There are two primary pieces of local land use policy: the comprehensive plan and the zoning code. The comprehensive plan is essentially a vision statement containing general guidelines for development in a local jurisdiction. The plan is then implemented through the zoning code. Continue reading
Supersized Supermarkets: A Public Forum – Stacy Mitchell is featured at
this U.K. event that was hosted by Tescopoly, Friends of the Earth, War
on Want, and ActionAid.
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Subsidies, tax dodges, and dead malls — An interview with Stacy Mitchell in Multinational Monitor, Feb. 2007 Continue reading
A new online database created by the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA) will help local entrepreneurs find space for their businesses and give property owners and developers a way to recruit more independent businesses to their properties.
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After months of study and consideration by local officials and concerned citizens, the Bellingham City Council has enacted a law that prohibits stores over 90,000 square feet and imposes design standards on those over 60,000 square feet. Continue reading
"Our results indicate that the presence of Wal-Mart depresses social capital stocks in local communities," concluded Goetz and Rupasingha in their study, which was published by the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. The implications include both a weakened social fabric and "real costs for communities in the form of reduced economic growth."
The study examined both communities in which new Wal-Mart stores were built in the 1990s and those that already had a Wal-Mart at the beginning of the decade. The study controlled for other variables known to affect social capital stocks in a community, such as educational attainment.
The 2006 openings followed the launch of nearly 90 bookstores in 2005. “2005 was the first year in memory that there were a significant number of new store openings,” said Oren Teicher of the American Booksellers Association. The locations of the new stores spanned 35 states and included a wide range of cities and small towns, from Los Angeles to Pierre, South Dakota, and Homer, Louisiana. Continue reading
Stacy Mitchell on her book Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses – broadcost on The Book Report.
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A growing number of communities are fighting back against the rising power of large retail stores like Wal-Mart. But real change won’t come until we stop thinking of ourselves as consumers and start thinking of ourselves as engaged citizens. Continue reading
A three-year-old campaign to encourage people in northwest Washington state to "Think Local First" is having a dramatic effect on spending behavior, according to a recent survey. Continue reading
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