ARTICLES
The Original Articles archives of CharacterTowns.org presents papers that discuss practical and conceptual ideas for designing, building and managing character towns and small cities that are interesting, pleasant and prosperous places for residents, businesses and visitors.
Property Values and Sidewalks, 2018
Purpose: The Study compares the property value of homes on one side of the street with sidewalks to homes on the other side of the same street without sidewalks. The Five Areas of Study: Ibis Drive in the City of Orlando, 2 Areas Weeks Avenue in Orange County White Avenue in Orange County N. Westmoreland […]
Public Entrepreneurs: The Visionary Risk-Takers of an Entrepreneurial City
Public Entrepreneurs: The Visionary Risk-Takers of an Entrepreneurial City describes the role of the city officials and institutional leaders who extend the range and depth of civic initiatives intended to achieve the city’s vision with an aggressive, though measured, strategy to direct all of its actions, expenditures and regulations. ENTREPRENEURS WANTED. Entrepreneurs are icons […]
Public Entrepreneurs, The Visionary Leaders and Risk-Takers of an Entrepreneurial City.
ENTREPRENEURS WANTED. Entrepreneurs are icons of the private sector, particularly the start-ups of the high tech world. As Mitchel Weiss said in his Harvard Business School article [Harvard Business Review, March 28, 2014], “Public entrepreneurship is entrepreneurship.” There is no private, public or institutional about it. The entrepreneurial city is a place that fosters and […]
Public Libraries as Business Incubators
Suppose you have an idea for a new digital services business – a business that delivers some value to others over the Internet. No matter how good your idea might be, getting such a business off the ground requires a given amount of capital. And this business might require business skills that you do not […]
Quintessential Character Town, Greenville SC
GREENVILLE is the county seat of Greenville County in northwest South Carolina. Created in 1786, the county was named either for the American Revolutionary War hero General Nathanial Greene or for its physical appearance, or both. Greenville has all the attributes of a character town: a vibrant downtown, historic close-in neighborhoods and urban parks. The […]
Quintessential Character Town…DeLandFL.
CHARACTER. The City is the home of Stetson University and the seat of Volusia County government, both with facilities near downtown. The thriving downtown economy depends on the City remaining an interesting, pleasant and prosperous place for residents, businesses, students and visitors. FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
Radically Rural Offers Six Exciting Program Tracks!
Radically Rural is built around six engaging program tracks that are highly relevant for rural communities and small towns: Arts & Culture, Entrepreneurship, Community Journalism, Main Street, Working Lands and Renewable Energy. FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
Rapid buses cut travel time in half for these Louisville neighborhoods. Are more to come?
It used to take Ronald Yates almost an hour to commute from his job in Valley Station to his home in Shawnee. But last month, his travel time was cut in half. The reason: Louisville’s first rapid bus line, which covers a 13-mile stretch of Dixie Highway into downtown. [Louisville’s first rapid route — the […]
Rarely Taught Planning Skills.
Fundamental Skills for Planners. For the planning profession to survive and prosper, its practitioners need to find a position of strength in a broad range of topics. Typically, planners are taught items 1-6 below plus specialties like historic preservation, pedestrianism and affordable housing; each important but not part of a “core” education program. Items 7-12 are rarely […]
Reading about Small Modular (Nuclear) Reactors – SMR’s
An Essential Component of a Comprehensive Energy Program. CT.org believes nuclear energy is one of the sustainable sources of energy that will provide safe, cheap electrical power complementing wind and solar sources, as the readings discuss. A Concept. The idea of a comprehensive, long-range energy program relies on considering all possibilities, relying on best available […]
Reduce, reuse and recycle…recycling challenged.
From ChracterTowns.org…Florida Trend has constructed an excellent article of the efficacy of recycling. One conclusion is to put the emphasis on reduce and reuse and audit the benefits of recycling. Another conclusion in the article is that, in many cases, the cost of recycling exceeds any revenue it produces; therefore, cities are abandoning the practice […]
Rehabbed & Ready in Detroit
Why Rehabbed & Ready? Rehabbed & Ready is a one-of-a-kind program designed to create opportunities for homeownership in Detroit’s neighborhoods, reduce residential blight, and restore home values. In Detroit, it can be challenging to purchase a home with modern renovations. In some neighborhoods, where home values are less than the cost of required rehab work, […]
Reminder…Sources and Uses of Energy
From EPA and EIA A Reminder…The sources of greenhouse gases can be grouped into five categories: Transportation is the biggest, perhaps electric vehicles will reduce this number, over time. Hydrogen is still on the list. Electricity generation is second. The chart below shows the contribition of renewable sources to the generation of electricty. Industrial greenhouse […]
Reminder…Sources and Uses of Energy
A Reminder…The sources of greenhouse gases can be grouped into five categories: Transportation is the biggest, perhaps electric vehicles will reduce this number, over time. Hydrogen is still on the list. Electricity generation is second. The chart below shows the contribution of renewable sources to the generation of electricity. Industrial greenhouse gas emissions primarily come […]
Remote Engagement.
Here in April 2020, life has become dominated by social distancing and remote engagement. The substitute for personal interactions has become “remote engagement”. Remote engagement has many manifestations. As systems are being rolled out, mistakes and missteps are happening, but experimentation continues and creates goodwill from the users since something is being tried to restore […]
Renew Atlanta TSPLOST
Bond Program Highlights Atlanta voters overwhelmingly supported the Renew Atlanta infrastructure bond in a special election on March 17, 2015. More than eight in ten voters approved two ballot questions to authorize repairs, improvements and upgrades to transportation and municipal facilities projects citywide. Because of its strong credit rating, the City of Atlanta was able […]
Rescuing Derelict Roads, Rails and Rivers for Public Use.
THE PROSPECT. Valuable lands and waters are being discarded because their first use has become obsolete and most communities and developers are not clever enough to envision a productive life for the second or subsequent generations of use. Fortunately, some communities, urban designers and philanthropists are envisioning new uses for discarded roads, rails and rivers. […]
Resistance to development stands in way of prosperity
Critiquing the Notion of Neighborhood Character Zócalo Public Square Editor Joe Mathews takes aim at the phrase, “We want to protect the character of the community,” calling it a lousy argument in normal times and verging on “treasonous” due to climate change and California’s housing crisis. FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
Reverse Engineering a Strategy.
The Role of Strategy. Remember that strategy is the pivot point between vision and action. Therefore, it is important to think of strategy in the context of the community’s vision and its many action plans. Strategy is not a plan in and of itself; a strategic plan provides instruction of how to turn a vision […]
Robert K. Merton and the Social Sphere of Sustainability.
Robert K. Merton is a social scientist in the tradition of the founders of sociology contributing to an understanding of sustainability’s social sphere. The works of Merton and his colleagues are important contributors to those planning the future of the city. City planners need sociologists. FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail