"The planet's best green journalist" Bill McKibben heads to the Lowcountry for a special lecture event.
Recently there has been a growing recognition that a string of weather events, from violent storms to record-breaking droughts, have had a profound impact on the lives of people in this country and around the world. Environmental journalist Bill McKibben has been for years among the most effective voices raising the alarm about the threats of climate change.
The phrase “new urbanism” typically calls to mind things like multi-story buildings, attached dwellings, and dense urban streets with a mix of uses. In other words: cities and towns, rather than farms and rural lands. But the two aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, each can actually support the well-being of the other, and both must work together to contribute toward a truly healthy community.
Author, Urbanist, Educator and Retail Planner Robert Gibbs was recently a speaker for the 2012 CNU Beaufort Lecture Series. Robert gave a thorough presentation on the current state of the US commercial retail market, focusing on current and future trends.
Robert began by discussing current national trends. He has input from his large retail clients – he works with companies like Wal-Mart, JC Penny, and Disney – but also small mom and pop folks like Al the Deli owner. Gibbs stated that urban retail is on the rise in cities and towns for the first time since 1939. Most of the large retailers (Nationals) have embraced urban stores in the last 5 -10 years. Those who have not are doing so right now. It is the segment of the market that is growing and predicable. Nationals view suburban growth patterns as risky and unlikely to perform, says Gibbs. This certainly applies to parts of the County around 278 and Bluffton as well as the suburban Beaufort.
Written by Mallory B.E. Baches, Executive Director
Tuesday, 27 March 2012 11:47
Gifford Pinchot, former Chief of the U.S. Forest Service and Governor of Pennsylvania, once said, “The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future.”