Although few cities take full advantage of them, planning and zoning powers are among the most potent tools communities have for shaping their economies. Two recent decisions, in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, underscore why land use planning matters and how smart policies can strengthen the local economy and protect good jobs.
Tag Archives: big-box retail
Towards a Localist Policy Agenda
To regenerate local businesses, we’ll need more than Buy Local campaigns; we’ll need to change public policy, which now favors big business. In this presentation, Stacy Mitchell looks at seven key policy areas to focus on.
Here’s One Smart Way to Handle Big-Box Stores
Cape Cod is the rare community that considers regional economic impacts when weighing big-box retail development, and that makes all the difference.
Local Ownership Makes Communities Healthier, Wealthier and Wiser
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Most policymakers don’t imagine that their economic development decisions will affect such things as voter turnout or the prevalence of chronic disease. But a growing body of research is finding that scale and ownership of business matter in ways that extend far beyond economic outcomes.