[analog31]

In places where they still exist, people drive past them to the mega-supermarkets and big box stores. Where the smaller shops exist, they no longer have general purpose retail, but are specialty shops, services, restaurants, etc. Or they are run down and occupied by low rent businesses. Or they've gone massively upscale. You can get anything you want except the basic necessities for daily living.

Actually I wonder if a rise in restaurants has crowded out other forms of retail.

And then in new developments, it may be that housing is more profitable than small retail shops.

I admit that there are 3 supermarkets within walking distance of my house in a pedestrian friendly neighborhood. I can reach them on foot or bike in a few minutes. But they are expensive and have limited selection so we drive a few miles to a huge discount supermarket at the edge of town, every 2 or 3 weeks, and only get perishables at the nearby stores.

[ghaff]

Yeah. I live fairly near a fairly small (and admittedly somewhat downscale) city. Even if I lived walking distance from the downtown there which I don't I wouldn't actually shop there. There are a couple bank branches, a travel agency!, a convenience store, a few mostly downscale restaurants, etc. There's very little I would go there far. I'd drive to the local supermarket or Walmart.

[analog31]

An interesting thing in my neighborhood is that there are a couple of sizable retirement apartments, and also a row of apartments that have a lot of people attached to the university such as grad students and visiting scholars. These are people who might be less inclined to drive, benefit from shops that cater to them, and don't have space for huge bulk purchases. There's also a growing affluent population moving back into the middle of town.

[ghaff]

A significant student population definitely helps lead to a happy medium between the hollowed out downtown and the boutique/art gallery/wine bar extremes.

[analog31]

Indeed, and the academic workforce helps too. For instance there's a premium on housing that's within easy bike commuting distance of the university, hospital, etc.