Make the Mall Cool Again

Last week, I headed to California to visit my family. While we were there, the Santa Ana winds picked up, and as a result, the power was shut off at my parent’s house as a fire precaution for 2 days. On the second day, I was in desperate need of an outlet to charge my...

Understanding the Mall Market

Brick and mortar retail has long been central to urban living, but over several decades we have seen fundamental changes in the location and style of retailing. A massive locational change occurred as vibrant downtown retail streets were often boarded up as retail...

The One-Two Punch

With Helene still visible in the rear-view mirror and communities from Florida to Virginia still without power, water and connectivity, this week’s Milton delivered more misery and damage to the southeast. Two in the space of a couple of weeks must be unprecedented,...

NCAA Needs a Geographer

A year ago, we wrote about how the NCAA Needs a Geographer while trying to make sense of the March Madness brackets. Since then, lots of realignment has happened within the conferences and geographically, they make little to no sense. This is highlighted perfectly by...

Paying for Population

Late last week, an innovative scheme to attract new residents hit the wires. The city of Cumberland, Maryland, is offering a $10,000 payment if you will just move to their fine city and either buy or build a house there, and up to a further $10,000 in matching grants...

National 711 Day: A Practical Guide

July 11 is National 7-Eleven Day. For the past few years, the chain has been rewarding customers by giving them a free small Slurpee to celebrate. Free sounds good, doesn’t it? But even free comes at a cost. What if you live 20 miles from the nearest 7-Eleven. Is it...