The Recreational Business District

Abstract

A classic, predictable series of urban business districts is recognized by most urban specialists. Most sizeable towns possess a Central Business District, a number of Shopping Thoroughfares, Neighborhood Business Districts and Isolated Retail Nodes. Each of these characteristic districts may be identified by a characteristic set of retail establishments. To this usual series of business districts must be added a "Recreational Business District" (RBD). This RBD, as found in resorts, is characterized by a distinctive array of pedestrian, tourist-oriented retail facilities and is separated spatially as well as functionally from the other business districts.The retail districts of two small New Jersey seashore resorts, as well as Niagara Falls, Canada, are examined in terms of their retail establishments. The RBD stands apart from the common set of retail business districts in that it is based on a recreational attraction rather than upon proximity to residential areas or transportation routes. The hinterland of this RBD extends far beyond the border of the year-round trade area of the town since it depends largely upon tourist trade.