The trajectory of these Jersey supermarkets is a microcosm of how the suburban experiment altered small towns, turning them from tiny cities into suburban lifestyle accouterments.
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Despite their layouts, these islands of apparent urbanism out in the countryside are a sign that we’re doing something very, very wrong.
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What are some of the hidden things we can’t see because we’re blinded by three generations of the Suburban Experiment?
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It’s back. But why?
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It might seem counterintuitive that Amazon, the mall killer, would want to open its own department stores. But it’s worth understanding why the company sees this as a strategic move.
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We glorify our country’s rough-and-tumble entrepreneurial history, yet we often look down on people who embody it today, and on the commercial landscapes that result.
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What can be done about retail structures when they’re abandoned by their big-box tenants? One solution: break them down into smaller, much more dynamic spaces.
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These photos of Staunton, Virginia, serve as a reminder that the benefits of “urbanism” aren’t limited to big cities.
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U.S. commercial real estate was way overbuilt before the pandemic. What will happen now that brick-and-mortar retail is cratering?
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To have enduring prosperity, a community cannot squander its land; it must develop in ways that are financially productive.
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The trajectories of two local shopping districts—a mall built in the mid-80s, and a historic downtown—provide an object lesson on the power of the “chaotic but smart” approach to growing a city.
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Comparing the process of furnishing two apartments—one in Ecuador, the other in the U.S.—was a reminder: order and efficiency aren't always what they're cracked up to be.
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Sure, it’s all well and good to talk about ending parking minimums. But what about doing it in ultra-car-dependent Los Angeles?
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We, as a culture, have become so fixated on growing jobs in our communities that we can’t see anything else. It is up to us to recognize that our cities and metro areas can ask for better.
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The allure of a silver-bullet economic development project is like that boat you buy for a low, low down payment. You know, the one that ended up sitting in your driveway under a tarp for years. Just ask Memphis.
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The dollar store might seem like a smaller, friendlier alternative to the big box. But its proliferation tells us something powerful about the way we build our towns.
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Big boxes arguably helped to kill the classic main street. Can they also bring it back?
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Using tax incentives to subsidize retail is a lose-lose game that St. Louis's suburbs, desperate for short-term revenue, have been playing for too long. University City is mortgaging its future and selling out its small businesses with a $70 million subsidy for big-box development.
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University City, Missouri, is on the verge of a terrible decision: a redevelopment deal that would displace dozens of homes and minority-owned businesses in its unofficial “Chinatown” for big-box retail subsidized through tax-increment financing.
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Most of the land in our cities sits vacant for large parts of the day. Is this the best use of our resources?
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