Morphing Of Lifestyle And Power Retail

The sprawling 420,000-square-foot shopping destination known as Geneva Commons is the latest prototype of the lifestyle center.

1 minute read

July 16, 2003, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Open less than a year, Geneva Commons has already unseeded the Charlestown regional mall across the river to the north. But more noteworthy is how this new sprawling center is changing the definition and design of the industry’s most ill-defined shopping format. If the Commons is any guide to what investors and shoppers should expect in the evolution of the lifestyle category, then the next generation of lifestyle centers will look nothing like their predecessors. Rather, the continuum will be in the vein of value formats, such as the power center, which, ironically, is no longer considered to be ahead of its time, but rather past its prime."

Thanks to REIS, Inc.

Tuesday, July 15, 2003 in REIS

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A crowd of people boarding Boston's green line in an underground subway station.

Boston has spent millions making the Green Line more accessible — and there’s no end in sight

While the city has invested millions into expanding and adding platforms to the Green Line to make it more accessible, new train cars set to arrive next year will be too tall for disabled passengers to board without raising the current platforms.

2 hours ago - Boston Globe

Railroad tracks in Idaho passing a home by a river.

Idaho may see an 18% drop in federal surface transit funding — the largest estimated cut in the US

Transit systems in rural communities are much more reliant on federal funding to provide their services.

3 hours ago - Grist

A Florida family with their belongings in a wagon walks past a destroyed storm after a hurricane.

How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities

After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.

4 hours ago - Inside Climate News