Wal-Mart
Big Box Stores Leading the Shift to Renewable Energy
The cheap price of solar and wind energy have corporations "falling all over themselves" to embrace renewable, according to this article. Target and Wal-Mart lead the green arms race.
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 Will Wal-Mart’s new urban stores be as successful as its outdated model?
Chain Creep: Coming to a Small Town, or Big City, Near You
Dollar stores were already a presence in rural communities, but recession has caused dollar chains to ramp up development to keep pace with the public's growing need to stretch their paychecks. Urban communities aren't immune from chain creep either.
For Wal-Mart, Coveted Permits Were Just a Bribe Away
An investigation by the New York Times, following up on earlier reporting, has unveiled Wal-Mart's widespread use of bribes to circumvent democratic governance and regulatory safeguards to construct controversial projects throughout Mexico.
What Happens When Transit Doesn't Bring Expected Development
Just outside of D.C., the Capitol Heights Metro station sits among empty parcels with brown grass and tall weeds, as the economic development that was to accompany the station never materialized. Will a proposed Wall-Mart come to the area's rescue?
Do Chain Stores Threaten L.A.'s Newfound Urbanity?
As downtown Los Angeles seeks to cement its nascent transformation into a full-fledged urban neighborhood, Sam Lubell cautions against the threat brought by the suburban mindset of Walmart, Target, and other chain operators.
Chasing Growth in Urban Markets, Big Boxes Go Small and Speedy
With suburbia saturated, large retailers chase an urban market poised for growth.
Why Neighbors May Want to Welcome Wal-Mart With Open Arms
Two assistant professors from the University of Chicago and BYU have found that the addition of a Wal-Mart store in a neighborhood can raise the value of homes within a mile of the store, reports Mary Ellen Podmolik.
Scandal Threatens Wal-Mart's Urban Push
A bribery scandal recently uncovered by The New York Times is undoing years of hard work the retailer has engaged in to "polish its reputation and give elected officials, community groups and shoppers a reason to say yes to their stores."
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.
Will Wal-Mart Chase the Cool out of Athens, GA?
In the controversy over a new development planned for downtown Athens, the chain retailer seems to be a Trojan horse for a larger debate about economic development and who gets to define what is best for a community.
Is the Era of the Big-Box Ending?
Marina Strauss reports on the changing retail landscape, in which retailers such as Wal-Mart and Staples are counting on smaller stores to draw customers. As McMansions lose their luster, are over-sized retailers the next victim of changing tastes?
Walmart Talks Sustainability, But Keeps Sprawling
Walmart talks big about climate action, but its land-use strategy is anything but climate-friendly: It builds massive new stores on virgin land in sprawling areas, then abandons them in favor of still newer, still bigger stores, says Stacy Mitchell.
WalMart/Big Box Subsidies Don't Work, Says New Study
When governments use public money to woo national chains, economic growth and job creation aren't worth the cost, says Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Independent retailers also suffer.
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.
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.
Wal-Mart Gains Foothold In Lucrative Urban Market
Wal-Mart is succeeding in convincing Chicago politicians that it will create sustainable "employment and revenue for the city." The predominantly suburban-based supercenter chain is trying to move into denser urban areas.
The Big Business Behind Local Opposition to Wal-Mart
Typically thought of as a war to protect small businesses in communities from being swallowed up by a giant, the local opposition to Wal-Mart stores is often funded secretly by other major grocery chains.
Wal-Mart Proposed Near Civil War Site Angers Historians
A proposed Wal-Mart retail center near a Civil War battlefield in Virginia has preservationists up in arms.
Officials Protest as Wal-Mart Encroaches on Civil War Site
Plans to build a Wal-Mart and parking lot near a historic Civil War battlefield has spurred a bi-partisan protest from Virginia's top officials.
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.
Placer County
Skagit Transit
Berkeley County
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
M-NCPPC Prince George's County Planning Department
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
