Retail vs. E-Tail

Internet sales could put a damper on communities' hopes.

1 minute read

July 24, 2000, 8:30 AM PDT

By Laura Kraft


Editor Ruth Knack, AICP, made her first online purchase last year (a laptop computer), along with millions of other people - to the dismay of traditional retailers. The growth of "e-tail" has both mall developers and shopkeepers, and the local governments that depend on their sales taxes, running scared. After all, local governments have for decades looked to retail development as a panacea. Overambitious zoning maps designated huge tracts for commercial use - land that's now often empty or filled with abandoned buildings. A big change in shopping habits would make it harder to fill the excess. Ruth Knack is the executive editor of Planning.

Thanks to Laura Krafft

Saturday, July 15, 2000 in Planning Magazine

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