City Talks: Dr Julie Grail, Chris Brown and Rebecca McDonald on the future of the British high street

Many British high streets face a bleak future as policymakers are failing to identify a clear economic focus to city centre regeneration strategies. But contrary to popular belief, our research has shown that not all city centres are failing.

While cities such as Newport and Wigan struggle, others thrive.  

To discuss why this is, Andrew Carter is joined by Dr Julie Grail – Founder of The BIDs Business and Senior Fellow of the Institute of Place Management; Chris Brown – Founder and Executive Chair of Igloo, and Rebecca McDonald – Analyst at the Centre for Cities. 

The panel discusses why retail became such a dominant feature of the high street and compares the role of online retail today with the out-of-town shopping centres of the past.

They look at examples from high streets across the UK, and the latest research by the Centre for Cities into the health of high streets, to develop a sustainable future for the British high street.