Town centre management (TCM): a case study of Achmore

Abstract

Town centre vitality and viability is of importance to a range of stakeholders: users, producers and intermediaries. Within the stakeholder grouping of intermediaries, town centre management (TCM) is a co‐ordinated response – of public and private sectors – through which the town centre “product” can be managed and developed. Utilising evidence from a range of Scottish town centres, this case study illustrates the contextual issues – at both micro and macro‐levels – that TCM operated under. Initially, the formative stages of strategy formulation and development are outlined followed by a review of the first three years. In particular, infrastructural issues, funding sources, TCM marketing and management structures are focused upon. Finally, initial progress is reviewed against the original plan and a number of emergent issues – widening funding sources and increasing the scope of marketing – are prioritised for the second stage of TCM.