Category Archives: Relationships

East Kilbride and the Forth Road Bridge

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

Yes, I was a geographer, and I am fully aware that the Forth Road Bridge does not go through East Kilbride!  Most recently of course the Forth Road Bridge has not been connecting anything or anywhere.  Without belittling the impact … Continue reading →

Posted in BIDS, Can Do Towns, Carnegie UK Trust, Closure, Consumer Choice, East Kilbride, Fife, Forth Road Bridge, Local Retailers, New Towns, Places, Relationships, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Towns | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marks and Sparks

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

In the dim and distant past, when I first arrived at the University of Stirling, I was one of number of research follows and assistants involved in establishing the Institute for Retail Studies under the leadership of John Dawson. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiential, Loyalty, Loyalty Schemes, Marks and Spencer, Membership, Relationships, Sparks, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Making Things Happen in Towns

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

In retrospect it was a shame that the first Scotland’s Towns Partnership Roadshow was held in Galashiels earlier this week. Not of course, because it was Galashiels, but rather because the re-opening of the Borders Railway is still a few … Continue reading →

Posted in BIDS, Charrettes, Community, Development Trusts, Places, Regeneration, Relationships, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centres, Towns, Towns Typology, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Retail Thought Leadership

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

Regular readers of this blog will know about the work we do with the Local Data Company (LDC). As a University we are not alone in this. A couple of weeks ago I attended the LDC/CDRC Retail Thought Leadership event … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Data, Education, ESRC, Local Data Company, PhD, Relationships, Retailers, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Understanding Scottish Places: O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us to see oursels as ithers see us

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

Scotland is a country of towns; more than 55% of the Scottish population lives in towns and they are a distinctive feature of the country through their townscapes, functions and activities. But as we have said often over the last … Continue reading →

Posted in High Streets, Networks, Places, Relationships, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Towns Typology, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments