Big Box Retail
Opinion: When New Growth Is Really a 'Giant Ponzi Scheme'
Development that depends on subsidies is not fostering true growth and instead is a financial house of cards.
Dollar General Unveils Urban Format Store For Millennials
Now proposing to add another 900 stores in 2018, Dollar General continues to rapidly expand throughout the U.S. However, their push for a smaller more urban format is something seriously worth watching.
Ross May Be Immune from the Amazon Effect
Ross Stores continues its expansion in the face of a much-foretold retail apocalypse. The shopping experience it provides may be one reason it can stand up to Amazon.
Macy's Looking To Monetize Unused Parking Lots
Macy's sees opportunities to improve the shopping experience by activating empty parking lots.
Walmart Takes On Amazon By Testing Out Grocery Pickup Store Concept
The nation's largest brick and mortar retailer gearing up to fight rival Amazon's brick and mortar grocery concept.
As Big Box Retailers Fade, New Uses Are Springing Up
The end of the era of the big box retailer is leaving landlords with the difficult task of finding new tenants for the large, empty storefronts.
Target to Enter the Urban Market in Big Way to Boost Lagging Sales
The Minneapolis-based retailer is thinking big by betting on a small store and the urban revolution.
A New Twist for Downtown Dallas Big Box Proposal
A Dallas County judge threw a wrench in a controversial plan to build a 100,000-square-foot Sam's Club near Cityplace in Dallas.
The Changing Nature of Retail: The Impact of Online Shopping on Cities
As consumers increasingly buy online, technology is changing the shape of our cities, reducing demand for retail space, increasing freight congestion, and leaving parking lots empty.
Does Brooklyn Suffer From a Lack of Gas Stations? The Chamber of Commerce Thinks So
For the center of the hipster universe, the Brooklyn Chamber's recommendations may come as a surprise.
Support for Walmart Grows Nationally
Opposition to Walmart is now holding at just 50 percent, when people are asked how they would feel if a Walmart was proposed "in your community." Support for Walmart is up 16 percentage points since 2006.
Uproar Over 'Surprise' Big Box Development in Dallas
The evolving story goes back to last summer, but media and stakeholders were caught off guard by the recent revelation that Trammell Crow Co. is planning to develop a 100,00 square foot Sam's Club in Dallas.
The Importance of Retail Design to the Future of Our Cities and Towns
Much of the future built environment will be determined by how commercial sites are developed, says Robert Steuteville. And it's up to cities and towns to demand better retail designs.
Do You Walmart?
Saying "no" to Walmart does not remove the wants and needs they exist to serve. If you want a more locally-oriented community, you need a more local-friendly system, says Scott Doyon.
Big-Box Centers Are Too Big to Fill
Shopping center landlords are having trouble renting their big-box spaces after the fall of Borders Group Inc., reflecting a larger shift in the way Americans shop, reports Kris Hudson.
Studying the Surprising Correlation Between Big-Box Stores and Hate Groups
Emily Badger reports on an intriguing new study that shows big-box stores may be even more closely correlated with the presence of hate groups than many of the factors that have long been used to explain them.
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
Is the Era of the Big-Box Ending?
Marina Strauss reports on the changing retail landscape, in which retailers such as Wal-Mart and Staples are counting on smaller stores to draw customers. As McMansions lose their luster, are over-sized retailers the next victim of changing tastes?
Opportunities for Big-Box Developments Abound Across the Northern Border
After being hidden in plain sight for decades, Canada now emerges as the hot spot for U.S. "international" investment.
Are Local Businesses Making a Comeback?
Styled after Harper's Index, this "Localism Index" suggests that local economies and independent businesses might just be making a comeback.
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.
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
