Crime, traffic, and light pollution are among the chief impacts of Wal-Mart in western Chester County.
"West Sadsbury, with a population of 2,500, is an exurb with rolling hills, farms and Amish buggies, about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. Wal-Mart opened its Supercenter at the West Sadsbury Commons in May 2002 at Routes 30 and 10.'This is a great place for somebody who doesn't go to college or have any aspirations or a hobby or whatever,' said a 21-year-old Wal-Mart employee outside the Supercenter the other day. 'If it hadn't opened, I'd probably be at some mom-and-pop around here.' He asked that his name not be used, because the store does not allow employees to be interviewed... The cost of providing police service to the shopping center in 2003 was more than $39,000, which was far greater than the municipal taxes of $10,400, officials say, that West Sadsbury collected from developer Wolfson-Verrichia Group Inc. of Plymouth Meeting, which owns West Sadsbury Commons." [Editor's note: free registration required.]
Thanks to Adam Krom
FULL STORY: With bargains come trade-offs
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie