Retail

Vacant retail storefront with multiple glass doors lined with brown paper and a removed neon sign.

How to Repurpose Vacant Storefronts

Loosening restrictions on clean light manufacturing can revive dormant storefronts and revitalize communities.

July 10, 2024 - Governing

The granite exterior of the Nordstrom store in San Francisco.

Recent Retail Closures in U.S. Cities Follow Trends Established Before the Pandemic

While some cling to debatable claims about higher crime rates as the cause for recent high-profile store closures in U.S. downtowns, the real reasons are more realistically extensions of the causes of the “retail apocalypse” from the before times.

May 15, 2023 - CNN

Tysons Corner

Rethinking Retail Space in the Wake of COVID-19

As e-commerce boomed and people sought outdoor shopping and dining options, the pandemic accelerated the decline of massive, merchandise-oriented retail spaces and indoor malls.

January 12, 2022 - Bisnow

Dollar Tree Store Waterbury CT. 6/2014, pics taken by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube. #DollarTree #DollarTreeStore #DollarTreeLogo #DollarSign

Dollar Stores Close to Half of New Store Openings in 2021

Expanding wealth inequality has contributed to the explosive growth of "dollar store" retailers.

May 12, 2021 - CNN

Texas Commercial Real Estate

How One Commercial Real Estate Landlord Assesses the Market

The complete upheaval of the commercial real estate market seemingly happened overnight, but the pandemic followed years of structural changes, so the recovery could take much longer.

April 16, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

Taco Truck

No Late-Night Tacos in My Backyard

Neighborhood veto power can conflict with citywide goals to provide a 24-7 urban experience, as a case study from Boston shows.

February 27, 2020 - The Boston Globe

Globe Life Park in Arlington

Arlington Greenlights $810 Million Hotel and Convention Center Project

The public-private partnership is a massive expansion of the city’s entertainment district.

January 2, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

End of the Mall

The End of the Mall? Navigating the Shifting Retail Landscape

More online shopping means fewer consumers are spending money at brick-and-mortar stores, with suburban malls hit especially hard. But municipalities are looking for creative strategies to navigate a post-mall world.

December 27, 2019 - Land Lines

cpaulfell

New York City's First Outlet Mall Still a 'Ghost Town'

Perched on the northeastern tip of Staten Island next to the ferry terminal, Empire Outlets has only filled 26 of its 75 storefronts since a grand opening in May.

September 2, 2019 - The City

Manhattan Retail

Op-Ed: SoHo and NoHo Need a Zoning Overhaul

Two SoHo residents argue that outdated zoning holds the Manhattan neighborhoods back, requiring special permits or variances for many current residential and commercial uses.

June 2, 2019 - Crain's Business New York

Christmas Shopping

6 Charts to Summarize the 'Retail Apocalypse' in 2018

2018 was more of the same for the demise of retail businesses in the United States.

December 31, 2018 - CityLab

Pharmacy

Critic Blasts the Design and Planning Effects of CVS

CVS is about as American as apple pie, but at what cost to American communities?

July 13, 2018 - The Dallas Morning News

Empty Main Street

Are Vacancy Taxes a 'Blunt Instrument'?

A number of cities are considering hiking up taxes on vacant properties. But does that actually lead to a reduction in blight?

June 1, 2018 - Governing

Retail Apocalypse

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.

April 26, 2018 - Financial Times

Santana Row

Innovative Approaches May Save Physical Retail

In places like San Jose, "new approaches to the storefront" are paying dividends for physical retailers willing to experiment.

March 1, 2018 - SPUR

Ross Dress for Less

Ross May Be Immune from the Amazon Effect

Ross Stores continues its expansion in the face of a much-foretold retail apocalypse. The shopping experience it provides may be one reason it can stand up to Amazon.

October 17, 2017 - The Business Journals

Nordstrom

Experimental Nordstrom Store Will Have No Clothing for Sale

A California Nordstrom store will stock no clothing for customers to buy. Instead, it will let shoppers try on clothes in a curated environment and order anything they like to be sent to their homes.

September 14, 2017 - The Washington Post

Beverly Hills

Report: The 'Retail Apocalypse' Is Fake News

Reports of the death of brick and mortar retail have been greatly exaggerated, according to a new analysis.

September 4, 2017 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A Female Approach to Commercial Revitalization

Auburn Boulevard in the city of Citrus Heights, California is a case study of what urban strategist Michele Reeves calls the "female approach to economic development."

July 13, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Shopping Cart

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.

June 20, 2017 - Bloomberg

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.