The point isn't necessarily that stores need to spring up nearby, the point is that it needs to be easier to access stores (eg by making it easier to get transportation).
Well in my experience the rich and poor rely on public transit in mostly similar numbers, so I don't really see what transit in particular has to do with it.
Sure, as someone who is raising a family in a city, I completely agree. But the reason why stores leave is invariably safety issues.