(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Nash, Ronald James; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ralph Johnson
The intent of my thesis is to find a way to integrate a large big-box retailer into a community in such a way that it benefits the community as a whole. This must be accomplished within the parameters that mark the store as a viable option for the parent company as well. This ideal must be approached from the philosophy that box stores are a large part of the current American way of life and to let them grow unchecked will signal the inevitable death of downtown retail districts as more and more business gets sucked to the super-stores and the areas immediately surrounding them. To do this we will need to find what benefits a box-store can add to a community and further research and rethink the typically negative aspects of these retail giants to find a way to incorporate them into our downtown shopping districts, without destroying their original feel. With this thesis, it is my intent to create a viable model that allows box stores to act as anchors and catalysts for a downtown area (either existing or built) rather than its death knell.
