Big developers say lifestyle centers are too small to bother with. But consumers love them.
The International Council of Shopping Center's magazine, Shopping Centers Today, reports on this new trend. "[W]hat exactly is a lifestyle center? Beyond the obvious -- a traditional streetscape layout with sit-down restaurants and a conglomeration of lifestyle retailers such as Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and Eddie Bauer -- the term can apply to a variety of different centers, and there is considerable disagreement about what qualifies for the title. Ask three people to name the first lifestyle center and you will receive three different answers. Some say Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo., dating from the 1920s, was the first, while others point to CocoWalk, in Coconut Grove, Fla., which opened in 1990. No one even uttered the words 'lifestyle center' until Poag & McEwen coined and copyrighted the term, McEwen said, identifying The Shops of Saddle Creek, which Poag & McEwen opened in 1987 in Memphis, Tenn., as the first purpose-built lifestyle center."
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Lifestyle centers elude classification

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont