February 2026

City Retail Reloaded

The Renaissance of inner-city Shopping Destinations

From luxury boulevards to reinvented high streets: Europe’s major cities are reclaiming their role as retail’s most resilient stage. And retail its role as the heart of urban life.

Placemaking Week Europe 2026 comes to Poland this September, bringing Europe’s placemaking community together and positioning Wrocław at the center of the continent’s public space debate.

Driven by new expectations, mixed-use thinking, and a renewed focus on social value, retail is emerging again as a key force in shaping vibrant, resilient cities. Best practice examples demonstrate how thriving urban retail real estate destinations can be designed.

As cities and urban retail rethink their futures in the face of e-commerce, climate goals, and changing consumer behavior, the work of Jan Gehl offers a powerful lesson: successful retail is not created by scale or spectacle, but by streets and spaces designed for people.

From luxury boulevards to reinvented high streets: Europe’s major cities are reclaiming their role as retail’s most resilient stage.

Michael Hiese, Chief Real Estate Officer, Kaufland International, in an ACROSS interview on urban locations, integrated sites, and new opportunities and challenges for inner-city retail real estate operators.

Footfall, frequency, catchment areas, and optimized tenant mixes have long defined success in retail real estate. Today, that equation is expanding — shaped by proximity, everyday life, and the role retail plays in livable cities. In our multi-article cover story, we explore the renaissance of inner-city shopping destinations.

Cushman & Wakefield’s new ‘Main Streets Across the World’ report places London’s New Bond Street at the top of the global ranking – ahead of Milan’s Via Montenapoleone and New York’s Fifth Avenue. The report also confirms broad-based resurgence of Europe’s prime shopping miles.