Integrating the Who, What, and Where of U.S. Retail Center Geographies
Patrick Ballantyne; Alex Singleton; Les Dolega; Jacob Macdonald (2023). Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 113(2), 488-510. DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2022.2098087
Abstract
Retail is an important function at the core of urban areas, occupying a key role in determining their economic prosperity, desirability, and vibrancy. Efforts to understand the geographies of retail centers, the cores of retailing in urban areas, have a long academic tradition, often studied through either rich local case studies, or when geographically more expansive, are constrained by limited detail. New data in United States detailing the location and uses of retail creates a significant opportunity to develop a more complete and comprehensive overview of the national retail system, at a high spatial resolution. This research is rooted in a pragmatic effort to provide the first and most comprehensive model of U.S. retail center geographies, through development of an integrated, conceptual, and empirically grounded framework, using data from SafeGraph, to examine where they are located, what characteristics they have, and who uses them. The resulting geographies are of great interest, creating significant potential in the monitoring of the national retail system as it continues to evolve in response to wider structural challenges. Furthermore, by integrating these three geographies (where, what, and who), we establish a conceptual framework that yields substantive insights about the relationships between each of them, and argues that understandings of U.S. retail center geographies are more comprehensive and useful when considering the who, what, and where together.
Extended Summary
This paper creates the first comprehensive framework for understanding retail centre geographies across the United States by integrating three key dimensions: where they are located, what characteristics they have, and who uses them. Using SafeGraph location data covering 3.5 million retail places, the research develops innovative spatial analytical methods to map America’s retail landscape. The methodology employs the H3 spatial indexing system to delineate retail centre boundaries, constructs a multidimensional typology using machine learning clustering techniques, and calibrates modified Huff models with mobility data to determine catchment areas. The analysis identifies 10,956 major retail centres distributed primarily within metropolitan statistical areas, with 98% located in urbanised regions. The research reveals four main retail centre groups: major urban centres and established shopping destinations; small city, town and primary neighbourhood centres; comparison and multipurpose shopping destinations; and everyday convenience and service centres. Significant regional variations emerge, with the South containing the most centres despite the Northeast having the largest individual centre in Manhattan. The study demonstrates that retail centre functions span multiple scales, challenging traditional central place theory assumptions about hierarchical retail systems. Function proves more important than scale in determining consumer patronage patterns, with centres serving everyday needs showing higher distance sensitivity than comparison shopping destinations. The Huff model calibration reveals substantial parameter variations between retail centre types, suggesting that one-size-fits-all approaches are inadequate for understanding national retail systems. The integrated framework shows strong interconnections between spatial distribution, typologies, and catchments of retail centres. These connections have important theoretical implications for retail geography, particularly regarding the relationship between function and scale. The findings provide crucial insights for policymakers seeking to protect brick-and-mortar retail amid structural challenges including the retail apocalypse and COVID-19 impacts. By establishing replicable workflows using open-source tools, this research enables regular monitoring of retail system evolution and provides a template for similar analyses in other international contexts.
Key Findings
- Identifies 10,956 major US retail centres using novel H3 spatial indexing system, with 98% located in metropolitan areas
- Creates four-group typology revealing function is more important than scale in determining consumer patronage patterns
- Demonstrates that traditional central place theory inadequately explains contemporary American retail centre hierarchies
- Calibrated Huff models show substantial parameter variations between retail centre types, challenging universal retail location models
- Establishes integrated conceptual framework proving retail centre geographies are better understood when examining location, characteristics and catchments together
Citation
@article{ballantyne2023integrating,
author = {Patrick Ballantyne; Alex Singleton; Les Dolega; Jacob Macdonald},
title = {Integrating the Who, What, and Where of U.S. Retail Center Geographies},
journal = {Annals of the American Association of Geographers},
year = {2023},
volume = {113(2)},
pages = {488-510},
doi = {10.1080/24694452.2022.2098087}
}