With growth controls making suburban properties less attractive and wealth becoming concentrated in older centres, Canada's big box retailers are looking downtown for new locations.
"[S]ome of the biggest names in the big-box sector have decided they are missing out on a huge customer base in Canada's city centres and are repackaging themselves accordingly, with as-yet-unknown consequences for the urban neighbourhoods targeted for expansion.
With provincial governments in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec getting tougher on suburban sprawl, land on the urban fringe is getting more expensive [...] At the same time, big-box developers and retailers have come to the conclusion that as downtowns become denser and more gentrified [...]ignoring a growing population of affluent urban customers begins to look rather silly.
All of this might signal a transformation in the basic economics of big-box retail. [...] But no one knows yet what will happen to independent businesses if and when big boxes become a dominant presence in urban areas, and not one-off curiosities."
FULL STORY: Big-box stores venture into foreign terrain
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Has President Trump Met His Match?
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Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
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San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
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Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
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Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
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