In Pass Christian, Mississippi, it seemed WalMart was on board for a village-style, mixed-use development that would include one of their stores. That is, until Walmart brass heard about the project.
"[Pass Christian, MS, architect Robin] Riley said he and his partners had progressed so far as to have [Walmart's] board of directors agree in principle that having hundreds of potential customers living adjacent to the store would be a good idea. Implementation, however, hinged on using Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) tax incentives - a federally sponsored set of rebuilding subsidies - to make the housing financially feasible. "Walmart's accountants just couldn't get their head around the notion of government participation," said Riley. The likelihood of getting an innovative design was also hurt when Walmart CEO Lee Scott, who seemed impressed by the village idea, stepped down last year.
"Ann Daigle, a Mississippi-based planning consultant, said that although Pass Christian recently adopted the SmartCode, 'the mayor and city attorney let Walmart out of following the code.'"
Thanks to Renee Brutvan
FULL STORY: Walmart reverts to old ways in Mississippi
El Paso Approves Second 'SmartCode' Development
The El Paso City Council approved a $100 million SmartCode development.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
Two Cheers For the Planners’ Pledge
A “Planners’ Pledge” created by some of the leading authorities on planning sets forth a bold urbanist agenda- even if not every idea in the pledge is equally useful in all cities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)