After years of expanding primarily in rural and suburban locations, the giant retailer begins to adapt to more urban locations.
Wal-Mart is following the lead of other big-box retailers, such as Target and K-Mart, adapting its form to fit into urban markets. For years, Wal-Mart focused its tremendous expansion efforts on under-served rural communities where land was inexpensive and a cookie cutter building format of a one-story building surrounding by a sea of parking fit easily into the landscape. Since expansion is critical to Wal-Mart's game plan, reaching new markets is crucial. Not an easy task for a company with already more than 4,900 stores worldwide. As Wal-Mart enters the urban arena, it faces some new challenges. "Space constraints, along with public opposition to cookie-cutter stores with drab exteriors and enormous asphalt lots, have forced Wal-Mart to design new store layouts and make other concessions to blend in with local tastes."
Thanks to Janet Boyko
FULL STORY: Wal-Mart going urban
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
