The seven segments of a 'social town center'

British urbanist Julian Dobson identifies factors that make town centers work socially, as reported by Kaid Benfield:

1. A living town center.  “Town centers need to be promoted as places to live for a wide mix of people.”
2. A learning town center.  This might “combine formal learning accredited by universities and colleges with spaces for informal learning and exchanges of skills.”
3. A greener town center.  “Interest in local growing projects is rising as consumers become more aware of the waste associated with global food distribution systems, and  climate change is likely to increase the need for local food resources and for the relearning of gardening skills.”
4. A creative town centre.  “Creative activities will draw people into urban spaces, generating interaction and business opportunities. Many such activities need temporary, flexible space rather than permanent buildings.”
5. A networked town center.  “The key to a successful center is not the buildings or the retail offer; it is the people.  People attract other people.”
6. Social supply chains.  “Town centers that support networking and creativity make good business sense. There is an opportunity to recreate the kind of networks that enabled market towns to succeed in the past - the personal relationships between suppliers, links between producers and consumers.”
7. Planned fluidity.  Town centers . . . need to be planned for shifting modes of transport, flexible public space, and changes of use that are likely to become more frequent than the planning system currently allows.”