numerical analysis of the different types of BIDs in the UK; second, a timeline of their development from 2005 to 2018; and third, a statistical analysis of BID ballot results over this period, with an indication of the numbers of unsuccessful ballots and BID terminations. Originality/value This paper provides the first comprehensive overview of BIDs in the UK detailing development and performance (e.g. ballot results) in the 15 years since their introduction.

and UK) met in Berlin to participate in an intensive programme of lectures, visits and discussions. The idea behind this format, one of the educational courses of the IPM, is to offer new insights, but also to facilitate knowledge exchange between members. It is one of the guiding principles of the Institute that we investigate challenges and provide answers in the specificity of place and support people in places. Consequently, a series of visits were arranged to explore not just the management of different areas of Berlin, but also different types and approaches to place management.

2015),"Place branding: are we wasting our time? Report of an AMA special session", Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:573577 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this short article is to outline a research agenda to further our understanding of how retail areas are influenced by, and adapt to, change. This is part of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project High Street UK 2020. Design/methodology/approach -We outline a research agenda -containing factors which High Street stakeholders in Alsager, Altrincham, Ballymena, Barnsley, Bristol, Congleton, Holmfirth, Market Rasen, Morley and Wrexham have identified as influencing the vitality and viability of their retail areas. Currently, there is little or no academic evidence available to support these factors; therefore, they are worthy of further research. Findings -The towns assert that the following factors influence High Street performance (either positively or negatively) and need further research: business support; engagement and engaged businesses; fragmentation; information; Internet connectivity; local knowledge; measuring economic impact/value; media coverage; networking; public sector dependency and risk aversion. Research limitations/implications -Only 10 towns have taken part in the research. Nevertheless, they are representative of the research-user community for retail centre research. Practical implications -This research agenda will enable researchers to respond to a clear gap in our knowledge about High Street performance, as identified by towns themselves. Social implications -By undertaking the research that people that manage retail areas need, it will enable practitioners to make better informed decisions and manage these important areas more effectively to the benefit of their local communities. Originality/value -By allowing town centre managers, traders, council members/officials and "concerned citizens" to set the agenda for research production in the area of retail centre change, we anticipate forthcoming research in this area will be more highly valued by practitioners and have more impact in "the real world". Paper type ViewpointWhe...

Changing places; placing change In this first issue of 2016, the Journal of Place Management and Development (JPMD) is entering into its ninth year of publication. With this, there are some significant and ongoing changes to the journal that warrant articulation here. It is helpful to consider these under the following headings: journal ranking, editorial board, journal scope and mission and journal content. Following this, we will move to focus attention on the content of the current issue. Journal ranking JPMD is a relatively new journal in a niche, but growing, area of academic inquiry. Building up a reputational head of steam for such a recent entrant to the sea of scholarly titles in the social sciences was always going to be challenging. That said, over its short lifespan, JPMD has already made an impact in this respect. In 2014, we were delighted to see that the journal rose into the top quartile of the Scimago academic journal rankings for the discipline areas of urban studies, geography, planning and development and business and international management, with a journal impact factor of 0.66 (see, www. scimagojr.com). Undoubtedly, one of the reasons for this strong showing is the fact the JPMD articles are cited in higher ranked journals in these disciplines, such as Environment and Planning A and Cities. This emphasises the impact JPMD is having on wider academic thinking about place and space across the social sciences. Building on growing impact and visibility of the journal, the editorial management team is currently making a case to the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) for inclusion of JPMD in the next CABS Journal Quality Guide, scheduled for release in 2018. We are aiming to enter this list with a 2-star rating, and an ambition to increase this to a 3-star rating by 2025. However, such an aspiration will undoubtedly require a continuation of the upward trend in the volume of submissions to JPMD. These submissions must be academically rigorous in their theoretical and empirical execution and have real relevance for practitioners working in the field of place management. Growing the reputation of the journal may also require other changes down the line, such as the move to a triple-blind review system for academic research papers, more issues per year and a higher paper rejection rate. Currently, however, there are no plans to make any immediate changes in this regard. Editorial board There have been some changes to the editorial structure of JPMD over 2015. The most notable developments are the appointment of Professor Dominic Medway as Academic Editor, taking over from Dr John Byrom, and the appointment of Dr Cecilia Pasquinelli as Associate Editor. Professor Cathy Parker continues in the role of Editor-in-Chief. All of these individuals have an excellent track record of publishing well-cited work about various aspects of place management and development in highly ranked academic journals. This should hopefully deliver the collective expertise and understanding to help elevate the a...

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