"We've never built a store like this," says Wal-Mart spokeswoman Daphne Davis Moore. "We've had to use specially designed escalators that allow you to take your shopping carts on them."
Although Wal-Mart stores are common in suburban areas, few of its "big box" retail buildings have been constructed in more congested urban cores. "In urban areas, it is a challenge to get enough available land" for a Supercenter, usually more than 20 acres, Ms. Moore says. "But we recognize that lots of people live in these urban areas, and more are moving back from the suburbs. We want to be where our customers are."
Moderator Comment: How active a role should retailers encourage communities to play in site development?
Wal-Mart has probably encountered the most community resistance to site development. The company that Sam built, however, is not the only retailer to has faced this battle.
An opinion piece in today's New York Times, Rebuilding a City One Block at a Time, discusses how Los Angeles has sought to rebuild from the riots. The thesis is that LA is making it back largely due to economic development made in consultation with and reflecting the priorities of the residents of that area.
Torie Osborn, who wrote the column, calls this process accountable development. According to the Times, Osborn is executive director of the Liberty Hill Foundation, a group that supports grass-roots community organizations. [George Anderson - Moderator]