The economic recession has caused a shakedown in the retail sector, and retail powerhouse Wal-Mart has been forced to close many outlets. One city has found an innovative solution to the empty big box building left behind: put in a new Wal-Mart.
The small town of Monkey Creek, Nevada, thought its days were numbered when Wal-Mart officials announced the upcoming closure of its area retail outlet. The retail megastore accounts for nearly one-fourth the town's area, and provides more than 75% of its tax revenue. Wal-Mart moving out meant the sure demise of the local economy.
"It's the lifeblood of our city. I can't imagine what life would be like without Wal-Mart," said Monkey Creek Mayor Michael Bergbloom. "It would have been so much more than 275,000 empty square feet."
So town officials found a solution: replace the old Wal-Mart with a new one.
"We're calling it 'non-adaptive reuse'", said Bergbloom, who recently replaced the store's "Going Out of Business" sign with one reading "Going Into Business".
As Wal-Marts close shop across the country, other cities are looking to Monkey Creek for guidance in dealing with these large empty spaces.
"It's really ingenious what they're doing," said Mayor Chip Stanwell of Lowtide, Arizona, another town facing a pending big box closure. "A Wal-Mart! Of course! It's the perfect fit."

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)