The international group BNP Paribas, in collaboration with data provider Locatus, has published its second pan-European study on pedestrian frequency after 2017. The number of pedestrians in a total of 130 main shopping streets in 34 major European cities was analyzed, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Prague and Rome as well as Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich in German-speaking countries.
If one looks at the top 40 shopping streets of the 34 European metropolises examined, German cities score extremely well in terms of pedestrian frequency in the city center. Here Cologne takes first place in the ranking, followed by London, Munich and Frankfurt in third and fourth place. In cities such as Brussels and Vienna, further car-free zones will be created as part of the new traffic concepts and streets will be designated as pedestrian zones, which will help improve the shopping experience.
London, Madrid, Milan and Paris lead the way across Europe
The five most important European shopping streets are, however, with London (Oxford Street), Madrid (Gran Vía), London (Regent Street), Milan (Corso Vittorio) and Paris (Champs-Elysées) in metropolises in Great Britain, Spain, Italy and France, who see themselves as resistant and with a good number of passers-by even in times of the pandemic.
“As a tourist hotspot, Barcelona is still represented in the top 10 most important shopping streets in Europe, but compared to 2017 it is losing ground to Madrid. Rome is also seeing a gradual recovery in tourism. In Belgium, the Meir shopping street in Antwerp continues to top the ranking in terms of pedestrian numbers, followed by Rue Neuve in Brussels. Manchester (22) and Bilbao (24) also take good places in the ranking, which is due to their high regional appeal, ”summarizes the“ Footfall Study 2021 ”.
Munich dominates the luxury segment; Düsseldorf and Vienna in the premium area
In the luxury segment, the top 3 have remained unchanged compared to the first study in 2017: The luxury shopping streets in London, Paris and Barcelona continue to occupy the top positions. Munich follows in fourth place with Theatinerstrasse, which has become more and more exclusive over the past four years. The various shopping streets in Copenhagen are again among the top spots and are the most important in the Nordics region. Düsseldorf, Rome and Vienna dominate the premium segment.
Mixed use in city centers on the advance
Mixed-use projects are becoming the norm across Europe: “Cities support this development as they strive to upgrade inner cities and revitalize neglected neighborhoods. Corresponding properties are very popular because they attract different groups of people (customers, office workers and residents) and thus ensure a continuously high footfall, ”according to the study.
Modernization and events are key
To curb the high levels of noise and air pollution in large cities, they are relying on modernization measures, a more efficient and multimodal transport infrastructure and new mobility strategies that expand catchment areas, as they enable potential customers to access retail in the city centers. “Cycle lanes, which are already an essential building block, are becoming the heart of the urban transport network,” the study found.
Events in the sports and music sector as well as seasonal events are given a high priority in cities such as London, Budapest, Milan and Paris in order to promote international tourism more strongly. “These physical events benefit from the limits of digital offerings and generate pedestrian flows through the revitalization of city districts,” the study concludes.
The full report can be downloaded from the BNP Paribas website.