VIEWPOINT Figure 8-2
Retail Commands the Network of Diversity and Variety in Marketplaces
Source: CivicArts / Eric R Kuhne & Associates, 2009
conceptualizing the future of the retail industry. Consider networks as patterns of movement. Intersections on that network are nodes for communication. Frequently visited nodes (destinations) are similar in concept to a marketplace—say, a town square. But that “marketplace” node of the network—as depicted in Figure 8-3—is connected to other nodes in a comprehensive system. The goal is to increase the frequency of return to the marketplace node, taking into account the multidimensional pathways to navigate the network. Paul Baran recognized this relationship in his seminal
paper for the Rand Corporation3 in which he opined how information-network systems resemble the interaction process between commerce and trade. Volume, velocity and value (content) in the network can represent an evolved city. Within this network, the addition of social
processes produces intensity. Any great city is comprised of dozens of villages
pressed together (or nodes, in this framework), each with its own identity, turf boundaries, tribal rituals, and festivals, heraldic brands and colloquialisms. Manhattan has 39 of these villages, London has well over 100, and the New West End in the heart of the largest retail center in the world has nine identifiable villages. They succeed or fail based on their ability to honor their “tribal” and cosmopolitan diversity. They provide not just shopping, but also dining, entertainment, leisure, hospitality, and cultural experiences that appeal to constituents. These are the best part of any village or any marketplace. The more diverse a society, the more villages it requires. Any attempt to homogenize these places will be met with resistance, and ultimately, with migration away. People
3 Paul Baran, “On Distributed Communications Networks,” The Rand Corp., September 1962, retrieved April 10, 2013. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS
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RETAIL PROPERTY INSIGHTS VOL. 20, NO. 1, 2013
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