Planning for a Resilient Retail Landscape
PAS Memo — January-February 2020
By Bobby Boone, AICP, Rick Liu, AICP
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Retail is a fundamental part of the everyday experience for people and their communities, fulfilling the needs of daily life and driving economic activity. Residents and planners alike dream of stores, coffee shops, and restaurants that flank vibrant commercial corridors and line shopping centers. However, new realities are threatening this dream. The lingering effects of the Great Recession, a national overbuilding of commercial space, and the explosion of e-commerce have challenged brick-and-mortar retailers across the country. How can planners help their communities develop a thriving retail sector?
This PAS Memo provides insights into changing trends to help planners understand the forces at play in their communities and offers strategies to help planners deploy tools to support and sustain resilient local retail landscapes.
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About the Authors
Bobby Boone, AICP
Bobby, founder of &Access, an urban retail strategy firm, is passionate about solving complex problems. He has developed retail strategies for cities like DC, Raleigh, and Tulsa, using his expertise in market analysis and placemaking to stabilize real estate through retail occupancy and support entrepreneurs. Bobby also serves on the leadership team of the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network, driving strategies to sustain occupancy. He has lectured courses on retail planning and design at Harvard University, Howard University, and the University of Maryland while leading strategic research at &Access, uncovering issues plaguing urban retail environments.
Rick Liu, AICP
Rick Liu, AICP, LEED AP is an Economic & Development Specialist at the Montgomery County Planning Department in Montgomery County, MD. He currently serves as the agency’s authority on topics related to economic trends and development economics, and frequently prepares studies related to economic development, market trends, and feasibility analysis in support of the Department’s master planning process. Recently, he served as project manager for a Countywide Retail Study that comprehensively looked at the new forces and trends reshaping brick-and-mortar retail, in efforts to assess the health and future opportunities of the retail market in Montgomery County. Along with the APA, Rick is actively involved in various committees with the Urban Land Institute and the U.S. Green Building Council focused on creating better environments and regional cooperation. He has a Masters of City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Urban Studies from Tufts University.