From the archives: "It's about rethinking how we build and maintain healthier, low-carbon cities. It is about a much bigger picture of how we want to live."
Friends and relatives who visit me are amazed at the convenience of my neighborhood. We have more than a dozen retail shops, all locally owned and offering everything from tchotchkes to books and records. Our local grocery store is independent, not even an IGA. Of course bars and restaurants dot the neighborhood. Ironically, the neighborhood center is occupied by a small big box store, a Target, but it seems that a balance has been struck.
As the folks I know express their amazement and envy, I wonder why they don’t try to find similar neighborhoods.
While I love (and applaud) every effort to support small businesses, I don't see the 15-minute city concept as part & parcel for why we should be doing more retail from small businesses. Back in the early- to mid-1900's, small businesses WERE the de facto means for all your shopping needs. I recall my small hometown of ~900 people in rural Wisconsin during the 1970's had an IGA grocer, a second grocery (and dry goods) store, a second clothing/dry goods/farm supply store, butcher, insurance agent, bakery, independent clothier, four gas stations, pharmacy, dentist, café, two auto repair shops, music store, two banks, a credit union, and about 9 billion taverns and churches. Now? The IGA, one bank, the credit union, four taverns, the café, a couple of churches, gas stations, and one auto repair shop. The population has gone up and down over the decades, varying from as low as 750 to nearly 1150 people, and is currently near the high point of just under 1100 villagers. But it's now a bedroom community with most people commuting 30+ miles away for their employment. Everything has been hollowed out once big corporate entities like Walmart began making inroads back in the early 1980's and people could save more money by doing once-a-week or bi-monthly large order purchases than the more knowledgeable and friendly customer-service oriented small businesses that once called my town 'home'.
It's a mixed blessing. Rural communities in general have problems of declining populations and reduced wages thanks to the phenomenon of brain drain, but I remain staunchly nostalgic for the diverse landscape of retailers such as small community once held. Sure, they weren't rich by any means, but everyone built off the strengths of shared identity and sense of community. I don't know how we bring that back when demographers keep telling us that by 2050 more than 70% of the human population will live in cities.
Friends and relatives who visit me are amazed at the convenience of my neighborhood. We have more than a dozen retail shops, all locally owned and offering everything from tchotchkes to books and records. Our local grocery store is independent, not even an IGA. Of course bars and restaurants dot the neighborhood. Ironically, the neighborhood center is occupied by a small big box store, a Target, but it seems that a balance has been struck.
As the folks I know express their amazement and envy, I wonder why they don’t try to find similar neighborhoods.
Here's an article about how Tokyo has done a remarkable job in creating and maintaining spaces for micro businesses:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-21/tokyo-s-urban-planning-secrets-revealed-in-new-book
It's amazing how much of an impact a small coffee place or a bakery can have!
While I love (and applaud) every effort to support small businesses, I don't see the 15-minute city concept as part & parcel for why we should be doing more retail from small businesses. Back in the early- to mid-1900's, small businesses WERE the de facto means for all your shopping needs. I recall my small hometown of ~900 people in rural Wisconsin during the 1970's had an IGA grocer, a second grocery (and dry goods) store, a second clothing/dry goods/farm supply store, butcher, insurance agent, bakery, independent clothier, four gas stations, pharmacy, dentist, café, two auto repair shops, music store, two banks, a credit union, and about 9 billion taverns and churches. Now? The IGA, one bank, the credit union, four taverns, the café, a couple of churches, gas stations, and one auto repair shop. The population has gone up and down over the decades, varying from as low as 750 to nearly 1150 people, and is currently near the high point of just under 1100 villagers. But it's now a bedroom community with most people commuting 30+ miles away for their employment. Everything has been hollowed out once big corporate entities like Walmart began making inroads back in the early 1980's and people could save more money by doing once-a-week or bi-monthly large order purchases than the more knowledgeable and friendly customer-service oriented small businesses that once called my town 'home'.
It's a mixed blessing. Rural communities in general have problems of declining populations and reduced wages thanks to the phenomenon of brain drain, but I remain staunchly nostalgic for the diverse landscape of retailers such as small community once held. Sure, they weren't rich by any means, but everyone built off the strengths of shared identity and sense of community. I don't know how we bring that back when demographers keep telling us that by 2050 more than 70% of the human population will live in cities.