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to the two models, one might never suspect that they both sell the same things. They are both small places to pick up small amounts of convenience goods. Yet one is a welcome neighbor, a social center, and a contributor to property values, while the other is considered a blight. The critical difference between the two is the volume of the building and its relationship to the street, two factors that can be combined under the heading of building typology. The building type of this corner store is essentially the same as the town houses next to it: two stories high, three windows wide, built of brick, and situated directly against the sidewalk, which its entrance faces. One could imagine it may even have been a town house once, so well does it blend in among its neighbors.

In contrast, the Quick Mart—one story tall and facing a parking lotn—has little in common with its residential neighbors and is therefore unwelcome. Compatibility has less to do with use than with building type. When typology is compatible, a variety of activities can coexist side by side.

THE SHOPPING CENTER VERSUS MAIN STREET

Big-box suburban retail presents the same problems writ large. Many people, when they come across a scene like the one pictured at the top of the next page, assume that the developer has somehow gotten away with something. Sadly, this shopping center and others like it are examples of the developers following the rules, building such retail the only way it is allowed. Almost every aspect of what is pictured here has been taken straight out of the code books: the size of the sign, the number of spaces in the parking lot, the placement of the lighting fixtures, the thickness of the asphalt, even the precise hue of the yellow stripes between the parking spaces. A considerable amount of time, energy, and care goes into creating an environment that most find unpleasant and tawdry.

Suburban retail, by the book: what developers build if they follow the rules

Mizner Park in Boca Raton, Florida: the shopping mall rearranged as Main Street, with offices and apartments above

Mizner Park in Boca Raton, Florida, represents a different way to organize a large-scale retail center. This new main street far outperforms the suburban competition; it has even become a tourist destination. Mizner Park offers a superior physical environment that attracts people whether or not they need to shop. Its desirability stems from the carefully shaped public space it provides, as well as its traditional mix of uses: shops downstairs, offices and apartments above. Parking is neatly tucked away in garages to the rear. When well designed and well managed, this sort of mixed-use main-street retail is more profitable to own than the strip center or the shopping mall. o

Another success story is Mashpee Commons, in Massachusetts. It may be hard to believe, but the pleasant downtown (opposite page) was once the defunct strip center shown above it. This retrofit demonstrates not only the superiority of main street over the strip but also the ease with which some parts of suburbia can be reclaimed.

Its allure has not escaped the attention of the leading retailers. National merchants such as The Gap and Banana Republic, once focused exclusively on malls, have reoriented themselves toward traditional main streets. And some of the country’s largest real estate developers, such as Federal Realty, are now routinely investing in downtowns such as Bethesda’s and Santa Barbara’s in order to develop main-street shopping districts. While the days of the shopping mall are not over, main streets are experiencing a resurgence.p When they are smart enough to appropriate management experience from the malls, traditionally designed downtowns can be quite competitive as retail locations.

Mashpee Commons, before: the strip center, unloved and short-lived

THE OFFICE PARK VERSUS MAIN STREET

Today, Mizner Park represents the latest in urban design innovation. Seventy-five years ago, these techniques were nothing more than common sense. The close proximity of living,