ABSTRACT
Locational analysis and the application of quantitative methods have improved decision-making processes about town developments in the era of digital data. During the discussions of how to utilize these data and techniques, one of the most frequently asked questions is where to build the next generation commercial centers. This chapter examines retail locational considerations for 20 small towns in Zhejiang Province using a multi-criteria process including four consecutive steps. The first two steps, accessibility and site analyses, narrowed down search areas and identified potential sites. Then risk analysis was performed to recommend the relative size of retail development. The last step relied on future town master plans to readjust and reevaluate the site selection outcomes. The contributions of the research include methodological improvement of locational analysis and discussion of policy implications on retail site selection. The authors argue that the further one goes into detailed examination of local circumstances, the more local the general concerns become.
