Urban Design: The Future of Retail

Retail can mean more than just shopping: it has the ability to define neighborhoods and communities. Done right, it can also contribute to a city's vibrancy and dynamism. What you choose to purchase and how you do so speaks to issues of identity (individual and collective) and place-making/keeping (virtual and physical). During the pandemic, there has been an increased support for retail that feels authentic, despite the very real constraints under which these retailers have had to operate. How do we sustain that effort moving forward? How do we understand the needs of these business to succeed? How do we design more resilient, flexible, and usable physical places/canvasses in which local retailers can operate?
Speakers:
Jesse Baerkahn, Founder & Managing Director, Graffito SP
Zach Baum, Bow Market Co-creator and Manager
Jae’da Turner, Founder and Managing Director of Black Owned Bos.