Over the past five years, the municipality of Oakridge has observed a 25 percent decrease in downtown storefront retail revenue. During this same timeframe, the city council invested heavily in expanding public bus routes connecting suburban residential zones directly to suburban shopping centers. A recent survey commissioned by the downtown merchant association found that 70 percent of suburban shoppers prioritize free, abundant parking when selecting retail destinations. Based on these findings, the merchant association contends that municipal subsidies for constructing multi-story parking garages in the downtown core will reverse the economic downturn. However, this argument ignores the critical factor that remote online shopping has grown by 150 percent regionally over the same five-year period. Therefore, subsidizing downtown parking garages will fail to restore retail revenue to previous levels.
Which of the following best states the main conclusion of the argument above?
- ASuburban shoppers in Oakridge prioritize free and abundant parking when deciding where to make retail purchases.
- BThe expansion of public bus routes to suburban shopping centers directly caused the 25 percent decrease in downtown retail revenue.
- Subsidizing downtown parking garages will not succeed in restoring retail revenue because the downturn is primarily driven by the growth of online shopping.Cevap
- DConstructing parking garages in downtown Oakridge will automatically attract suburban shoppers away from regional shopping centers.
- EAll physical storefront retailers in Oakridge will eventually be forced to close due to regional e-commerce growth.