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Big-box stores slim down for urban settings

May 29, 2008

Architectural Record: Suburbanites are downsizing to apartments and condos located near theaters and cafes on walkable downtown blocks in San Diego, Milwaukee, Atlanta and other cities nationwide. Big-box retailers are in hot pursuit, eager to grow beyond their longtime suburban locations to tap these emerging markets. But the traditionally sprawling floor plates of these stores aren't a good fit for densely settled urban areas. So, architects are laying them out more up-and-down than left-to-right — with more floors, less parking, fewer signs, and more glass facades — even if that means breaking with the look that once helped define the store's brand.

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