Main street retail is the newest real estate trend. But sometimes reality "falls laughably short of the hype," writes John King.
"Known in the trade as "Main Street retail," it's a real estate trend that can be described prosaically as a shopping center with housing on top. If you're a developer, you're likely to spin the movement as something much more profound -- a 21st century take on neighborhood centers of yore, where you run errands and meet friends and live a good portion of your life.Sounds great -- except that at Santana Row in San Jose and Bay Street in Emeryville, reality falls laughably short of the hype. Viewed strictly as development projects, they aren't bad, especially Santana Row. But if this is what passes for community, we might as well unroll our sleeping bags in the nearest mall."
Thanks to The Practice of New Urbanism
FULL STORY: Main Street mirage: Retail complexes mimic quaint urban districts
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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
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions