• Why malls are a bad public investment

    A failed mall is bringing down a neighborhood in Milwaukee, highlighting the advantages of more sustainable retail.
    Note: This article first appeared on Strong Towns .​ Public Square editor Robert Steuteville is on leave through the last week of October. Big investments can bring about big problems. Take the shopping mall , for instance: Built on the appealing premise of housing a bunch of commercial businesses...Read more

  • Visionary planning needed for troubled malls

    Many malls are going out of business, and a recent report shows that how these sites are redeveloped impacts city finances. Municipalities can influence mall reuse to promote mixed-use redevelopment that provides long-term benefits.
    A recent Barclays report highlights why municipalities with dead and dying malls need proactive and visionary planning. The long-term fiscal health of cities and town is at stake. Coming out of Covid, we are likely to see even greater numbers of dying shopping malls, leaving sites in need of...Read more

  • Retail types that have survived for centuries

    Walkable urban place types are critical to life in traditional cities and they will thrive in the long run.
    The retail industry is currently going through massive upheaval due to COVID-19, and this is on top of turmoil that was taking place over the last decade due to general societal trends. Some of this upheaval is good, but it is damaging to businesses, jobs, and people’s lives in the near term. At...Read more

  • After the lockdown, new opportunities for downtown shopping districts

    Main Street areas stand to do well as a result of entrepreneurial activity and market forces in the aftermath of the coronavirus.
    Since the earliest human settlements, the retail experience has evolved to meet the needs of the public. This evolution has taken us from rural markets to towns, cities, suburban shopping malls, big box mega stores, and, more recently, the Internet. But what will retail shopping look like once...Read more