tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980951139270141970.post5768099155158740897..comments2023-11-30T10:43:33.130-06:00Comments on Reading Freely: The Small Mart RevolutionStephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15097908023032528200noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980951139270141970.post-78004552189397051692014-07-16T17:49:07.308-05:002014-07-16T17:49:07.308-05:00This is quite true, and some nations would be wit...This is quite true, and some nations would be without hope were they not plugged into the global economy -- like the Netherlands and Japan, who built their wealth on trade and trade alone. But when so many towns have boarded-up or abandoned areas in their downtown areas, and a multitude of box stores outside that area proper, the primacy of local businesses seems clear. Government policies (at all levels) caused that wealth to be spilled out. If the opportunities for selling groceries, hardware, cloth, books, and everything else provided by generic big boxes were being captured by stores in the city center, the city as a whole would be much better off. That scheme is much better for cities, as small businesses generate more value per acre than the boxes. A city with its own industry creates feeder industries, but the big boxes don't deliver an opportunities for feeding other businesses like that. (Jane Jacobs' "The Economy of Cities" documents this wonderfully.)<br /><br />An example of the value per acre is here: <br />http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2012/1/2/the-cost-of-auto-orientation.html#.U8cAfvldV8E<br /><br />As you can tell, a large part of my interest in buying "local" is urban revitalization, in addition to disaster preparedness. That's why I like the author's advocacy of "Local First" campaigns -- not "local only".Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15097908023032528200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980951139270141970.post-6925966896110861662014-07-16T14:55:26.646-05:002014-07-16T14:55:26.646-05:00There are limits to an economy that depends on loc...There are limits to an economy that depends on local sourcing. I grew up in a small town that has flourished in the decades since I left by taking advantage of the global economy. <br />It is fine to rely on local farmers for seasonal foodstock, but there are many products, considered essential in the twenty-first century, that depend upon a vibrant global economy and, yes, multi-national corporations. <br />For example, how would you manage your blog without the fruits of technology that is provided by global companies?Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00561320676355168336noreply@blogger.com