Starter You have one minute to - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Starter You have one minute to memorise the names of these high street stores shown on the next slide. During that time you must not write anything down.

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3. Starter How many of the high street outlets could you identify? Write a list of the ones you can remember.Looking again at the photographs, what evidence is there to suggest that the stores haven’t always been there ?What positive or negative associations do you have with the types of store shown in the photographs ?

4. Clone towns Objectives:To investigate whether the forces of global capitalism have led to the “globalisation of places”, resulting in settlements becoming “clone towns”Key questions:What are clone towns and why do they exist?Does it matter if places become “clone towns”?Is the city of York a clone town?Key words/concepts: localisation placelessnessglobalisationclone town

5. What is a clone town ?A term used to describe urban retail areas dominated by national and international chain stores, thereby resulting in places losing their unique identities.

6. What reasons are behind the so-called “clone town” phenomenon?In pairs or threes, read the nine statements and then decide on the most influential reasons behind the perceived growth of the clone town phenomenon. Once you have debated the significance of each possible reason, agree on an order of importance. You could cut out and arrange your cards as a diamond nine. If you think of any alternative reasons, write them out and substitute for any of the cards you believe to be less important.

7. To what extent is York a clone town?The context:York is a city with a population of 198051 (2011 Census). Although surveys of clone towns have been carried out on towns and cities with populations up to 150000, York is a viable city for study because:It is a compact city, with one main central shopping zone.It has a historic centre, therefore should have distinct land-use and sense of uniqueness. It is a comparable city to Exeter and Cambridge, voted the top two clone towns in the UK. Although they have slightly smaller populations they have similar functions and urban centres.

8. The ‘Clone Town Britain’ surveyDesigned by New Economics Foundation, an independent think tank based in London.Towns and cities of populations 5000–150000 surveyed. York’s is 198051 but it’s central retail area is comparable with other study areas included in the survey such as Exeter, which is the highest ranking clone town in the UK (so far). Surveys carried out of 50 shops in a transect within main retail areas (e.g. high street).

9. The study areaKey: 1 = St Helen’s Square 2 = Davygate 3 = Coney Street 4 = New Street 5 = Parliament Street 6 = Feasgate 7 = Market Street 8 = Spurrier Gate 9 = Peter Lane10 = High OusegateYork’s central retail area.Ten streets were selected, constituting the central retail area of York. In total, 132 shops are located in the central retail area. Although the clone town surveys have been carried out on 50 shops, a larger survey of 132 shops will produce comparable results due to the formula used. The result should be even more statistically significant.

10. How to do the surveyUsing the information from the street survey of York, follow the instructions to calculate whether York is a clone town, border town or home town. The number from 5–60 indicates the extent to which it is a clone town.51015202530354045505560Clone TownBorder TownHome Town

11. Analysis of the surveyAccording to the survey, is York a clone town?What implications (if any) do the findings have on York’s ‘sense of place’ and ‘uniqueness’?Does the data reveal any patterns in terms of: a. Location of chain/independent shops. b. Retail functions (e.g. clustering of certain types of shops). Diversity of land-use (e.g. do some streets have more types of shop than other streets?). Examine the shops classified as being independent rather than chain. Do you think it is the case that independent shops represent more diversity/uniqueness than chain stores?Is it fair to only use the results of the clone town survey to determine whether York is a clone or a home town? What other factors shape York’s identity? (To help with this question, complete the photo analysis exercise on the next slide.)

12. Complete the photo analysis of the two locations from the survey, using the questions below. Are there more factors involved in being a clone town than retail functions ?Location 1: St Helen’s Square Location 5: Parliament SquareSense of placeHow would you feel in this space? (stimulated, excited, interested etc.)The spirit of the placeDoes the space have a special ‘feel’?Does the space have ‘personality’?The setting of the placeDoes the space have identity? (history/heritage etc.)How would you describe the physical features of the space?(architecture, landscape etc.)How would you describe the social aspects of the space? (things to do, areas to socialise etc.)

13. Read these opinions about clone towns. To what extent do you agree/disagree?Chain stores have resulted in places becoming more bland and indistinct.Globalisation means there is nothing that can be done to stop places becoming more homogenised (similar), therefore it is inevitable that they will become clone towns.The survey of York proves that even places regarded as distinctive, with a wealth of history are in danger of becoming like everywhere else.The ‘placelessness’ of the high street reflects a deeper cultural uniformity, dominated by large corporations that influence every part of our lives.

