What drives high street talk? Everyday basics, Darlington data shows

Ahead of the High Street Positives event in Darlington on Thursday 11 September - organised by IPM Fellow Laura Harris - we are revisiting research published in January 2024 in the Journal of Place Management & Development (JPMD) by  Dr Viriya Taecharungroj  and Dr Ioana Stoica, which focuses on the host town.

The study -  Assessing place experiences in Luton and Darlington on Twitter with topic modelling and AI-generated lexicons - looks at what people actually experience in the moment when visiting high streets and town centres. Using 109,998 geo-tagged tweets (2020–2022) from Darlington and Luton, the researchers analysed social media (Twitter/X), combining topic modelling (to find the main themes people talk about) with AI-generated word lists (to score what people sense, feel, do, and think) - and whether those moments were planned or spontaneous, everyday or showpiece. 

Darlington and Luton were selected because they sat at opposite ends of the iLiveHere.co.uk (2023) online poll and although the poll wasn't a scientific verdict, it provided the researchers with a useful contrast to develop. The study was not trying to label either town as “good” or “bad” - but offers a baseline for monitoring everyday experience and testing improvements over time.

So what did the researchers discover?

It’s the quality of the ordinary that drives positive place talk more than one-off spectacles: walkability, lighting, seating, greening, clean and safe routes, clear wayfinding, and a visible, easy-to-find programme.

  • Darlington shows more sensory and behavioural cues, people notice light, sound and ambience—and do ordinary things in public spaces.
  • Stronger designed & mundane signals: planned offers (markets, matches, event programmes) show up frequently in day-to-day posts about routine, leisure and celebrations
  • Contrast with Luton: more affective (feelings) and intellectual (thinking) content, often tied to politics and faith, which can overshadow talk of everyday positives.

So what does this mean for place managers and leaders working elsewhere:

  • Double down on the everyday: maintain the basics brilliantly and fix problems fast.
  • Make “planned activities” easy to find: publish clear calendars and micro-programmes where people already are (markets, high street corners, parks).
  • Amplify “mundane moments”: showcase window displays, pocket performances, friendly trading and small comforts - these are what people post about in real time

The paper is authored by an interdisciplinary team working at the intersection of place management, data science and AI. They combine large-scale social data, topic modelling and custom AI lexicons to track how people experience place - an approach practitioners can reuse for before-and-after monitoring of interventions. Full author details are available alongside the paper in the Members Area.

To read the full research:

  • IPM Members can access the the full article' Assessing place experiences in Luton and Darlington on Twitter with topic modelling and AI-generated lexicons in the IPM Members Area via: https://www.placemanagement.org/login/

  • For more information on The High Street Positives in Darlington (11 Sept), hosted by IPM Fellow Laura Harris visit: https://luma.com/p6yv217t

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About the author

IPM

Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.

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