CHICAGO—Broder & Sachse Real Estate is oneof many firms that has helped lead the transformation of Downtown Detroit. The CBD that oncewas a posterchild for disinvestment and bankruptcy has become athriving core with new retail, multifamily housing, renovatedoffice buildings and sparkling amenities. But the lessons thatlocal developers and landlords are learning as they go forward withthe downtown's transformation can be applied to many cities andsubmarkets. That's especially true for markets that, like Detroit,are less mature and have not had opportunities to evolveorganically. And one of the most important tasks developers need tounderstand is how to integrate new retail concepts into the revivalof untraditional spaces. GlobeSt.com spoke withRichard Broder, chief executive officer Broder& Sachse Real Estate, on the how the company was meeting thosechallenges.

Globe St: With urban centers across the countrybecoming increasingly popular infill and redevelopment targets,most notably for mixed-use concepts, we are seeing retail brandsand businesses forced to come with new formats and floorplans to“fit in” with unconventional spaces and opportunities.