Blog search

The Magic of Legacy Shops Comes Back to Life in Buffalo

The Magic of Legacy Shops Comes Back to Life in Buffalo Buffalo's new zoning code allows for long-abandoned neighborhood retail -- corner stores, bars, and other commercial buildings -- to be reopened as commercial, with reduced regulatory hurdles and no...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 17, 2022 8:39 PM

Question of the Week: How Can I Pitch Allowing Limited Commerce in Residential Areas? -- Strong Towns

Question of the Week: How Can I Pitch Allowing Limited Commerce in Residential Areas? -- Strong Towns "Studies show profound latent demand in America for walkable urban neighborhoods (again, allowing some local businesses is an essential part of walkability). One...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 1, 2019 4:26 PM

You Know You're from Tulsa If: Neighborhood groceries

You Know You're from Tulsa If: Neighborhood groceries The corner grocery store was once a familiar part of neighborhood life, well into the 1960s. Many of these buildings still stand in older Tulsa neighborhoods, although they've long since been repurposed...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 2, 2018 4:48 PM

The Storefront Index | City Observatory

The Storefront Index | City Observatory "In an effort to begin to quantify this key aspect of neighborhood vitality, we've developed a new statistical indicator--the Storefront Index (click to see the full report)--that measures the number and concentration of customer-facing businesses...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 27, 2016 6:31 AM