Retail development is a critical element in development strategies of local authorities. Its significance relates not only to its contribution to the municipal tax base, but also to its considerable contribution to the functioning of the urban system and to quality of life. Transformations in retail development in Israel create opportunities for the initiative of local authorities aspiring to encourage local development, including innovations that are not merely replication of successful projects of adjacent local authorities. Such initiative depends on familiarity with what is desired and what is possible in retail development: success of retail centers is extremely sensitive both to location and internal features. Such awareness is critical also to planners at the local and district levels. The policy papers included in the collection discuss approaches to the development and management of retail in local authorities, and refer both to city center revitalization and to new suburban shopping centers. Effective policy must be based on proper understanding of the nature of demand for retail services, of development patterns that contribute most to the urban fabric and of organizational structures for downtown revitalization