Access to Services

Access to Services

1. Case Study - Retail: Retailing in the Manchester Area

   • Changes
     • Supermarkets have spread, varying in size.
     • Smaller-town shops have closed due to internet shopping and the CBD.
     • Specialist ares - e.g. Currymile, Rusholme. Famous for African and Asian food&clothing - Social Inclusion
   • Background to Shopping Centre
     • Attraction from all of North-West - Sphere of Influence.
     • Accessible by motorway, rail & bus.
     • Features chain stores, high status stores & flagship stores.
     • Threshold is huge - enabling them to survive.
   • Distribution
     • Small no. of large CBD's & regional shopping centres in the Mcr. area.
     • High quality shopping; Trafford Centre, Arndale Centre & Mcr. city centre.

2. Challenges to the CBD

   • How does the CBD attract more people?
     • High/multi-storey buildings
     • Department Stores & Specialist Shops
     • Shopping Centres
     • Cultural/historical buildings
     • Business - Offices, Finance, Banks, Administration, Town-Hall
     • Good Public Transport Links
     • Far more accessible than 'light manufacturing'
   • What has changed the shopping patterns in the UK?
     • Neighbour-hood shopping parades & corner shops have disappeared, but increase in public transport, supermarkets & out of town shopping centres.

3. Shopping Hierarchy

   • CBD -Central Business District
     • Commercial&Geographical heart of the city - Referred to as the 'city centre'.
   • Out of town shopping centres
     • Usually large shopping facilities with well-known brands, located away from housing but with good public transport & motorway links.
   • Suburban Parades
     • Local 'streets or arcades' with a few shops, usually convenience goods and sometimes featuring a coffee shop, chemist & 1/2 retailers etc.
   • Corner Shops
     • Small, local shops located in villages where your able to buy convenience goods.
   • Shops are placed into a hierarchy based on the services they provide. At the bottom there are convenience stores selling low order, convenience goods and at the top are the comparison stores, selling comparison goods.

4. Case Study - Non-Retail: Leisure in Eastlands, Manchester

   • Development
     • Built to host Commonwealth Games - 2002.
     • Home of MCFC
     • Sporting Hub
     • Velodrome, BMX Track, Squash Centre, Athletics Facilities, Tennis Courts
     • Regeneration of Brownfield site began in 2000.
     • Promoted by Government
     • 38 Acres
     • Sportcity Visitor Centre opened in 2005
     • New-Housing is included
   • Access to all
     • Parking at walking distance
     • Disabled Access
     • All ages catered for
     • Families welcome
     • ETIHAD
     • Velodrome with training sessions for all
     • Public-Transport; Metrolink, Buses, Trains
     • Cycle/Foot-paths
     • Paralympics
   • Was it a Success?
     • 60% Residents = Success
     • 68% were Happy
     • Unemployment was 15% now 6%
     • 400 Events, per year

5. Key Terms

   • Convenience Goods
     • Regular shopping items. (e.g.Bread & Milk)
   • Chain Store
     • A series of shops owned by one firm and selling the same goods.
   • Comparison Goods
     • Shopping items brought less regularly. (e.g.Washing Machine & TV's).
   • Catchment Area
     • Area which a shop attracts it's customers.
   • Threshold
     • Number of customers needed before a shop/service becomes worthwhile.

6. Urban Services

   • Does everyone have equal access?
     • Larger cities e.g.Barcelona, have a wider range than those living in the countryside. Some people do not have the same access, this is because these services are not distributed evenly - resulting in central districts having better access than the suburbs. Also, some are more expensive than others - meaning that some canot afford them.
   • What are they?
     • Advantages of living in large Urban Area's where you can gain access to range of services. Examples include:
       • Leisure & Sports Facilities
       • Cultural Venues - Museums, Theatres etc. & Places of Worship
       • Health Services inc.NHS
       • Schools, Colleges, Universities
       • Specialist Shops - Travel-agents & Solicitors
       • Public Transport

Images and files in the map