14. Conclusions: Does York need to take action in response to being classified a clone town?There are many opinions expressed about how towns and cities should respond to becoming clone towns. There is some fear that people experience a sense of ‘placelessness’ in their home town due to the same types of shop dominating the high street, and that the answer is a move towards ‘localisation’, with policies designed to promote local, independent shops and businesses.

15. Conclusions: Does York need to take action in response to being classified a clone town?Debate any of the following suggestions/proposals, designed to overcome the issue of places becoming clone towns: Limit the size of new stores so that smaller independent shops can occupy them.Have a dedicated tax placed only on chain stores.Introduce legislation to protect locally owned stores, for example by insisting that local stores are automatically included in plans for new retail development. Offer reduced rents for independent businesses, in recognition of their importance to the local economy.Restrict “formula” businesses which, regardless of their size, offer services/products/methods of operation that are virtually identical to other similar businesses (e.g. familiar décor, uniforms etc.).Introduce a local currency which can only be used in local, independent shops.

16. Examination style questionsDiscuss the extent to which globalisation has affected the character of places. (6)Figure 1Street: St Helen’s SquareName of storeCategoryIndependent store or chain storeHarkers pubPub/barIndependent store Carluccio’s Italian RestaurantRestaurant Independent store Marchbrae ClothesChain storeEdinburgh Woollen MillClothesChain storeThe World Tour of YorkTravel agentsIndependent store Betty’s Café Tea RoomsRestaurantIndependent storeThe IvyRestaurantChain storeYork clone town score = 13.8 Assess the usefulness of the information shown in figure 1 and 2 in helping to determine the extent to which places are becoming clone towns. (6)Figure 2 – photograph of St Helen’s Square51015202530354045505560Clone TownBorder TownHome Town

17. Mark scheme1. Assess the extent to which globalisation has affected the character of places. (6)AO1 – Knowledge and understanding of the globalisation of places.AO2- Application of knowledge and understanding to analyse the link between the process of globalisation and the character of places. AO1 = 2AO2 = 4Level 2 (4-6 marks).AO1 – Demonstrates clear knowledge and understanding of concepts, processes, interactions and change.AO2 – Applies knowledge and understanding appropriately. Connections and links between different aspects of study are clearly established. Evaluation is evident (“assess the extent”) with some appropriate evidence. Clear arguments are presented. Level 1 (1–3 marks).AO1 – Demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of concepts, processes, interactions and change.AO2 – Applies limited knowledge and understanding. Connections and links between different aspects of study are basic with limited relevance. Evaluation and analysis is basic.

18. Mark scheme2. Assess the usefulness of the information shown in figure 1 and 2 in helping to determine the extent to which places are becoming clone towns. (6)AO1- Knowledge and understanding of the quantitative data used in figure 1 and the qualitative data used in figure 2 can be used to investigate characteristics of a place (in this case the extent to which a place can be labelled a “clone town”).AO2- Application of knowledge and understanding to this specific place. Analysis and evaluation of the usefulness of the quantitative and qualitative data in determining the characteristics of a local place.AO1 = 2AO2 = 4Level 2 (4-6 marks)AO1 – Demonstrates clear knowledge and understanding of concepts, processes, interactions and change.AO2 – Applies knowledge and understanding appropriately. Connections and links between different aspects of study are clearly established. Evaluation is evident (“assess the usefulness”) with some appropriate evidence. Clear arguments are presented. Level 1 (1–3 marks)AO1 - Demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of concepts, processes, interactions and change.AO2 - Applies limited knowledge and understanding. Connections and links between different aspects of study are basic with limited relevance. Evaluation and analysis is basic.

19. Further reading/researchConduct a clone town survey of your local place and report on the extent to which it’s “sense of place” is being eroded. Read the ‘Clone Town Britain’ report by the new economics foundation (nef). b.3cdn.net/nefoundation/1733ceec8041a9de5e_ubm6b6t6i.pdfSummarise and then evaluate the findings of the report. Apply the findings to places like York and/or those in your local area.