Commercial Retail

Planning Department Study Documents Storefront Vacancy in NYC Neighborhoods
A new report from the New York Department of City Planning has found that storefront vacancy may not be a one-answer citywide problem. Vacancies were found to be concentrated in certain neighborhoods, and the reasons appear to be varied.

Dollar General Unveils Urban Format Store For Millennials
Now proposing to add another 900 stores in 2018, Dollar General continues to rapidly expand throughout the U.S. However, their push for a smaller more urban format is something seriously worth watching.

Is Miami's Brickell City Centre the Mall of the Future?
Miami's Brickell City Centre represents the evolution of the shopping mall as a mixed-use social gathering place.

Macy's Looking To Monetize Unused Parking Lots
Macy's sees opportunities to improve the shopping experience by activating empty parking lots.

Top 5 Retail Shopping Center Trends
As the face of retail continues to evolve, tremendous opportunity exists for out-of-the-box concepts and creative retail strategies.

Target to Enter the Urban Market in Big Way to Boost Lagging Sales
The Minneapolis-based retailer is thinking big by betting on a small store and the urban revolution.

Black Friday Is A Case Study On Why Parking Minimums Are Ridiculous
At most big box stores, the parking lots occupy far more land than the stores themselves, sucking up unnecessary resources from our communities.
U.S.'s First Mall for the Home to Open in 2019
The home-themed mall, opening outside Washington, D.C., hopes to attract a new generation of customers and investors.

Death of the Shopping Mall May Be Exaggerated
Despite threats like online retail, upscale sectors of the mall market are prospering. This is good news for what are, perhaps, the only walkable 'streets' in some parts of the country.
Many Urban Cities Now Welcome Walmart
Walmart stores -- once vilified by cities for their impact on local smaller retailers -- are now getting the red carpet treatment from some urban cities. Walmart has adapted its store design, and cities need the tax revenue from large retailers.
Creating Neighborhood Capital from Strip Malls
Strip malls are in virtually every American city, but they're rarely an important part of those cities. Ava Bromberg says they can be. Her idea is to turn strip malls into community-owned hubs that generate capital within their neighborhood and keep it there.
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.
City of Bakersfield
Standridge Inc.
City of Brookings
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service