I know a number of #highstreet placemaking colleagues are working with an arcade as part of their town or city centre project…
…maybe influenced by its attractiveness as a destination, its #heritage status, the size of its units making it an ideal home for indie #retail and #hospitality, the roof which allows it to be a space for events, activity, performance, outside seating & more.
So it was really insightful on this week’s out & about in Blaenau Gwent to see the transformation being worked by the council team on The Arcade, Abertillery.
A major paint refresh done, smart & informative vinyling reflecting its history and the chance to rent, new collective shop signage to come, and plans to bring one or two of its empty units back into play by offering pop up shop opportunities, as part of our wider #TheVacantShopsAcademy tackling vacancy approach in the town centre.
It looks great and feels sure to have an impact on building momentum in the neighbouring streets.
It’d be interesting to hear from other places where an arcade initiative is at the heart of things.
Over to you…
