Problem
It has lately been assumed that people no longer want to walk to local stores. This assumption is mistaken.
Solution
Give every neighborhood at least one corner grocery, somewhere near its heart. Place these corner groceries every 200 to 800 yards, according to the density, so that each one serves about 100 people. Place them on corners, where large numbers of people are going past. And combine them with houses, so that people who run them can live over them or next to them.
Related Patterns
… the major shopping needs, in any community, are taken care of by the Market of Many Shops (46). However, the Web of Shopping (19) is not complete, unless there are also much smaller shops, more widely scattered, helping to supplement the markets, and helping to create the natural identity of Identifiable Neighborhood (14).
Prevent franchises and pass laws which prevent the emergence of those much larger groceries which swallow up the corner groceries - Individually Owned Shops (87). Treat the inside of the shop as a room, lined with goods - The Shape of Indoor Space (191), Thick Walls (197), Open Shelves (200); give it a clear and wide entrance so that everyone can see it - Main Entrance (110), Opening to the Street (165). And for the shape of the grocery, as a small building or as part of a larger building, begin with Building Complex (95) …
Reference for full-text of Pattern: p. 440medium-confidence