As e-commerce boomed and people sought outdoor shopping and dining options, the pandemic accelerated the decline of massive, merchandise-oriented retail spaces and indoor malls.

Longtime East Coast retail hub Tysons is experiencing major changes as the retail world adapts to the growing role of e-commerce and the disruptions brought on by the pandemic. According to an article by Jon Banister, "A series of new moves in the market, from longtime store closures to first-time openings to mall redevelopments, highlight how the Northern Virginia edge city is entering a new generation of its retail life cycle."
As part of the changes, older stores losing out to e-commerce will be replaced by service-oriented businesses like fitness centers and coffeeshops. With close to 70 percent of its retail space located within a quarter-mile of transit, Tysons has become a destination for shoppers from around the region. Meanwhile, the area's largest mall is continuing to redevelop its facilities for mixed use, building high-rise residential and office spaces on the site of former department stores, and new retailers are expressing significant interest in spaces near new transit stops.
As the popularity of indoor malls declines, cities and property owners are seeking new ways to adapt sprawling retail spaces and surface parking lots to denser, more transit-oriented uses. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for outdoor dining spaces and public parks, which will provide public health and economic benefits long after the pandemic.
FULL STORY: With Store Closures, Mall Redevelopments, Tysons Retail Enters A New Generation

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

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

Seattle Safe Parking Site to Close, Relocate
A nonprofit leases lots during permitting stages to erect tiny homes and RV safe parking sites for unhoused residents. But the model means constant uncertainty and displacement.

LA ‘Mobility Wallet’ Increased Quality of Life for Participants
The city distributed a monthly $150 transportation subsidy to 1,000 low-income Angelenos. It dramatically improved their lives.

Texas, California Rail Projects Seek Out Private Funding
In the wake of Trump’s cuts to high-speed rail projects, rail authorities are looking to private-public partnerships to supplement their budgets.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions