Bottom-up action vs top-down protection

[Alan Morris]

I think the Portas report is right in recognising that “we have
sacrificed communities for convenience”. It accepts that the future
model for the high street cannot be the same as it has been in the
past, and looks toward a new sustainable model. It does not aim to
protect small retailers from unstoppable forces, but encourages them
to adapt by competing on “experience, service and specialism”. And
where the overall demand for small shops has reduced, it looks for new
uses for high street units, including community uses.

Should we as civic societies resist that ? Should civic societies
concentrate on bottom-up local action, and not expect the planning
system to provide top-down protection from unstoppable forces ?

Alan