planning

Small Town Destruction – Part II

Small Town Destruction – Part II

In my first column addressing the demise of small towns I pinpointed three items I believe are consistent in the recipe for disaster: highway bypasses taking traffic around town, national retailers undermining local merchants, and outdated alcohol ordinances preventing thriving dining. Objective and specific, I believe the slow withering of communities can be avoided and in no way do I question the emotional appeal of charm or the fabric of the community. Expanding further on the recipe to create sustainability several more key strategies, in addition to the original three, can be implemented.

First, tax policy can drive business toward town center through a reverse property tax or by creating community redevelopment districts. Traditionally property taxes are lower in the suburbs, by reversing the millage rate growth is encouraged toward town and away from the outskirts. Continue reading…

July 16, 2011 by Economic Development Great Recession

Small Town Destruction

Small Town Destruction

In my job I drive through small towns throughout the southeast U.S. It saddens me to see these former, vibrant communities withering away. Most people would find easy reasons for the local downfalls, like manufacturing plants closing. There is some truth to this, and of course the long-term trends in demographics point toward moves toward the suburbs, but I would argue the root cause is the locally self destructive historic actions of the communities themselves. I believe there are three distinct errors.

First, “we need a bypass.” One can follow US441, US301, or US1 in Georgia and Florida to see numerous examples. Beautiful towns are bypassed by high speed highways giving no reason to slow and take a look. The land on the bypass is commercialized by modern developers building look-a-like cheap structures found anywhere in America. The unique downtown charm of Main Street is then left to die. Ironically, my Garmin GPS has routed me through many towns, instead of the bypass, as the shorter faster route. I have enjoyed this scenic discovery and reminder of small town charm, and enjoy the scenery of the plantation homes, brick buildings, and unique architecture versus the lackluster Continue reading…

July 13, 2011 by Economic Development Great Recession

How Small Towns Can Survive (Cleveland, GA)

The following column appeared in the “White County News” 6/30/2011 where I was a guest columnist.

In my job I drive through small towns throughout the southeast U.S. It saddens me to see these former, vibrant communities withering away. Most people would find easy reasons for the local downfalls, like manufacturing plants closing. There is some truth to this, and of course the long-term trends in demographics point toward moves toward the suburbs, but I would argue the root cause is the locally self destructive historic actions of the communities themselves. I believe there are three distinct errors.

First, “we need a bypass.” One can follow US441, US301, or US1 in Georgia and Florida to see numerous examples. Beautiful towns are bypassed by high speed highways giving no reason to slow and take a look. The land on the bypass is commercialized by modern developers building look-a-like cheap structures found anywhere in America. Continue reading…

July 1, 2011 by Big Government Economic Development

Carbon Copy America

Carbon Copy America

My wife and I came down off the mountain this weekend and visited “civilization” to engage in the most popular sport in America: leisure shopping. Visiting the Mall of Georgia is like visiting Altamonte Mall. The similarities start with traffic lights, waiting to make turns, localized strip malls with a variety of specialty stores, car dealers using balloons to lure naïve consumers, and franchised eateries overfeeding overweight patrons. My first inclination is to shop locally, like I did in New Smyrna at Coronado Hardware or eating at the Dolphin View, but lacking choices I was forced to head to the Mall.

My intent here is not to complain about the Mall, but to comment on willfulness to trade perceived success for lost identity. I have previously written about the “good old days”, circa 2006 during the boom, and also commented on the loss of small towns in my column, “Taking Back Roads.” At the end of our shopping expedition on Saturday my wife, LeeAnn, said, “we could be anywhere in America. Looking around the stores and architecture are no different here or in Altamonte Springs, Ft. Worth, or Minneapolis.” Her observation was spot on; we chose the economic path that brought our destruction and it started in the early 1990’s. Thinking back to the 1970s and 1980s, appliance and electronics stores were locally owned; Home Depot, Lowes, and Best Buy did not exist except in their original markets. Wal-Mart was a regional Arkansas chain, not a megastore found in every town in America. Even the Mall’s department stores appeared quirky to the out-of-state traveler as they represented decades old local businesses like Burdines, Daytons, Wanamakers, and Gimbels. And of course, the out parcels of Linens and Things, Old Navy, and Michaels did not exist.

