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who object to the transition as well as to the changes in character, diversity, <br />and density that the transition brings. <br />In all cases, rebuilding neighborhood retail streets is a difficult, Lengthy, and <br />complicated process. It differs significantly from developing a suburban shop- <br />ping center or reestablishing downtown shopping districts, so innovative strate- <br />gies must be employed to restore the neighborhood's vitality and competitive- <br />ness. Neighborhood retail streets are betwixt and between most communities' <br />established retail Locations, and they have been largely forgotten or purposely <br />avoided for years by retailers, developers, and shoppers. The reasons are clear: <br />misperceptions about the extent of urban buying power are widespread, retail <br />opportunities are perceived to be greater elsewhere, and the many social prob- <br />lems faced by urban neighborhoods have proved difficult to solve. <br />As a result, even those who Live near neighborhood shopping streets are often <br />forced to travel outside their own neighborhoods to shop for goods and services <br />that most others take for granted in their everyday lives. <br />Opportunities to reestablish retailing along neighborhood commercial streets are <br />great. Through careful planning, new roles can be found for these streets to fill <br />in today's marketplace to better serve neighborhood residents. But a word of <br />The Village at Shirlington in Arlington, <br />Virginia, is a mix of 1940s neighborhood <br />retail buildings and new retail and <br />residential developments. <br />v <br />