Planning for Town Centre “Smart-Decline”/“Rightsizing”: A New Lens for Strategy Development and Research?

Consistent with ideas of urban shrinkage, many town centres have experienced years increasing vacancy due to the loss brand name retailers, and a crisis has emerged as conditions deteriorated. This paper makes conceptual practical linkages related “smart-decline”/“rightsizing” literature provide insights regarding challenges centre shrinkage strategies governance structures required realise opportunities arising. These conceptions/ideas are applied through case study analysis, findings suggesting that adopting concepts/ideas provides an important new lens for future research.