In the 1990’s with easy access to money, a rapidly rising stock market, low barriers to brokerage services and do-it-yourself investment attitudes the economic boom erased our identity. Local architecture and business acquiesced to national franchises and bland buildings void of character delivering mass-produced Chinese merchandise meant to symbolize success to anonymous strangers. On a local level builders nationalized and did the same, trading character for mass production of McMansions with bathrooms larger than the prior generation’s living rooms. New Smyrna Beach and Cleveland, Georgia lag behind, but yet both claim progress by advancing box stores and abandoning local business heritage. Just push “Copy”, America has lost her character.

August 18, 2010 by Economic Development Great Recession Mainstream Media Peak Oil Stupid People

Haiti and New Orleans

Haiti and New Orleans

When I was 10 years old my family moved from Minnesota to California. The move was huge, but it caused me anxiety because I had watched television shows predicting the next big earthquake and California falling into the Pacific Ocean. Of course, that was more than 30 years ago, and California remains part of the continental United States. However, the residents of California live with the threat of earthquakes every day. Unlike any other natural disaster phenomena, I would conjecture an earthquake is the worst threat to face. Contrastingly, in Florida we have days, up to a week, to prepare for a hurricane. Tornadoes come with minutes of warning, or hours if paying attention to conditions. Even mudslides, floods, and fires provide a reasonable warning. An earthquake, on the other hand, comes any time and with no warning. If you live in California though, you know the threat exists. Living in Haiti on the other hand is a place with minimal earthquake risk.

Facing disaster is reasonable when you know what threat exists, or more importantly have time to prepare. When Katrina struck New Orleans warnings were issued ahead of time, the citizens had a choice to stay or leave. Of course, a weather forecast is never perfect, but with Katrina the severity of potential of the storm obviously loomed. In contrast, Haiti was struck by the worst earthquake in 200 years with no warning, and unlike California, no predisposition for the expectation of earthquakes. It appears Haiti’s government and communications infrastructure collapsed, not unlike the local resources of New Orleans and Louisiana. Immediately, Haiti reached out to its neighbors to seek help, and so did New Orleans. In both instances, massive federal aid packages were mobilized to assist.

News coverage of the events in Haiti has been compassionate and focused on the successes of rescue. In South Florida the media is providing local stories of airports launching relief, medical teams departing, and families reuniting. It is nearly impossible to turn on the television without a reference to the current situation in Haiti and how the citizens of the world are reaching out to their neighbors. Unfortunately, last week there was troubling coverage of gangs, violence, and looting. I found the similarities to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans striking in this regard. Sadly, there are people who disregard the brotherhood of man and instead take advantage of disaster and troubling times. Amplifying this situation is sensationalism by the press of the minority doing so. Bothersome as these situations are though, we should not be left with images of theft and violence, but focus on the success of rescue and efforts to help those in need.

However, the real story remains at the ground level, not from the massive organized efforts. The individual rescues, and thousands of examples of neighbor helping neighbor. The real survivors in Haiti are those helping, not seeking assistance or depending on a foreign nation to save the day. The real survivors understand their fate is up to them and do not blame anyone for the earthquake that struck. In contrast, the residents of New Orleans shunned personal responsibility, looked to blame others, and waited for someone to save them. Haiti’s earthquake is going to forever change the look of neighboring nations as its own people realize it will take decades to recover. As we watch from afar, I challenge you to examine your own preparedness for unforeseen disasters, and remind you to believe in the goodness of people helping people.

January 31, 2010 by Health care preparedness Stupid People