ABSTRACT
Lockdowns were bad enough, but as homeworking persisted after lockdown was lifted, concerns about social distancing remained and restrictions on travel caused tourism to disappear, cities found themselves exposed. Peak retail in Nottingham was 2013. The north/south retail spine between the two centres, from Clumber Street to Bridlesmith Gate, was pedestrianised in the 1970s and its retail footfall increased by 88%. In April 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg became a talisman for the ‘back to the office’ movement. There has been a great deal of speculation since the pandemic that cities will be the places most impacted, that the persistence of homeworking and the trend of people living more remotely will impact city centres to a greater extent than smaller towns and suburban centres. Retailers looking to create a national chain will concentrate on the cities first and those looking to cut back will close their city stores last of all.
