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1949 THEATER SITES 407
CONCLUSIONS
In the early stages of the motion picture industry the location of the theater was chosen by pure common sense and intuition. The theater industry had no tradition, and had to find its own way by experimental and empirical methods. However, with the help of land economics, sociology, and physical planning, we are able to determine with scientific exactness, the characteristics of the dynamic organism of the city. We are also able to identify the reasons for constant flux of the retail structure in the urban areas in response to economic forces. As the theater is part of the urban retail structure, to a large degree, it succeeds or fails as its location within the city structure is favorable or unfavorable.
Today the selection of the location is more important than ever because of the new trends already mentioned.
The following are the basic steps in determining the suitability of a location or site :
1. To determine the size of the population from which the anticipated attendance will be drawn, within a radius of 1 to 2 miles.
2. To identify the social and economic groups of the area tributary to the theater and the living and spending habits within these groups ; also to identify the age composition of the population and to determine the population density and population growth.
3. To study the retail pattern of the area, the accessibility of the site, traffic conditions, and transportation facilities.
4. To define future residential, industrial, or commercial developments and probable changes in the area with reference to planning projects (new housing, zoning, slum clearance, and highways).
5. To consider these findings in relation to existing theaters in the area, their seating capacity, and population per seat in the tributary area.
6. To evaluate all findings in relation to capital investment in land and building, anticipated operating costs, and revenue.
While we should remember that special conditions prevail in each community, this suggested technique will assist with certainty, in selecting a desirable location for a theater.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(1) Richard U. Ratcliff, "The Problem of Retail Site Selection," Michigan Business Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1939.
(2) "Motion Picture Theatres, Exhibitors and Distributors in Canada," Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Canada, 1946.