“The concept of a shopping center as a place where people simply show up to make a few purchases and leave is becoming passé. Increasingly, developers are building mixed-use centers that include residential, office and entertainment components, which turn them more into a consumer home base and less of a functional destination. Add in amenities like town squares, public parks, community gardens and amphitheaters, and the “shopping center” becomes more of an all-around “center” of activity.”

Download “The Comforts of Home” Chain Store Age.