Saturday, May 08, 2004
Here's an idea that's likely to get some legs: a "civic responsibility tax" on big box retailers. It's based on the premise that the national chain retailers do not reinvest in their communities to a sufficient level. Read more.
This grassroots trend against the national chains is building some momentum. Austin has emerged as the epicenter.
In Austin, the City Council has voted funds to study the local economic imapct of big box retailers. Learn more. The effort in Austin started with an independent bookseller, Steve Bercu. He commissioned a study on the economic impact of national retail chains. Learn more.
You can download the economic impact analysis here.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Civic responsibility tax on the Big Boxes
