Digital technology, new business models, demographic and cultural change, and now the Covid-19 pandemic are shaking up the traditional model of brick-and-mortar retail. All these developments have a profound impact on our cities and urban life. The next chapter of our social development is being determined and formed in the city centers and their shopping streets.
How will cities deal with the imminent desolation of their centers? What is driving people into or out of downtown areas? What answers can architecture come up with in response? In this context, caspar.esearch produced a critical study aimed at gaining a better understanding of the rapid changes taking place, particularly in the German retail sector.