Hazel Borys discusses how several key form-based guidelines for retail can encourage success in the most risky of all development types.
It's been a busy week around urban planning and retail development. Bob Gibbs new book, Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development, was published. Along with a webinar and Twitter discussion on the subject. It got a little debate going on whether you planners can create rules for something as nebulous and regionally-specific as retail.
Hazel Borys summarizes: "Let's look for a moment at some of the key rules of retail. And the numbers that influence our buying habits. Concise rules of human behavior govern whether retail will be successful. But these rules have many corollaries.
Over Supply: The US has 20 SF of retail per person. That's massive in comparison to other countries; the next closest are Sweden at 3.3 and the UK at 2.5 SF of retail per person. So if you're going to build more, it's gotta be good."
Thanks to Hazel Borys
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research