Striving for local distinctiveness in a globalised world

摘要

When towns evolved they took on a unique style and character. Now, globalisation means that it is hard to tell one town from another. The same street furniture appears from San Francisco to Sydney, the same retail chains are represented in virtually every high street, and architects, inspired by innovation in other places, reproduce Barcelona in Barnsley or worse. Heart (Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust) seeks to recapture local distinctiveness and to make special places special again by giving greater emphasis to what made them special originally. Exploiting key attributes of 'place' in Norwich, and working with a range of local stakeholders. Heart has developed two local distinctiveness models: (a) Norwich 12 brings together twelve buildings which chart the history of English urban development over the last 1000 years and creates a collaborative family of cultural heritage destinations; (b) Norwich Lanes builds upon the dual qualities of heritage and independent retailing in a sector of the city to add value in terms of paving, signing, heritage interpretation, art, lighting and other measures, which together enhance the unique qualities of the destination and provide a transferable local distinctiveness pilot. Independent, post-project evaluations demonstrate that a high degree of economic, as well as social, environmental and cultural, benefit has been delivered. The author believes that these are transferable models that can be replicated in other parts of the UK and indeed the world to make special places distinctive and special again.