A Kentucky town welcomed Amazon’s arrival, but the economic outcomes over the last two decades have been lackluster.
David Streitfeld writes about Amazon’s impact on cities and towns through a closer look at the experience of Campbellsville, Kentucky, where Fruit of the Loom operated until the late 1990s. Amazon came in soon after and leased a former warehouse, which became one of the company’s first fulfillment centers.
Local leaders and residents express conflicting feelings about Amazon. It has brought jobs to the economically depressed town, but people are still struggling. The median household income has not increased and poverty levels are high. Amazon, on the other hand, has benefited from huge tax breaks, including a payroll tax measure that has given $19 million over a decade back to the company.
Amazon also has not hired the number of workers it promised it would, and Campbellsville officials say they wish it would contribute more to support residents and local institutions. "Less visibly, Amazon shapes the local economy, including which businesses survive and which will not be coming to town at all. It supplies small-screen entertainment every night, influences how the schools and the library use technology and even determined the taxes everyone pays," says Streitfeld.
FULL STORY: Prime Anchor: An Amazon Warehouse Town Dreams of a Better Life
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.