City Centre Performance

Checking the ‘health’ of our city centre is vitally important. We need to understand which sectors are succeeding and which are facing particular challenges so that success can be maximised and challenges risen to collectively. It is equally vital that the city centre performance is communicated to key stakeholders and potential investors.

Footfall Monitoring

Footfall is recognised as being a key indicator of the health and vitality of a city centre. As part of a wider framework to monitor the economic performance of the city centre (which includes shopper and retail catchment trends; retail occupancy and vacancies; retail turnover and car park occupancy) a new footfall monitoring network us due to begin in Edinburgh City Centre with the instillation of automated counters.

For the first time, through continuous electronic counting, a picture can be built up of the pedestrian flow across the city centre. This can then be mapped throughout the year, and compared year on year, to provide an economic “health check” for Edinburgh City Centre. Once footfall data has been accumulated and compiled, Edinburgh City Centre’s “health” can be compared to other UK cities over comparable periods.

The counters will be placed in eighteen key locations across the city centre. The locations include Princes Street (4 counters), George Street (3 counters), High Street (2 counters), Grassmarket (1 counter), South Bridge (2 counters), Lothian Road (2 counters), Shandwick Place (2 counters), Rose Street (1 counter) and St Andrew Square (1 counter). The network should be completed by the end of April.

For more information about the city centre footfall monitoring scheme please contact Mike Gallagher, Projects Manager.

Key Performance Indicators