An interesting hybrid assemblage of big box behemoths in Baltimore, shows a trend away from the sprawling power centers to a more . Via the Baltimore Sun, the development will place a Walmart atop a Lowes store in a piggy-back move: “The new location will be unusual for Walmart because it will be built on top of the Lowe’s store – much of which will be below ground – and will be 93,000 square feet, about half the size of Walmart super centers… Walmart has been working to burnish its image – most recently with its environmentally friendly initiatives. The planned Baltimore store is emblematic of those efforts. It will be the first to open in this area since executives launched a campaign to retool stores with new graphics and merchandise as well as eco-friendly construction and operating practices. The new store will have a vegetated “green roof” covering more than an acre.”

:: images via Baltimore Sun

There are still some questions about such items as traffic and overall form – or maybe the impacts of local businesses – but in the comparison to the normal sprawling model of big-box stores, this seems to take a step in the right directon.