Whole Foods

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

Grocery Store

Competition, Debt Faulted in Bankruptcies of Two Major Food Retailers

Two major grocery store companies announced bankruptcy this week, sparking fears that the "retail apocalypse" has expanded to food retailers.

March 22, 2018 - The Washington Post

Produce Aisle

Ground-Level Grocery Stores Proliferate in Boston

Being able to get groceries without a car can be a big draw in walkable, mixed use neighborhoods. Many Boston grocers and developers are taking that to heart.

October 25, 2017 - The Boston Globe

Whole Foods and Amazon: Lessons from Walmart

Whole Foods and Amazon: Lessons from Walmart

The question of whether Amazon's ownership of Whole Foods will make opportunities, or take them away, is still up for debate.

October 3, 2017 - William Riggs

Whole Foods

Whole Foods to Undergo Unprecedented Downsizing

A symbol of urbanist affluence is getting its first reality check. 2017 has not been kind to brock and mortar retailers.

February 13, 2017 - Bloomberg

The Cost of Thanksgiving at Whole Foods in Englewood in Chicago

Is Whole Foods making Thanksgiving accessible for residents of Englewood in Chicago?

November 24, 2016 - The Chicago Tribune

High Hopes for New Developments in the Chicago Neighborhood of Englewood

Chicago's Englewood neighborhood recently saw the opening of a Whole Foods, Starbucks, and other retailers in a bit of a good news, for a neighborhood that's challenged by low employment and high violence.

October 3, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

Whole Foods

Whole Foods Parking Lot to Replace Wetlands

Sarasota County, Florida, has approved a plan to pave over forested wetlands and build parking for a Whole Foods Market. To compensate, the developer is donating another plot of wetlands to the public.

February 10, 2016 - Quartz

Whole Foods Moving into a Food Desert in Chicago's Englewood Neighborhood

Why would Whole Foods—a company colloquially known as "Whole Paycheck" and as a staple of wealthy neighborhoods—open an 18,000-square-foot location in one of the most impoverished parts of Chicago?

November 20, 2014 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Whole Foods as Gentrification Bellwether

Whole Foods' newest store in Gowanus, Brooklyn is causing local vendors and artists to tread "a fine line" between reaching new customers and supporting what they think of as new, "big" development.

December 23, 2013 - The New Yorker

Stereotypes Undergird Coverage of Detroit Whole Foods Opening

When does the opening of a Whole Foods generate national media attention? When the location is Midtown, Detroit.

June 10, 2013 - Grist

'Fabricated' Letters of Support Dog DC Area Redevelopment

An effort to bring jobs and the first Whole Foods to Prince George's County confronts rezoning debates and backhanded tactics.

February 5, 2013 - The Washington Post

Why Whole Foods' Arrival is an Auspicious Sign for Detroit

Starbucks used to be the retailer who symbolically announced the revival of an urban community. Not any longer. Will Doig looks at Whole Foods, the new gentrification symbol, who've "made a science of putting down roots" at "just the right moment".

May 8, 2012 - Salon.com

Arrival of Big Boxes Serves As Point of Pride in Detroit

Tanveer Ali sees Detroit, where the impending arrival of retail behemoths has been greeted with enthusiasm by a city in desperate need of jobs and retail outlets, as an interesting test case for theories about the economic value of big-box stores

March 5, 2012 - Good

Friday Funny: Keepin' it Real in the Whole Foods Parking Lot

DJDave, aka David Wittman, spoofs L.A. culture and the politics of the parking lot in this clever video.

June 17, 2011 - YouTube

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

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100 Most Influential Urbanists

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

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