Online Retail and Spatial Development – New Urbanity for Old City Centers!

Duration

2016–2019

Research Question

The digitalization of our society represents a profound transformation for both retail and cities. Increasingly, large segments of the population regularly use the Internet for shopping, with mobile internet-enabled devices playing an ever-growing role. According to the German Retail Federation (HDE), online retail sales in 2018 exceeded €50 billion for the first time. Continued high growth rates indicate that this trend is likely to persist and expand further across Germany.

From the perspective of spatial development, these trends raise a wide range of questions. The working group focused on four main areas:

• Analysis of the demand side, with particular attention to spatial differences
• Online retail and local supply (e-food): discussing the impacts on settlement structures and the security of local services
• New guiding principles and strategies for center development, considering changing uses and perceptions
• Legal requirements and possibilities for governance from the perspective of spatial planning
• Approach

The core of the working group’s work is the professional discourse within the group itself. In addition, various formats, including working group meetings and workshops, were used to engage with external experts.

To address the key thematic areas, several members of the working group decided to conduct their own empirical investigations. As a result, study and school projects were initiated and supervised to examine selected research questions in more detail. In addition, a funding application was submitted for a research project that includes a household survey on shopping behavior in different spatial contexts as well as a systematic analysis of innovative concepts for local (and neighborhood) supply.

Outputs

The results were disseminated through an ARL position paper; a thematic issue on “Online Retail and Spatial Development” in the journal RaumPlanung; articles in professional journals (including Raumforschung und Raumordnung); and events and presentations aimed at target-specific dissemination of the findings.