Big Box
When Your Neighbor is a Big-Box Store
Taking advantage of state and local density bonuses and streamlining measures, beloved big-box retailer Costco is getting into the housing business
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.
Brick and Mortar Continue to Struggle as Shoppers Scatter
Online options and oversaturation in some markets are leading to continued declines in physical storefronts around the country.
Making the Case for Downtowns: Tax Revenue
Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 recently got national media attention from Forbes. The article describes Minicozzi as a kind of evangelist, making a strong, rational case for cities of all sizes to invest in their downtowns instead of big box retail.
Is A Small, Urban Wal-Mart Too Little Too Late?
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 Will Wal-Mart’s new urban stores be as successful as its outdated model?
Developer Bows in Downtown Toronto Big Box Battle
Torontonians who have been fighting a Walmart in Downtown’s belovedly indie Kensington Market neigbourhood appear to have won their battle against a goliath developer. A revised development proposal features significantly scaled-down retail units.
Holiday Cheer Boosts Businesses Along Main Street
Eight years after downtown Rochester sparked a retail resurgence along its Main Street with a holiday light display, small towns across Metro Detroit are following suit to create a sense of place and lure shoppers away from boring big boxes.
Westside Fights Smart Growth: Can Any Development Navigate L.A.'s Traffic Nightmare?
On the Westside of L.A., where rush hour traffic slows to a crawl on the best days, a proposed transit-oriented development called the 'quintessential example' of smart growth by the Mayor's staff faces opposition to its size and attraction to autos.
Should We Let Main Streets Disappear?
Kaid Benfield pens a provocative column in which he suggests that the traditional American Main Street is a thing of the past, and may no longer fit our modern retail economy. Are traditional main streets still worth preserving and emulating?
Leading the Rooftop Solar Charge - Chain Retailers?
Sure, they may be doing so for purely financial reasons, but across America, big box stores are leading the way in embracing renewable energy sources, reports Diane Cardwell.
At Manhattan Big Box Mall, Parking Garage Still Sits Empty
A big box mall built in East Harlem, complete with an 1,100 space garage, is seeing its customers walk to shop instead of driving. The suburban assumptions underlying the enormous garage never panned out in the heart of the city.
Phoenix Struggles to Fill Its Big Vacant Boxes
Phoenix has a sizable dilemma, how to fill the growing number of closed supermarkets, electronics superstores and mega bookstores that continue to weigh down the area's real-estate market, reports Max Jarman.
More Signs of the Big-Boxalypse
The era of big-box retail dominance is coming to an end. That's the opinion of David Welch, Chris Burritt and Lauren Coleman-Lochner, writing in Bloomberg on the occasion of Best Buy's recent announcement that it is closing 50 big stores.
With Malls and Mom-and-Pops Struggling, What is the Future of Retail?
Tom Stoelker pens a feature in The Architect's Newspaper examining the decades-long upheavals in retail and current efforts to shape retail in ways that will preserve urban character while growing the economy.
The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
Emily Badger recounts the litany of gripes about Big Box stores, then proceeds to present the results of a recent study that shows why they may not be so bad after all.
Density Brings in More Tax Income Than Big Box
Dense downtowns provide more tax revenues for cities than strip mall and big box development on a per acre basis, according to a new study.
WalMart and Target: Your New Neighbors
Who ever heard of "small-box stores"? Retail experts say the Walmarts and Targets of the world should have great success with smaller stores in urban settings.
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.
The First Urban Walmart
Walmart, famous for not budging on their store designs, may be ready to build an urban alternative with a handful of stores proposed for the D.C. area. Greater Greater Washington gets the scoop on the plans.
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.
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Planning for Universal Design
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Placer County
Skagit Transit
Berkeley County
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
