Retail Revolution in the Digital Era

Storefronts are home to the retail and food service, providing goods and services to the city’s residents, fostering local economy, and defining the neighborhood’s characters. New York City as the main gateway city in United States has the most complicated retail system, ranging from local bodega, retail corridors, department stores to high street fashion stores. In the current decade, storefronts in New York City have been pockmarked with vacancies due to increasing rents, e-commerce and consumer’s behavioral shifts. As important as it is to urban life, retail diversity is now threatened in many New York City’s neighborhood. This research aims to analyze data from County Business Patterns and U.S. Census Bureau to study current retail network system and changes of retail activities over time in New York City. The goal of this research is to call for further investigation and innovative uses of the City’s zoning, land use, and planning tools to improve retail diversity and preserve neighborhood characters.