Glasgow city centre is the
central business district of
Glasgow,
Scotland. Is bounded by the High Street to the east, the
River Clyde to the south and the
M8 motorway to the west and north which was built through the
Townhead,
Charing Cross,
Cowcaddens and
Anderston areas in the 1960s. It can roughly be divided into at least 3 different districts:
Retail and Theatre District
The city centre is based on a
grid system of streets, similar to that of
Barcelona or American cities, on the north bank of the River Clyde. The heart of the city is
George Square, site of many of
Glasgow's public statues and the elaborate Victorian
Glasgow City Chambers, headquarters of
Glasgow City Council. To the south and west are the shopping precincts of
Argyle Street,
Sauchiehall Street and
Buchanan Street, the latter featuring more upmarket retailers and winner of the Academy of Urbanism 'Great Street Award' 2008. The main shopping centres are Buchanan Galleries and the
St. Enoch Centre, with the up-market Princes Square and the Italian Centre specialising in designer labels. The London-based department store
Selfridges has purchased a potential development site in the city and another upmarket retail chain
Harvey Nichols is also thought to be planning a store in the city, further strengthening Glasgow's retail portfolio, which forms the
U.K.'s second largest and most economically important retail sector after
Central London.