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The Conversation
The Conversation
Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, Hunter College

Big-box retail chains were never a solution for America's downtowns − and now they're fleeing back to suburbia

Merchandise is locked in cases to guard against theft in a Target store in New York City on Sept. 23, 2023. Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Holiday shopping is in full swing, but city dwellers may have fewer options for buying in person than they did a few years ago. That’s because many large chain stores are pulling out of central cities.

This trend has been building for several years. Target made national headlines in 2018 when it closed its store in a predominantly Black Baltimore neighborhood after just 10 years of operation. COVID-19 sped things up by cutting foot traffic in city centers and boosting online commerce.

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