As planners in cities across the US fight the bland design and high vacancy rates of of encroaching big box stores, the industry becomes more flexible and begins experimenting with new designs.
"City planners in Charlotte and other towns are taking a stronger stand against big-box stores such as Wal-Mart and Lowe's, responding to complaints about their monotonous facades and high vacancy rates.
More important, perhaps, its developers and those of the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Sardis Road North were the first in Charlotte to agree to conditions that make it more likely the stores will be re-used if they should ever go dark.
...Big-box chains are testing new types of stores in markets across the country, said Anita Kramer, director of retail development for the Urban Land Institute. While much of the credit for the shift goes to tenacious city planners, she said, the retailers themselves have also become more flexible."
FULL STORY: Retailers thinking outside 'big box'

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments are Fixed. Advocates Disagree.
With higher-valued properties under assessed and lower-valued properties over assessed, advocates say there's still a problem with Detroit's property tax system.
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