The US Urban Land Institute's ten principles for reinventing suburban business districts.

In response to the need to modernise and to counteract the impact of the relocation of existing retailers into the new County Mall, the Borough Council published a town centre regeneration strategy.

Large shops are a fact of life and they can be difficult to accommodate in urban areas.

The contraction of heavy industry on which parts of Britain and Southern Belgium once depended have brought similar problems to their towns.

The demise of the Greater London Council led to the formation of Coin Street Community Builders.

Canterbury has been particularly successful in diversifying its economy through new universities and tourism. .

Suburban centres have often suffered from losing trade to larger towns and out-of-town centres, but Eastleigh, a 'railway suburb', provides a much more positive model. .

One of the best examples in the South East is Reading, which once had a very negative image..

During the mid 1990s, Bristol City Council recognised that the prosperity of its centre was vital to the well-being of Bristol as a whole.

In Hulme, the development of Homes for Change, a block of 50 flats around a courtyard, has provided considerable inspiration for new forms of urban housing .

An annual Retail Monitor has been produced to assist potential investors, researchers and retailers interested in the town.

A Conservation Area Town Scheme has been established and grants were used encouraging projects to develop living and working areas in the heart of the town .

Farnham pioneered a Building Preservation Trust to restore old buildings.

Better developments can be secured by issuing development briefs for key sites rather than just reacting to planning applications.

Reigate is one of a number of towns to take advantage of the growth in the ‘evening economy’.

Consultation following a review by the Commission for New Towns revealed a desire to see smaller, independent units, small squares and open spaces, and a usable public realm with more variety emerged as repeated themes..

A survey on crime undertaken by the Forum of Private Businesses in Norwich City Centre highlighted many of the concerns felt by those running businesses in a busy centre.

A major problem for most industrial towns Is keeping the centre alive at night, and also tackling the problem of vacant property on the edges.

The local authority recognised that the centre faced a series of challenges, including traffic, servicing, lack of parking and modern retail units, as the well as threats from out of town.

The city has successfully promoted the Cultural Industries Quarter, in an area that had lost most of its industry.