YOU may not have thought of a town centre as a human body before, as a living, breathing organism.

But the analogy is worth pursuing for a moment.

A town or city is incredibly complex and made up of many parts which are all interconnected.

If one part doesn't work properly then the whole thing may not function as it should.

Its need change overtime and some bits might need replacing.

And like a human body town centres don't stay the same.

Perhaps that's where the analogy ends. We have a limited shelf life. Towns and cities can and must continually evolve.

Which brings us to where we are now in the wake of three decades of online shopping and seven months of coronavirus, both of which have had a profound effect on the living, breathing organisms that are our town centres.

Paul Kinvig is as an astute observer of what is going and where things are headed, than most.

The chief operating officer of the Bournemouth Town Centre BID, by his own admission, is sometimes accused of being too optimistic about how it is at the moment.

But that may be no bad thing right now.

And it is based on some persuasive points.

"Everyone’s recognises how difficult it is," he said. "The supply chain of the town centre all say there is no normal now and things are in a state of evolution.

"But you would be surprised at just how many businesses are opening up at the moment and at just how many longstanding businesses have changed what they do and how they do it. It is really encouraging."

Behind the scenes, commercial landlords, their agents and tenants are beginning to get together to negotiate more sensible deals in the new reality of the marketplace. Fewer incredibly long leases, quicker in and out, more based on turnover and more flexibility.

It's a slow process but it is happening.

Mr Kinvig says the majority of retail businesses closing in Bournemouth are national chains, whereas as the independent sector in both retail and hospitality is very much on the rise.

One of those is the coffee shop Crema in Beale Place.

The franchise is owned by Turkish businessman Eyyup Kilinc and his partners.

Eyyup, from Antalya, is a former national manager for Lidl and it's his first business.

"I chose to come to Bournemouth because it is a really attractive place and it is going in the right direction. I want to be part of the future and contribute to what I feel could be a really vibrant, continental style culture."

He must be doing something right. Crema has only been opened a few weeks but it is already buzzing throughout the day.

And indeed there is a real continental feel.

"It's about serving great coffee and cakes and pastries of course, but it's also about the customer experience. I get to know everyone, what their name is, what they like and whether they want to talk or not!"

Paul Kinvig says that front of house interaction is something that makes the independents really stand out.

"They have the ability and flexibility to do that which sometimes the nationals don't have. It sounds a bit corny but it's about the Cheers or the Friends thing. Places where everybody knows your name, what you drink and when they ask you how you are, they really mean it."

This approach very much applies to retail as well as hospitality, with businesses with local personality like Ashes Menswear, Richmond Classics and Westover Gallery.

Another element in the future vibrancy of the town centre - indeed any town centre is residential.

The more people who live there, the greater is the success of town centre businesses, both retail and hospitality.

There a plans for a large number of apartment blocks in the heart of Bournemouth, which will bring in many residents.

These include the extensive Winter Gardens site, on Richmond Hill, the former M&S on Commercial and possibly on the upper levels of the iconic Beales building.

There are others.

Paul Kinvig believes Bournemouth is hugely well placed to take advantage of what looks almost certain to be a shift in the UK's office and commercial sector as a result of Covid.

Companies may increasing go for a hub and spoke model of operation and there is already evidence from property analysts such as Savills to back this up.

Firms will have smaller city hub headquarters and increasingly push out 'spokes' to other places as staff seek to work more from home, in shared, flexible office space and in places offering a more attractive environment and better work life balance.

After all, if you are going to work from home more, why not do it by the coast?

The slow return of the office sector has left some urban areas looking and feeling like ghost towns and led to the demise of many business reliant on town and city workers.

"The office sector will return," said Mr Kinvig. "But I am sure it will look and feel different and it will give places like Bournemouth big opportunities for inward investment if it markets itself in the right way to a national and international audience.

"We have to accept that and there is an inexorable shift in many things. Retail will always have a place in town centres but maybe not so big. My optimism is based on the imagination and innovation of the independents.

"Hospitality will continue to grow and more people will be part of a vibrant town or city life."

Bournemouth already has much going for it. Obviously its location - coastal towns by and large have been able to begin the recovery faster than other places.

It has a good property base, is tech-savvy, already has a reputation for innovation with two great universities.

"In light of Covid, there is a lot of thinking and rethinking going on," said Mr Kinvig. "Increasingly people want a cleaner, safer and more pleasant environment to live and work in.

"They want a different approach to many things, socially and at work and in fact there's an interesting shift of work into social where you can have creative discussions and generate the kind of spontaneous spark that only happens in business when you are face to face with someone. It doesn't happen on Zoom, Teams or Skype."