While a number of mega retail developers crashed and burned during the recession, some smaller developers have thrived.
Retail Traffic Magazine interviews people at a handful of smaller development companies, who agree that larger companies take too long to make important decisions and so weren't able to alter course quickly enough during the crash.
"These big companies are like big battleships that can't turn on a dime, but a small company can be like a [patrol torpedo] boat, changing course quickly because it's agile and flexible," adds Howard Paster, president of Paster Enterprises LLC, a St. Paul, Minn.-based company that owns 12 grocery-anchored shopping centers throughout the Great Lakes region."
FULL STORY: Some Smaller Retail Real Estate Firms Have Thrived in the Downturn

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

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.
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Custer County Colorado
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