A few weeks ago, we posted Morgan Greenseth's article on what's happening to malls in the Seattle area – and around the nation – as economic factors, gas prices, changing social trends and other pressures put the massive and now-outdated structures out of business.
Her article also mentioned another giant temple to retail that's feeling the squeeze around the country: Big Box stores. When these megastores have made a home for themselves within city limits, they change the urban landscape significantly. Yesterday, an article in USA Today discussed the issue:
Big-box stores leave huge spaces behind — many carry deed restrictions that prevent other retailers from moving in — and filling the space can be difficult. So cities have become creative and some are turning these hubs of capitalism into centers of civic life.
But, as they've done with shopping malls, proactive citizens, developers and policy-makers can intervene to make sure that empty big-boxes don't become abandoned eyesores. Instead, their large spaces can be used for community good. The article continues:
More communities are introducing policies that require big-box retailers to help redevelop the spaces they leave behind. Some require them to tear down the stores if they're empty more than a year. Others have introduced design standards that require landscaping and more than one main entrance so that the building can accommodate multiple tenants in the future.
The article continues with one encouraging example: Wisconsin Rapid (population 18,000), took the space left behind when Wal-Mart departed for the suburbs and built a community senior center. The new facility features a garden with benches, a library, meeting rooms, a walking track, and more, serving aging and disabled residents from two counties.
You can read more about the decline of suburban living in the Worldchanging archives; or take a look at how high gas prices are keeping residents in rural areas at home … and out of Wal-Marts.
