Wal-Mart Uses Architecture to Defuse Opposition
There's an interesting article in this month's Metropolis on how Wal-Mart is using architecture to win over opponents of its stores and supercenters. For years, Wal-Mart has been identified with the gigantic blue-and-gray "boxes" that have popped up in practically every American town. But recently, they've been making an effort to incorporate architectural features that fit the history and culture of an area in order to make the buildings more appealing and more palatable to the people who oppose them:
“For example, Correll's team met with a coalition of civic groups in a Fort Worth neighborhood and asked them about their favorite buildings in the area and the characteristics 'they would like to see reflected' in the future store. A number of people cited a 1930s high school as a favorite. 'So,' Correll says, 'we took many of the elements -- including some arched windows, clay tile roofs, brick, and other material -- and put these colors and materials together as part of the design of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. Does this defuse public opposition? I'm sure it does. But the real drive for us is to be good neighbors.'”
It hasn't worked everywhere -- the article, for instance, centers on the debate over a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Lawrence, Kansas, where opposition has been fierce. But for a company that's been accused of being a driving force in the homogenization of the American landscape, it's an interesting shift in tactics and a testament to the power of design.
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