Cities are neighborhood places where people walk to work and carry groceries home 4 nights a week. It works great for retirees who ditch their cars entirely.

I live near the National Zoo in DC. We have a local Iranian grocer right off Metro with a local organic chain right next door. There is no parking there. Segregate any "venue" with parking vs. the alternatives. I also hit a nearby Whole Foods for some items but they need giant underground parking lots for their business models.

The notion that "everyone" is living on Taco Bell and delivery pizza is pure nonsense. Our DC ethiopian and hispanic communities blossoming a short walk away eat really well. They have nice markets where I sometimes buy jicama to pickle. Some C++ template fu nerds also cook up a healthy storm. Recipes and idioms apply everywhere.