The Chaotic, Fractal and Complex City

(Photograph located at   Grist.com at: http://grist.org/business-technology/2011-11-29-can-you-say-sprawl-walmarts-biggest-climate-impact-goes-ignored/ It is certain that many big box stores will soon be fading from the urban landscape, after being a fixture along arterials for decades.   In some areas, this has already started.   In the aftermath of their departure from arterials, there will be large areas of vacant land, unless local governments take the initiative to investigate alternatives for reuse of these areas.   In addition, the departure of big box stores mean unemployed residents, reduce sales and property and negative symbols for the community.Therefore, this should be a priority for local governments. The following are some suggestions for strategies of reuse of the vacated land. : 1. Use them for public facilities. With many local governments strapped for funding to build new facilities, there is an opportunity  to transform t...

The urban landscape is changing due to the growth of e-commerce. In the past, the arrival of Big box stores in cities and regions, particularly Wal-Mart, meant the demise of many local businesses.   They could not compete with the prices or the variety of goods offered by big box   stores. Even further back, we witnessed the virtual elimination of the local grocery stores being overtaken by large retail supermarkets and convenience stores.  Looming now on stage right  is the specter of e-commerce , which I assert will lead to the collapse of many Big Box stores as mentioned in my earlier blog entry ( http://mcadamsfatih1.blogspot.com/2012/08/collapse-of-big-boxdepartment-stores.html   .)   It has the potential to also further add to the decline of local business. We can all bemoan the demise of local business or their favorite Big Box   or department store   (i.e., Circuit City, Montgomery Ward). The reality is that e-commerce is ch...

I found this interesting blog entry, while searching further on the topic of the collapse of big box/department stores: “Apparel E-Commerce and Collapse of Big Box Stores”, Apparel Logistics Group: http://www.apparellogisticsgroup.com/Blog/April-2012/Apparel-E-Commerce-Collapse-Big-Box-Retail.aspx This blog entry is from a commercial site of a company that provides third party logistics to apparel retailers including outsourcing services and is advocating using e-commerce to off-set the decline of present retailing.   This blog entry specifically mentions the coming collapse of Big Box stores because they are offering good that do not have to be tested or tried on, such as CD’s, electronic equipment.   The blog author uses this as a pretext to discuss the advantage of e-commerce in apparel shopping. The caveat is the following statement in the blog entry: Here at The Apparel Logistics Group, our third party logistics services can help your company slim down, gear up, an...

(Image found on Business News Daily blog entry. See: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2347-big-box-hate-groups.html ) In the latest news, Best Buy is having financial troubles.   The founder and former CEO, Richard Schulze, is attempting to make the company private (see http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20120806&id=15416609 .) There is the usual backroom stuff and static. However, this is not an isolated case. The bottom line is that Best Buy and other Big Box and traditional department stores are out of touch with their customers, have unknowledgeable and even rude employees , have over priced goods and are being used as a ‘showroom’—meaning customers are going to look at products and then buying for less elsewhere, probably on the Internet.   If you look at the recent past, we have seen giants such as Kmart being absorbed by Sears, then Sears having problems.   Montgomery Ward bit the dust several years ago.   Borders...