【摘要】
The news that four out of 10 shops will have to shut in the next five years, casting further doubt on the future of the beleaguered British high street, need not be greeted with dismay.
beleaguered adj. 被围困的；四面楚歌的
dismay n. 灰心；沮丧；惊慌 v. 使沮丧；使惊慌
There is no reason to be downhearted – we should embrace change. This could be very positive. My hope is that the disappearance of large retailers will provide an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to set up in affordable rental shop fronts and market units. I started my first fashion business, Red or Dead, in Camden market and Kensington market 30 years ago, and in many ways today feels like the early 80s and we are seeing a renaissance of a variation of the serendipitous market. In Wembley, north London, shops have closed on the high street and have been turned into multi-business outlets by the Asian community. In Gateshead, there are examples of creative communities getting together and attempting to reuse empty spaces such as the Shed project on Gateshead High Street where, working with the council, they have brought vibrancy back to this area of a town that was sinking fast. It has so successfully transformed a large, former bed retailer (the Bed Shed) that a second Shed will be opening soon.
downhearted adj. 垂头丧气的；无精打采的
shop front 店面；门面
renaissance n. 新生；复活 Renaissance （欧洲14-16世纪）文艺复兴
But for any new-style high street to work requires good town centre planning and the cornerstone of this is common sense. Most of us want places that give us everything we need to fulfil our lives. Give us a town centre where we can live in an affordable home, walk, cycle or take easy public transport to employment, be able to go to the cinema, theatre, gallery, nightclub or gig, kick a ball in a park with our mates or our kids, read a book under a magnolia tree, maybe grow a bit of veg on an allotment, watch a bit of sport, while away the time at a cafe or a bar, shop at cool independent stores. We have to develop places that people want to see and be seen in. Most of us love people watching, get a buzz from other human beings. I don't believe we want to do most of our shopping online, especially as we are spending more and more of our working lives in front of a screen.
Vancouver is a city that has got it right. It boasts a wonderful natural setting but it doesn't rely on its natural beauty for liveability. Its commitment to the "green agenda" and the serendipity of being able to find independent cafes, second-hand vinyl record stores and vintage clothes stores right next to the big brands gives the city an ambience British cities have lost to the land value greed exerted by pension-fund landlords and short-sighted councils.
serendipity n. 意外新发现
vinyl record 黑胶唱片
vintage clothes 复古的衣裳
ambience n. 气氛，布景
exert v. 运用；发挥；施以影响
Closer to home, Copenhagen has ensured it hasn't drifted towards the "clone town" status bestowed upon most indistinguishable British towns and cities. There are streets full of quirky start-up businesses next to chain stores and it has employed urban designers such as Jan Gehl to ensure the city is a joy to walk around and cars are relegated to fourth place behind walking, cycling (what a great cycling infrastructure they have established) and public transport.
drift to 转向
quirky adj. 古怪的；离奇的
But we can't always wait for government to deliver the infrastructure. We have to "have a go" ourselves at making small shops work.
Our vision for the new-style high street will be on show at the pop-up high street at our vintage festival at Boughton House, Northampton, this July. The vintage high street is a place to promenade, shop, watch street artists, eat and drink and just sit and take in the magic of the high street, with the authenticity of a film set, in the middle of a wonderful landscape. But for our visions to become a reality in our towns and cities, we the consumers will have to frequent the galleries, cafes and new independent stores that rise out of the ashes of the tired old retail chains.
Question time:
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