Shopping centre meets traffic model : forecasting shopping flows and optimising access, Traffic models and shopping flow research have always been two different worlds. ´Hard´ traffic data (flows) are seldom combined with ´soft´ consumer data (shopping flows). Planners would however like to make the best possible prediction of the economic and traffic impact of a new or redeveloped shopping centre. The question arises: could shopping flow data and traffic flow data be combined with future developments in such a way that a reliable quantitative base comes out to help realise the best possible location, size, lay-out and accessibility of a shopping centre ? Goudappel Coffeng Urban Economics certainly thinks so with its shopping flow forecast model ´KSPM´. Two examples illustrate the possible applications of this model. In a project in Almere Centre shopping flows were forecast, pedestrian flows charted and graphic views generated of the levels of crowdedness and pedestrian density. A study in the Utrecht region revealed the effects of planned retail expansion on the regional shopping flows and the functioning of intra-city shopping centres. The KSPM model seems a useful and practical tool in shopping centre planning and accessibility. (Author/publisher)
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