Jeff Patterson thinks the future will look less like your auto-oriented 7-11 and more like "transit station marketplaces".
"What will 'convenience' stores look like in five years? What about 10? Some forward-thinking strategists at SuperAmerica, Holiday Stationstores, Kwik Trip or Oasis Markets had better be rethinking their prototype store model because the convenience retail landscape is going to be changing very dramatically and very quickly.
People coming by car to buy gas? Not likely! Store locations chosen to be convenient to the motoring public? Irrelevant! Highway accessibility? Old hat! In the years ahead, automobile traffic volume exposure, at least in urban areas, will not necessarily be the driving force behind convenience-retail siting decisions. Determining where station stops will be along transit corridors will be "the key to the castle" for convenience retailers.
Surely some innovative planners at the convenience-retail chains must have come to the realization by now that the new transit world will call for a different type of store model."
FULL STORY: ‘Convenience’ retail in for overhaul
Traditional Retail is Hanging by a Thread. What Now for Cities?
After Kaid Benfield paints a rather grim retail outlook — where even retail bastions like San Diego are going dark — he suggests a series of actions for city leaders and planners.
DC Announces ‘Office to Anything’ Adaptive Reuse Program
The program complements an existing residential conversion initiative and could yield up to 2.5 million square feet of new commercial space.
Shifts in Shopping: Transforming Malls Into Parks
Maybe zombie malls still have a second life — one with a little greenery.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)