Quantifying tactical urbanism: Economic impact of short-term pedestrianization on retail establishments

The street is increasingly recognized as a space for experiments in the tactical urbanism framework. Tactical urbanism is characterized by a quick and low-cost intervention aimed at improving public spaces for people in the long-term. Despite its growing popularity, no studies have quantitatively examined its impact on the surrounding environment. This study analyzed the economic impact of tactical urbanism on surrounding retail businesses. Long-term anonymized transaction datasets from a broader geographical area were used to assess the economic performance of retailers along the streets. Combined with a mobile device tracking methodology, this study examined whether the street experiment of pedestrianization attracted visitors from other districts or encouraged them to explore the district, to assess its economic impact on the neighborhood. The southern part of Midosuji Avenue in Osaka, Japan, and its neighborhood were chosen as the study area. The results showed that retailers' sales volumes in Midosuji Avenue and neighboring streets increased significantly during the event, resulting in enhanced sales volumes for the entire area. In addition, mobile device tracking verified that visitors moved from neighboring streets to Midosuji Avenue. Hence, Midosuji Avenue became a destination for visitors' trips rather than a starting point. This led them to explore the district, thus increasing their stay and, in turn, increasing the sales volumes in the neighborhood.