So how does one develop a new independent-business retail center as an economic success without going upscale?  In continuation of yesterday’s entry, here’s Kennedy Smith:

“To make it work in everyday neighborhoods, or even in ‘slightly more affluent than everyday’ neighborhoods, the costs of that sort of intensive support system for independent businesses must be shared by the public sector (small business development centers, economic development agencies, etc.) and other private sector

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...and that’s defined as a retail-entertainment destination town center of innovative, local, independent businesses targeting a progressive, creative audience on a budget.

Until now, there really wasn’t a means of developing such a place as new - any new retail center consists of national and regional chains (like CityPlace, West Palm Beach, pictured.)  Even if the focus was on independent businesses (as they are in ski resorts), it would still be highly upscale.

But why?  Let’s turn to

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When your theater has its own fan site, you know you’re cool.  That’s the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Austin’s only independently-owned and operated movie theater, and yes, it was voted the by Entertainment Weekly.

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Check out Austin’s South by Southwest, better known as SXSW.  Is it a music and media conference and festival, an interactive technology festival or a film conference and festival?  Yes.  The music festival is one of the biggest in the U.S., and possibly the biggest in the heart of a city.

Much of it takes place on Sixth Street, one of Austin’s premiere entertainment districts and closed for pedestrians.  Ongoing since spring 1987, the event focuses on new and emerging talent.  What’s the big

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New York City, according to SustainLane, a nonprofit website for healthy and sustainable living via their Ten U.S. Cities Best Prepared for an Oil Crisis report.  It’s no small honor, as NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s acknowledgment attests, “That New York City has been recognized by SustainLane as the best prepared city to face a nation-wide oil crisis is testament to the resiliency and strength of our infrastructure.“

The rest of the list, which in some ways could be seen as the ten most walkable or

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Manboo in Japan.  Maybe.  Think of it as a social hangout/cafe/living room/gaming room/entertainment center/salon/computer school/hostel.  Let’s break it down…

At Manboo, for $4/hour you can:

- Relax in big comfy chairs or sofas in cubicled living rooms and surf the internet, watch one of hundreds of DVDs, read comics, or play one of hundreds of PS2/Xbox games.

- Stay overnight for $11/hour.  There are lots of couches to sleep on, plus showers.

- Enjoy an unlimited amount of tea, coffee or

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Yesterday’s entry profiled how a subdivision was practically transformed into a small city, and while that may have been controversial if the homes had any historical significance (they really didn’t), there’s no question that replacing a brownfield (polluted site) with attractive housing, retail and a public plaza would have any opposition… right?

Well, perhaps a little, since density is still a dirty word (people still won’t forgive the high-rise urban renewal projects a few decades ago),

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Environmentalists value land preservation.  Commuters hate traffic.  Home buyers can’t afford single-family homes.  There aren’t many inspiring, pedestrian-friendly places to shop, dine and be entertained.  Well, Pulte Homes just made a lot of those people happy with MetroWest in Vienna, Virginia.

64 single-family home owners on 60 acres sold their homes at a hefty profit so that Pulte could build 2250 homes, plus 300,000 s.f. of office and 100,000 s.f. of retail (a good sized main street)

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We know about the residential condo craze, but do you know about the retail condo craze?  Probably not because it’s not quite a craze yet, but $1.1 billion in retail condos were made in 2004-2005, up from $120 million in 2002-2003.

What’s a retail condo?  Like a residential condo, it’s simply an individual unit in a larger building that one purchases rather than leases/rents.  What may not be as well known is how beneficial they can be to the local economy, to independent businesses… (and to

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...and why third places are crucial to job growth.

First, a brief story.  In exchange for $1 million in Apple stock in 1979, Xerox presented Steve Jobs with cutting edge computer concepts he was free to use.  He witnessed the graphical user interface, followed by the mouse - and the concept of the Macintosh began to form in his head.  He was so excited, he left the presentation early.  He said if he had only stayed for the whole thing, he would have been shown the ideas that Apple eventually

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