Wal-Mart Takes On The Urban Core

An "escalator for shopping carts" heralds a new trend -- the entry of large retailers into dense urban shopping areas.

1 minute read

November 30, 2002, 12:00 PM PST

"It wouldn't be the first time that technology helped change the urban landscape. Elevators made the high-rise possible, sending cities into the sky. Freeways paved the way for suburban development, which in turn left swaths of inner-city areas empty and blighted.The cart conveyor systems, to hear some boosters and urban planning experts tell it, will help fuel a new phase, bringing commerce back to the urban core.... But in January, Wal-Mart plans to open a multilevel store at Crenshaw Plaza -- and it's all possible because of a 50-year-old machine that can best be described as an escalator for shopping carts."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: A Boost for Urban Shoppers

Friday, November 29, 2002 in The Los Angeles Times

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