Some suggestions, in no particular order, of a list that’s only a sketch: Recognize the truth of the city, and all cities. This small town is filled with thousands upon thousands of smart, knowledgeable people. I don’t say this to make others feel good; I say it because it’s true. These many don’t need the…
Development
City, Development, Economy, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Local Government, Planning
The Williamsburg Neighborhood in Brooklyn
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
I mentioned that I would write a bit about the Williamsburg neighborhood. Brooklyn’s huge (millions of residents) and there are many neighborhoods (themselves large) within that borough. One of them is Williamsburg, a diverse and eclectic community, with both Hasidim and hipsters, and a thriving arts scene. These groups within the neighborhood do not always…
City, Development
On the Search for a Community Development Authority Director
by JOHN ADAMS •
Small-town Whitewater, like so many small towns, has a community development authority. For several years, Whitewater’s city manager has overseen and directed that authority in the absence of a director responsible to the CDA alone. One can leave aside a detailed critique of the CDA’s past performance (performance that I consider often misguided), and still…
City, Development, Planning
The Tragedy of Urban Renewal
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are few worse tragedies than ones that come about by our own hands. New York City has seen more than her share of tragedies, of all sorts, and so-called urban renewal has been one of them. These experiments are mostly over for major cities, but the impulse behind them still persists, plaguing others as…
City, Development, Government Spending
Meanwhile, at our business park…
by JOHN ADAMS •
I regularly read the Weekly Report of Whitewater’s city manager. I feel that I’m being helpful by doing so; if I stopped, average readership would likely fall by a third. In the July 8th edition, there’s mention of a new business, Simonswerk, that’s bringing a few jobs to our business park. A few are better…
City, Development
Whitewater’s Downtown
by JOHN ADAMS •
Walworthy County Today has a story online from Kevin Hoffman about downtown revitalization in small towns. Whitewater is part of that story. See, Communities work to revitalize downtown despite challenges. Challenges there have been. The Great Recession took a toll everywhere in America, and 2007-2009 are among the worst years in American economic history. And…
City, Development, Economy
Whitewater’s May 17th Common Council Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS •
Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, embedded below, included a discussion of Whitewater’s calculation and charges for new construction permits. That discussion takes places from 21:50 to 31:20. Of that discussion, there were two positive changes to Whitewater’s current policy: (1) that the city should calculate new-construction permit costs by square footage, and (2) that the rate…
Development, Economy, Free Markets, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning, Taxes/Taxation
Stossel: End Corporate Welfare
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Reason, John Stossel writes about the problem – a big, expensive one – of corporate welfare. Particular businesses shouldn’t receive preferential treatment, including taxpayer handouts, from government. Taxes and fees should be lower across the board, and without preference for one corporation over another. Corporate handouts only reduce competitiveness and increase dependency, and…
City, Development, Planning
Spoken and Unspoken
by JOHN ADAMS •
A man returns from a fishing tournament, and his acquaintances ask him how he did. “Great! Phenomenal! Spectacular! Amazingly, astoundingly well!” he declares. “I caught three fish,” he says. Someone standing nearby is familiar with the tournament, and asks a question. “Weren’t you that one contestant who had help to catch his fish, and besides,…
City, Development, Planning
Walworth County Today: Whitewater developer pays $1 million for Delavan Industrial Park properties
by JOHN ADAMS •
D R Plastics Inc., a waste material recycling company, and Wild Impact Marketing, a marketing and merchandising firm, are expected to begin operations March 2011, once the build-outs are completed. Premier Real Estate Development, a Whitewater, Wisconsin-based real estate specialist company, purchased the two industrial buildings for $1.1 million, or about $21.26 per square foot,…
City, Development, Planning
When Foolishness Passes for Wisdom, All Explained Via PowerPoint
by JOHN ADAMS •
A man, living in an ordinary wooden house, has a preference for candlelight. He chooses against electric lighting, and places dozens of candles in each room of his house. Much of his time is spent lighting candles, with the rest spent telling his neighbors about the benefits of life-by-candlelight. So happy is he with this…
City, Development, Planning, Poverty
Blight and Blighted
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s Common Council meets twice monthly, and was in session Tuesday evening. I follow the proceedings. Fortunately, politics doesn’t begin or end in a day, and few sessions are decisive. (If they were, our condition would be worse than it is.) Part of Tuesday’s session concerned blight, and blighted properties. The two are not the…
Development, Law
Eminent domain controversy prompts Greenfield to rethink development plan – GreenfieldNOW
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s simply wrong and a misuse of the definition of ‘blight’ to use eminent domain law for supposed blight when all a municipal government would do would be to replace one ongoing private business with another one. State Sen. Mary Lazich entered the fray in the redevelopment discussions on Tuesday, saying she will introduce legislation…
Development, Economy, Planning
Richard Florida Discusses the Great Reset of Urban Development in Economic Downturns
by JOHN ADAMS •
Richard Florida, author of The Great Reset, discusses how this recession may change American life as did the depression of the 1870 and the Great Depression. Florida is interested in national trends, and especially the great cities of America. He contends that transportation infrastructure was, and may yet, be a good investment. Nonetheless, he acknowledges…