Some Canadian communities are seeing their local economies thriving despite -- or is it because of? -- the presence of Wal-Mart.
"Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, forces rivals to pull up their socks and differentiate their offerings from it. The discounter invariably attracts an array of other big-box merchants to spots close to it, and its low prices and wide array of products draw shoppers from surrounding neighbourhoods.
The discounter can also create sterile-looking shopping pods at a city's outskirts, sucking life out of a community's downtown. It is often the anchor for a power centre that is dotted with big box outlets in vast parking lots.
Even so, the entry of Wal-Mart into a market pinches less than 10 per cent of local stores' business, says Paul McElhone, associate director of the retailing school at the University of Alberta's School of Business. 'As bad as it is, these are often marginal businesses anyway,' Prof. McElhone says. 'When Wal-Mart comes to town, it makes other businesses better.'"
FULL STORY: Living with the giant down the street
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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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions