Small Business

Businesses that traditionally serve commuters have had to make adjustments to stay in business as remote work empties out central business districts.

September 20, 2021 - Chicago Sun-Times

Yeah, they went there.

August 22, 2021 - Austin Business Journal

Efforts to revitalize declining downtowns have, in some cases, become catalysts for supporting small, minority-owned, local businesses.

August 6, 2021 - Brookings Institution

Here are six U.S. cities where small companies are thriving.

July 20, 2021 - Devin Partida

Despite the economic blow dealt by last year's lockdowns, business districts in smaller cities like Wilkes-Barre managed to weather the crisis.

June 10, 2021 - The New York Times

As peak harvest season approaches, about a third of small farmers expect that their short-chain food business will not survive to continue production in 2021.

May 27, 2020 - The Counter

The city of Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco, is the rare California city quickly adding housing units to the urban core. Local businesses are struggling to hang on as construction changes the fabric of the neighborhood.

August 20, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

A new report from the New York Department of City Planning has found that storefront vacancy may not be a one-answer citywide problem. Vacancies were found to be concentrated in certain neighborhoods, and the reasons appear to be varied.

August 15, 2019 - 6sqft

A-frame sandwich board signs are illegal in Chicago, but they're widely used anyway.

July 4, 2018 - Block Club Chicago

Once, trains dominated the city’s economy, now it's "brains, bikes and beer," according to city officials.

May 13, 2018 - Governing

Yelp released revealing new data about city restaurants, showing which cities have a culture of independent eateries and which are dominated by chains.

February 11, 2018 - Slate

A new startup is either a disruptive technology that will forever change the corner store, or yet another example of Silicon Valley looking to gentrify neighborhoods.

September 19, 2017 - Modern Cities

Entrepreneurship is a hot word these days. Lots of towns say they would like to attract more entrepreneurs and grow their small business communities. But how do you do it?

December 29, 2016 - Modern Cities

For a city famous for high cost of living, incredible demand for housing, famous examples of gentrification, and political pressure to build, New York City is lagging behind the volumes of residential construction approved in comparable cities.

August 12, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Allyn Gaestel outlines the tensions that arise as a growing Vietnamese community begins to define the visual character of Washington Ave. in South Philadelphia.

November 20, 2012 - Next American City

Participants from a conference called the Inner City Economic Summit offer a variety of themes on "What Works" for meeting the needs of inner cities economies.

October 7, 2012 - EngagingCities

Chuck Wolfe traces the comeback of sandwich board signage in cities, explains how associated regulations work, and offers reasons why such signage should be carefully fostered.

February 24, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

A report from the Sustainable Business Network recommends policy changes that will help Philadelphia improve business formation and job growth.

November 21, 2011 - Philadelphia Inquirer

When governments use public money to woo national chains, economic growth and job creation aren't worth the cost, says Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Independent retailers also suffer.

September 12, 2011 - Business Week

Levittown is the quintessential American suburb. A new proposal seeks to reinvent it as a hub for small businesses.

April 28, 2011 - Fast Co. Design