I wonder if anyone in the USA has tested or compared any of the observations made by the new economics foundation (nef) in their Clone Town Britain Survey (2005)? The basic idea: "to determine whether your town is a Clone Town indistinguishable from dozens of others around the country; or a genuine Home Town that is distinctive and recognisable as a unique place."
Tweak it so: take any intersection in any American town or city and put it to the same test -- what makes this section or neighborhood or intersection different from thousands of others around the country?
For the original survey in Britain, one was asked to "walk along the high street" and note "the type of shop" and "whether the shop is independently owned, or a part of a regional, national or international chain." A point system aided in determining how much a place was a Clone Town, a Border Town, or a Home Town.
In the USA, what are the most common chains one will see? Depends on where one lives, works, or stays, I suppose. But here are some things to look for (off the top of my head):
How close is the nearest Starbucks? The nearest locally owned coffee shop or café?
How close is the nearest McDonalds (or fill-in-the-blank)? The nearest locally owned eatery? And so on down the line. . .
Figure out the approximate ratio and you could probably figure things out pretty quickly from there.
Today's Rune: Wholeness.
2 comments:
well, my home town has no MacDonald's, no chain stores at all, one small local grocery, a small fruit stand, a bakery and a chocolate shop, I think we are Home instead of clone.
Erik, I prefer what I call a 'walking town'. It needs to be easily walked around in with a large variety of both chain and other stores. I love funky boutiques much more than a mall structure.
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