Five commercial/retail development experts discuss the sector, examining the near-term prospects for development and financing, strategies for making retail centers thrive, and the impact of online retailers and social media. Read where current growth is in the sector, and how big-box facilities are being reconfigured to meet the shift in demand.

As the economy recovers, an enduring shift is taking place in the retail landscape. Hard-hit by the severe economic downturn, the huge baby boomer generation is not likely to lead a spending revival the way it did after previous recessions. Instead, the more important demographic will be generation Y. Learn the surprising impact this could have for a much maligned format—the enclosed mall.

Under the “new normal” of retailing, shopping is an “experiential” activity done in more urban settings, there are lots of un- or under-employed consumers focused on prices, and Wall Street performance correlates with retail trends. Jon Eisen, managing principal of The Eisen Group in Washington, D.C., offered this take at an industry roundtable at ULI’s Spring Council Forum in Phoenix, Arizona. Read what panelists had to say about the future of retail and commercial property.

An international panel of real estate and land use experts convened by ULI advised the city of Chester, England, on how best to revive its aging retail district and leverage those efforts to create further revitalization programs. The city is trying to be “too many things to too many people,” panel members said. Read what areas the panel suggested Chester should focus on.

In his book Retail Rescue, architect Ronald Altoon touches on broad topics, listing 11 ideas to create memorable destinations that transcend identification solely as retail centers, such as contextual evaluation, urban framework/infrastructure environment, and “they don’t know what they don’t know.” Read Howard Kozloff’s review.

With some U.K. retail and retail-led mixed-use schemes having restarted or started recently and a swathe of major food retailers highlighting their ambitious new store opening strategies, the industry mood is much more upbeat than 12 months ago. Read which U.S. development tool is expected to make several projects more viable than they would be otherwise.

South Los Angeles, known for urban blight, high unemployment, and poverty, has a new bird’s-eye view of affordable housing. Adams and Central, a mixed-use project, has been built by developer Meta Housing Corporation at the intersection of East Adams Boulevard and Central Avenue, a major traffic hub in a former ghost town of run-down buildings, incompatible land uses, and underused lots.

Commercial real estate services firm Grubb & Ellis forecasts U.S. retail sales and leasing to “ramp up gradually” this year. The forecast also includes a metro retail market strength analysis for 2011-2015. In terms of leasing, retailers are repositioning stores to more high-profile locations to take advantage of favorable rental rates, and vacancy rates are expected to begin coming down from a 10+% peak. Read which metros of the United States are predicted to lead the way in growth.

Six members of ULI’s three Small-Scale Development Councils speak about the advantages such developers have and the challenges they face in the current economy. Learn which retail tenant is the hardest to get approved, and why municipalities are taking a more favorable approach toward it.

As happens during a recession, consumer spending in the United States declined 3% in 2009, according to the latest Consumer Expenditure Survey released recently by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read more about which metros had the most drops in spending dining out and in entertainment – two areas of interest to ULI members involved in retail and mixed-use developments.