Developers often have to jump through hoops to get their projects approved by a city. When a Costco branch in California was faced with lengthy waiting periods and public debate, it decided to take a different approach: adding 400,000 square feet of housing to its plans so it qualified for a faster regulatory process.
Read MoreThe Family Dollar system operates more stores than McDonald’s, Starbucks, Target, and Walmart combined. And that’s not good news for your community.
Read MoreStrong communities don't need (costly) external validation.
Read MoreMany of us are keen to express the “what” that we’d like to see in the built environment, but unwilling to think rationally and clearly about the “how.”
Read MoreProperty taxes represent the largest source of revenue for most local governments, and data shows that even unglamorous downtown areas offer more value as taxable properties than big box stores.
Read MoreThe trajectory of these Jersey supermarkets is a microcosm of how the suburban experiment altered small towns, turning them from tiny cities into suburban lifestyle accouterments.
Read MoreDespite their layouts, these islands of apparent urbanism out in the countryside are a sign that we’re doing something very, very wrong.
Read MoreThis document shows just how much our arcane land-use regulations prohibit neighborhoods from developing organically and un-self-consciously.
Read MoreThis week in High Value, Stark unveils the roadblocks the commission will face if they move forward with building a High Value grocery store in the community.
Read MoreThis week in High Value, a new project is proposed for Chippewa Lakes that sounds like a dream come true to Nancy Hjerne.
Read MoreWhat are some of the hidden things we can’t see because we’re blinded by three generations of the Suburban Experiment?
Read MoreIt’s back. But why?
Read MoreIt might seem counterintuitive that Amazon, the mall killer, would want to open its own department stores. But it’s worth understanding why the company sees this as a strategic move.
Read MoreWe glorify our country’s rough-and-tumble entrepreneurial history, yet we often look down on people who embody it today, and on the commercial landscapes that result.
Read MoreWhat can be done about retail structures when they’re abandoned by their big-box tenants? One solution: break them down into smaller, much more dynamic spaces.
Read MoreThese photos of Staunton, Virginia, serve as a reminder that the benefits of “urbanism” aren’t limited to big cities.
Read MoreAmazon has been turning malls into fulfillment centers. What does this expansion look like, viewed through a Strong Towns perspective?
Read MoreWhat can a fictitious small town in “flyover country” teach us about the concentration of power in our economy?
Read MoreU.S. commercial real estate was way overbuilt before the pandemic. What will happen now that brick-and-mortar retail is cratering?
Read MoreMany conveniences—the ease of driving, food delivery, one-stop shopping—seem nice on the surface, but they often come at a high cost to our communities.
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