After 20 years, the Easton Town Center in Northeast Columbus, Ohio draws nearly 30 million visitors a year and sells more than $1 billion in food and merchandise.
An article by Jim Weiker credits Easton Town Center with changing the face of Ohio retail, 20 years after the project first opened in Columbus.
L Brands and development partner Georgetown Company opened the open-air shopping and "lifestyle center" 20 years ago, making the decision to leave some shops open to the elements and position the development away from the highway to create a town center. The project was modeled on projects like CocoWalk in Miami, and the Irvine Spectrum in Southern California.
Weiker provides a lot more history on the project before digging into the successes of Easton in 2019: "Easton proved far more than a local shopping destination. With its blend of entertainment, restaurants and hotels, it has served as a get-away spot for guests far outside Columbus."
Despite all of its success, some of the early anchor tenants, like Planet Movies Planet Hollywood, and a Virgin Megastore, failed. According to the article, the second phase of development raised the bar on an already revolutionary concept and solidified the development's position as a regional retail destination.
The big feature article includes several sections, historical images, a "slider" to compare Easton then and now, and a video, embedded above.
FULL STORY: Easton's success built on 'emotional connection' with patrons
DC, Columbus Bike Share Fleets Introduce Cargo Bikes
Shared mobility is ‘growing up,’ with rental options increasingly expanding to include e-bikes, scooters, and cargo bikes.
Low-Income Columbus Households Struggle to Find Housing
The Ohio city has a more severe affordable housing crisis than more traditionally expensive cities like New York and San Francisco.
Columbus, Ohio's High-Frequency Transit Future Up for Vote in November
Despite being the nation’s 14th largest city, Columbus, Ohio has no high-capacity transit. That could change this November as city officials put a levy before voters that would provide $6.2 billion by 2050 to fund an ambitious bus rapid transit system.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
San Diego Votes to Rein in “Towering” ADUs
City council voted to limit the number of units in accessory buildings to six — after confronting backyard developments of up to 100 units behind a single family home.
Texas Legislature’s Surprising Pro-Housing Swing
Smaller homes on smaller lots, office to apartment conversions, and 40% less say for NIMBYs, vote state lawmakers.
Even Edmonton Wants Single Staircase Buildings
Canada's second most affordable major city joins those angling to nix the requirement for two staircases in multi-family buildings.
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)