Samma fönster, nya mönster : Levande bottenvåningar i förändring, 2009–2026

Sammanfattning

Active frontages are highlighted in contemporary Swedish urban planning as important for urban life and perceived safety. However, current trends in retail have put pressure on the active ground floors of inner cities and have been described as contributing to the decline of brick-and-mortar stores. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a clear picture of how changes in active ground floors have unfolded over time. The study used Google Street View to survey active ground floors 2009–2011, which were then compared with current data. The results show that retail has declined by nearly 40 percent in large Swedish inner cities, and that services such as hair salons and repair shops have instead increased in number. To some extent, businesses focused on food and beverage service have also increased. No significant increase in vacant premises was noted in the study. Using space syntax, the streets included in the study were analyzed in terms of their centrality and the frequency of businesses. No correlation between these factors could be demonstrated.