Supermarkets are moving in to spaces vacated by department stores in malls, which until recently were too costly for grocery stores to rent.
Elaine Misonzhnik reports that the trend is popular again because property managers see groceries as great at generating traffic, and with so many retailers hit by the economic crisis malls are lacking in large tenants:
"While people visit a mall about once a month, they tend to shop for groceries at least once or twice a week, according to Green and others. Westfield reports that in the three weeks since it opened a Seafood City Supermarket at its Westfield Southcenter in Seattle, Wash., foot traffic to the center increased 26 percent."
Read the full story: Regional Mall Owners Experiment With Supermarkets
New Jersey affordable housing requirements spur infill development across the state
A 50-year-old law continues to reshape development around housing goals.
Making economic sense of city-owned grocery stores
Several cities are moving to create municipal stores, but do they actually save low-income households money?
NYC's first city-run grocery store coming to the South Bronx
City-owned grocery stores were one of Mayor Mamdani's campaign promises.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority