Big Boxes Going Urban

Big box retailers are continuing to target urban markets, and finding new ways to squeeze their large sizes into dense urban settings.

1 minute read

December 23, 2010, 10:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


Cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. are now in the sights of big box retailers like Target and WalMart, which are looking at smaller, denser places to place their typically sprawling outlets.

"Sunda Obendorf is the store's "team leader," Target's term for manager. The store is Target's "cookie-cutter" size, she says, at 126,000 square feet. But to make it fit in a densely packed urban area, the space is stacked up on two floors. People ride escalators up and down alongside their shopping carts. Shoppers 'love the cart escalators,' Obendorf says.

Many of the store's shoppers don't come in a car. But people who buy large items like furniture don't have any trouble getting it home. They just hail a cab."

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in NPR

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Bird's eye view of large apartment complex under construction next to four-lane road near Atlanta, Georgia.

How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years

The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.

April 9, 2025 - Governing

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

5 hours ago - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

6 hours ago - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

7 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive