December 8: Retail disruption | Disconnected, unwelcomed | What housing shortage?

Econsult Solutions looks at the current truths of the retail market in this week’s Present Value. Econsult senior advisor Catherine Timko chooses the word disruption: how retailers are turning to technology, showrooming, and omni-channel markets (a brick & mortar plus online strategy) for survival and growth.

What is rideshare good for? Reading Terminal, Woody’s, and El Vez, according to Lyft’s tally of destinations in Philly this year. Interesting note, King of Prussia Mall saw the biggest increase as a ride destination. Hey, we were just talking about retail!

A clash between institutionalized curatorial practices and staunchly progressive, independent practices: Peter Crimmins looks at the ‘minor miracle’ of Philadelphia Assembled, a ‘massive, citywide civic engagement experiment’ at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Some of the nontradional participants—neighborhood artists and activists—came into the project with a disconnected and unwelcomed perspective of the art museum. The exhibit concludes this weekend.

On the topic of spaces making people feel welcomed and unwelcomed, we go into the beginnings of a series of conversations on race & public space on December 13th. Join PlanPhilly, Urban Consulate, PACDC, the Community Design Collaborative and PhilaNOMA as we host planners, designers, and community organizers who are involved in every step of placemaking. We need your participation to shape the content for the subsequent workshops, so please come and lend your thoughts!

Philadelphia’s suburban counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have either a “healthy” supply or overabundance of housing stock, according to local celebrity economist Kevin Gillen based on data from Philadelphia-based Houwzer Inc. The Inquirer’s Caitlin McCabe looks at some of the factors that make it harder to sell suburban homes compared to their Philadelphia counterparts, including “urban characteristic,” school districts, and condition of homes.

Rounding off today’s space and real estate coverage, office space on 30th Street in University City is the 16th most expensive in the country, according to a new JLL report.

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