City centre
The fact that it is a pleasure to wander around the largely pedestrianised city centre is due to the Victorian town planners whose network of elegant arcades and formidable municipal buildings still affirm its position as a leading centre of commerce, culture and the arts. Leeds is probably the premier shopping centre of the north—the Corn Exchange and Victoria Quarter offer a rich variety of luxury and specialist shops that complement the city's traditional markets and modern high street shops and malls. The centre has welcomed a profusion of new cafes, bars, restaurants and nightclubs to meet the demand for increased amenities brought by the recent growth in the city's business communities. This is particularly apparent at Leeds Waterfront, where derelict canal-side buildings have been revamped or replaced by high-profile commercial development and heritage attractions - such as the innovative subterranean retail complex at Granary Wharf and the Royal Armouries Museum. Leeds is also a major centre of the arts, home not only to the Northern Ballet Theatre, Opera North, and The West Yorkshire Playhouse, but also the City Art Gallery and Henry Moore Institute.