Urban leisure and transport: Regeneration effects

The revival of leisure development in town centres and the growth of city tourism has provided a challenge for developers, operators and local authorities alike. The rationale for town-centre as opposed to out-of-town facilities is based on environmental and access/equity arguments – reducing reliance on private car usage and ownership, and locating mixed-use leisure and related facilities closer to consumers and residents. The relationship between public transport, leisure activity and urban regeneration is, however, generally underappreciated and understated, as is the phenomenon of urban tourism itself, despite the fact that in volume terms it is one of the largest elements in tourism activity in the UK. This paper discusses this relationship, with a review of leisure development, including integrated transport gateway and cultural flagship projects in European cities. The case of the Jubilee Line Extension of the London Underground is then analysed in terms of the effects that new public transport is having on visitor activity and leisure property development within an east/south-east London regeneration corridor.