Commercial Nodes - what and why?

Plannerspeak is full of many words to differentiate between physical locations in the city and ways to describe components of that space called "the street". Most of us are familiar with words like sidewalk, alley, corner and intersection. But can we call define frontage or corridor or node?
The City of Minneapolis defines a node like this - Neighborhood commercial nodes are small clusters of neighborhood-oriented retail and service uses focused around an intersection. Businesses in commercial nodes primarily serve the needs of the immediate surrounding area, although they may also contain specialty stores or restaurants that serve a regional client base. Not every small cluster of neighborhood businesses or historic commercial buildings is a designated neighborhood commercial node. Why not? Studies have indicated that the loss of Minneapolis population from a peak in 1950 of 521,718 to the 2000 count of 382,618 and changes in retail markets and resident mobility have resulted in an oversupply of neighborhood commercial space within the City, much of which was constructed in the early 1900s along streetcar lines.
A great example of a node is Sheridan Ave. S. and 43rd St W - aka Linden Hills. Pictured above, this intersection has strong mix of retail, residential and office uses. It also has a friendly pedestrian environment and places that support, in the words of Jan Gehl, a noted urban planner from Denmark, "life between buildings."
Image - City of Mineapolis website - Linden Hills Neighborhood page.