Suburban Starbucks models are bumming urbanists out. But they also served as a nice allegory of what the future there might hold. Scott Doyon's latest blog post explains.
"Is the suburban Starbucks a canary in the coal mine, instructing urban reformers to abandon the ‘burbs altogether and simply direct their available energies towards the existing city instead?"
"I don’t know. But I do know this: Starbucks created an entirely new niche when they discovered people will pay vastly more for coffee if it’s delivered as an experience rather than just a product. Yet somehow, in growing to become synonymous with the typical American’s morning cup o’ joe, they’ve seemingly transcended that fact — evolving to a point where people — people perhaps trapped in our overall culture of busyness — will now forego the experience altogether, yet still pay the premium."
"What’s up with that? It certainly doesn’t bode well for taking on the status quo. It’s hard to effect change in an environment where there’s still so much money to be made delivering so little."
Doyon discusses the piece of plastic in question (the plastic "doodad" that, placed in the lid of a cup of coffee, prevents coffee from spilling in transit) as a signifier of the suburban Starbucks.
FULL STORY: What This Innocuous Piece of Plastic Says About Our Suburban Future
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
A new study estimates that LA County must invest billions of dollars before 2040 to protect residents from extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, and climate-induced public health threats.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
City of Laramie, Wyoming
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.