October 2010

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    Are Big-Box Stores a Good Measure of Equity?

    It’s been cause for celebration here in the DC region, and rightfully so, that suburban Prince George’s County, Maryland, has a new, high-end Wegmans supermarket. It opened last weekend. “PG County,” as we locals call it, has long been a…

  • Remembering Sen. Wellstone

    We’ve seen some coverage commemorating former Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone, who died eight years ago this week in a tragic plane crash. This is a good, if incomplete, look at some inspiring public addresses. Wellstone always reminds us, in one way or another, to keep our eye on the prize: ““Politics isn’t about big money or power games; it’s about the improvement of people’s lives.” more

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    Community Development: A Love Story

    Film director Michael Moore will use a $1 million dollar film tax credit he received for his film Capitalism: A Love Story to launch the State Theatre/Michigan Downtowns Project, which aims to promote nonprofit movie theaters as vehicles for revitalizing Michigan towns. Moore based production for Captialism in Traverse City, Mich., and founded the Traverse City Film Festival in 2005. “We want to turn on the marquee lights, bring in some jobs, pump money into the local economy,” Moore told The Traverse City Record-Eagle. The State Theatre/Michigan Downtowns Project will offer seed money to reopen vacant theaters, keep struggling theaters afloat, and open new movie theaters in towns that could benefit from a movie house. “We want to turn on the marquee lights, bring in some jobs, pump money into the local economy,” Moore said. “This is just my effort to think of ways to do more.” more

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    Revitalization With Palm Trees

    The trendiest neighborhood in West Palm Beach is Northwood, a collection of historic districts, fading industrial areas, and blocks of small bungalows and grand Mission-style homes that is now hopping with cafes, boutiques, a monthly art and wine “promenade,” new workforce housing, significant streetscape improvements, a new Maritime Institute, and a can-do attitude. Yet not that long ago it was a worn-down area with declining property values (even pre-recession), empty storefronts, “slum landlords” and a dicey reputation. One local business owner lamented to Palm Beach Post reporter Rhonda Swann in 2008 that “Northwood Village [the commercial district] has been up and coming for 25 years, and that’s sad.” Northwood is just north of West Palm Beach’s downtown, as you can see in the images. Its oldest part is Old Northwood, above the Village: “Old Northwood was developed in the early 1920s during the Florida boom era. Prominent architects such as John Volk and William King designed homes that made Old Northwood one of the most exclusive communities this side of Palm Beach. By the 1970s, however, the boom time glamour was long gone. The renaissance of Old Northwood began in the mid eighties when residents formed an association to revitalize and restore this important part of West Palm Beach history.” While the neighborhood has yet to reach its full potential, there can now be little doubt that a critical mass of revitalization has been achieved over the last decade and appears to be here to stay. As noted in West Palm Beach mayor Lois Frankel’s state of the city address in January, the Village now can boast 35 new businesses, plus the new Maritime Institute that will educate 800 students each year, including through a special program targeting high-risk youth in the neighborhood. Improvements to Northwood’s building stock, public landscaping, streets and sidewalks have been dramatic (see images), with more to come, and the neighborhood has also gained new mixed-use development and affordable housing. more