Of all real estate sectors, retail is perhaps the most interconnected with the general public. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, consumer spending constituted 67% of the U.S. economy in 2013. And for decades, consumers have fulfilled their needs and wants by visiting brick-and-mortar stores in urban downtowns and suburban shopping centers. The result is that the United States boasts nearly 23 square feet of retail gross leasable area per capita, the most in the world.