Recent reports have revealed weaknesses in the big box business model. Will Wal-Mart’s new urban stores be as successful as its outdated model?
Several recent articles have examined the evolving business model exemplified most famously by Wal-Mart.
Krystina Gustafson reported that revenues for big box retailers like Wal-Mart declined as gas prices rose around the country in recent years.
Meanwhile, Charles Marohn wonders how willing taxpayers will be to subsidize the shift in business models after “peak Wal-Mart.”
And Edward McMahon provides an in-depth examination of new urban Wal-Marts, for example two new stores that opened on December 4, 2013, in Washington D.C.—one of which has neither surface parking nor setbacks.
FULL STORY: Walmart Stores Go Small and Urban
Mega-Retailer Revives Effort to Move Into New York City
Wal-Mart has started a major public relations effort to try to get the public behind plans to open several of its big box retail stores in New York City.
Wal-Mart Light: Big Box Store Goes After the Urban Market
Wal-Mart announced a new "urban strategy" to move into cities that have traditionally been hostile to the big box retailer. Smaller format stores will concentrate on selling groceries, which account for about half the company's sales already.
Retail Space Shrinking Again in 2018
Because of closures at big box stores like Toys R US, 2018 will see total retail space down sharply even while the number of store closures is small compared to last year.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.
Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.
When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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