Strong communities don't need (costly) external validation.
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Many 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.”
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Property 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.
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The 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.
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Despite their layouts, these islands of apparent urbanism out in the countryside are a sign that we’re doing something very, very wrong.
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This document shows just how much our arcane land-use regulations prohibit neighborhoods from developing organically and un-self-consciously.
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This 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.
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This week in High Value, a new project is proposed for Chippewa Lakes that sounds like a dream come true to Nancy Hjerne.
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What are some of the hidden things we can’t see because we’re blinded by three generations of the Suburban Experiment?
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It’s back. But why?
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It 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.
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We 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.
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What 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.
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These photos of Staunton, Virginia, serve as a reminder that the benefits of “urbanism” aren’t limited to big cities.
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Amazon has been turning malls into fulfillment centers. What does this expansion look like, viewed through a Strong Towns perspective?
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What can a fictitious small town in “flyover country” teach us about the concentration of power in our economy?
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U.S. commercial real estate was way overbuilt before the pandemic. What will happen now that brick-and-mortar retail is cratering?
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Many 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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To have enduring prosperity, a community cannot squander its land; it must develop in ways that are financially productive.
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What’s the most suburban kind of place you can think of? If you said an outlet mall, you’re probably not alone. Is there a path to incrementally retrofit these malls to a more human-scaled environment… and even if there is, is it worth the trouble?
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