Research project | Department stores as drivers of sustainable inner-city development

For more than a century, department stores and warehouses were considered the beacons of inner-city retail. The most famous have always been the traditional stores that sprang up in the centres of large cities, but numerous department stores have also been established in small and medium-sized towns. However, due to the smaller, inner-city environment, the department stores there were no less significant for urban development than the traditional stores in the big cities.

As in large cities, department stores and warehouses in small and medium-sized towns are also affected by the recent wave of closures. However, while the closure and conversion of large department stores is well documented (see Department stores and warehouses in transition/link), there is a considerable need for research in small and medium-sized towns, which this research project aims to address.

The impact of department stores on their urban environment is determined through systematic data analysis. The indicators obtained in this way are systematically evaluated and revised in expert workshops and simulation games, among other things. The aim is to develop a system for determining the potential for reusing vacant department stores and to formulate recommendations for the municipalities concerned.

In cooperation with: Technical University of Munich and Bauhaus University Weimar

Commissioned by: Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR)

Duration: 2025 – 2027