Of course, history has a way of repeating itself, but what’s always changing are the eyes we look through and the way our neighbors see us.
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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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The question for a city with a history of embracing the suburban experiment is now, "Where should your energies be expended?"
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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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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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A failed mall can feel like a monument to your community’s economic failure. A presidential hopeful has an idea to bring them back to life. But is it a good thing?
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In this episode of our podcast It’s the Little Things, Jacob chats with Caroline Dobbins-Hurteau—staff member at Albion Reinvestment Corporation—about how you can start a successful pop-up shop, including how to pitch the idea to downtown organizations, how to find prospective tenants, and, most important, how to make it an incremental yet lasting success in your city or town.
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The shopping mall, an icon of America’s suburban experiment, has fallen on hard times. But don’t start cheering; that doesn’t mean we should assume that one comes next will be a better deal for communities.
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More and more, New York City is becoming a ghost town where only the super rich can afford to live, and retail can’t afford to stay open. But is simple greed the reason why?
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To assume that a street-forward, mixed use development will activate a lifeless area is like assuming that gardening is a matter of “just add water.” In reality, different urban environments—like different soils, climates, and plants—require different elements of care.
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In an area where the population is growing, one question often vexes neighbors: why is that house or storefront vacant? It just doesn’t seem to make sense. Why do landlords leave properties empty when they could be getting rent?
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