Design
How Manhattan Got Vertical Retail Right, Again
After building a few duds in the late 20th century, architects and developers are giving New Yorkers a better multi-level retail experience with a mix of new ideas and lessons from the past.
New York might have always seemed like the ideal city for multi-level retail complexes—until you actually went into one.
By the turn of the century, such places in America’s densest city ranged from failed to mediocre examples of the genre. In the last decade, however, retail designers appear closer to figuring out the problem. Developers have brought a new attention to this retail paradox, now most dramatically in the form of Related Company’s forthcoming Shops at Hudson Yards, which, buoyed by recent lessons, is upending expectations about how multi-level retail works.