Retail
Invasion of the Chain Stores
As chain stores move into a Brooklyn neighborhood, some locals worry about the loss of local character and small businesses.
Grocers Succeeding in Low-Income Areas
The Save-a-Lot grocery chain has succeeded by going into urban and rural low-income areas that other chains have shied away from.
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.
The New and Familiar
New restaurants are striving to look like (and to be) community institutions, reflecting old-style pubs, meeting halls and marketplaces.
Revitalizing Downtown in Small and Mid-Sized Cities
Small and mid-sized cities in Canada are taking innovative steps to revitalize their downtowns, and lure businesses and entrepreneurs back.
The Mall: Not Dead Yet
Retail Traffic Magazine reports that the indoor mall, long declared dead, has weathered the storm of the recession better than expected -- and better than many retail concepts imagined as the next big thing.
Retailers No Longer Asking for Help
Mall operators across the country were getting requests for rent relief during the economic downturn, but in a sign of possible recovery, the requests have mostly dried up.
Getting the Mix Right in Mixed-Use
A local Austin developer talks about the challenges of getting the right mix of services that residents can support.
Hanging Out at the Virtual Mall
Mall operator Westfield Group says it is developing a completely virtual "mall" shopping space, and is seeking retailers to rent spaces.
America is Over-Retailed
Are there two many stores? Growing evidence says yes, that the retail market is unlikely to spring back and with the shift to internet spending, it's likely that we've already got more retail space than we need.
Town Looks to Ban New Franchises
The small community of Tofino on Vancouver Island is looking to ban all future franchise retail establishments from moving into town.
Mall of America Weathering Recession Surprisingly Well
Foot traffic is up 3.5%, and even sales are up a little at Minnesota's megamall. Retail Traffic Magazine gleans some lessons from the Mall's success.
City of 250,000 Has No Bookstore
Laredo, Texas is losing its only bookstore, a B. Dalton (the chain is going out of business).
End of the Big Box Era
In Birmingham, Alabama, developers are seeing a lot of empty big box and anchor retail spaces, while smaller, neighborhood centers are actually seeing an increase in occupancy.
Somewhere Between Blight and Gentrification...
Is there a happy medium between the run-down liquor store and the gourmet shop? What is the best form of Main Street retail, as people move back to the city and re-emergent neighborhoods acquire shops and services that were once lacking?
Fighting Blight With Art
Palm Springs officials are working to fill the windows of empty storefronts with art and movie posters in order to keep the streetscape feeling lively.
Pop-Up Stores Find New Popularity in Bad Economy
Pop-up stores -- stores that fill retail space for a couple of quick months, than vanish -- were once scoffed at by retail landlords. Today, they're plugging holes in the retail economy.
States Cutting Economic Development Budgets
Retail Traffic Magazine reports that money-starved states like California are raising taxes on commercial property and gutting local economic development agencies, hurting developers.
Reviving High Streets With Housing
With nearly 20,000 retail outlets shutting down so far this year in England, the future of towns' high streets looks shaky. But some say reviving these main streets is as simple as converting empty shops into housing units.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
