Borders committed to opening urban bookstores in Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit join Washington, other cities.
"Borders Group Inc. is becoming an urban pioneer. The book retailer is opening stores in Chicago, San Francisco and Detroit in once-devastated retail areas or in commercial or industrial areas that have never had places to shop. The Detroit store opened on the ground floor of Compuware Corp.s new world headquarters amid shuttered storefronts and empty buildings -- many of them under renovation. Urban locations are not always an easy sell, especially for large stores similar to Borders that rely on roomy parking lots. But Ann Arbor-based Borders, the countrys second-largest bookseller, has 50 stores in urban settings out of 480. Alex Lelli, vice president of development, said urban stores are big contributors to the Borders profits. Detroits store, which opened in November, has exceeded sales expectations, though the company wont provide sales figures. Its too early to say how well the stores in Chicago and San Francisco are doing. Lelli said the newest stores are opening in places that arent obvious -- Borders is looking for areas where redevelopment looks like its going to take off. 'We hopefully make that decision at the right time,' he said."
Thanks to Richard Layman
FULL STORY: Borders makes habit of being first to go in downtown
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.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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.
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.