kai

but does it have to be a foregone conclusion? is there no way to fight sprawl? is there no way to stop walmart? is it hopeless?

my little rural town up here in Mass has prevented fast food and chain stores from coming in through numerous zoning laws: preventing electrified signs (wooden only, lit by a single bulb - or something like that - certainly no neon or back lit plastic signs), regulating parking lot sizes and distance/visibility of parking lots from the road, regulating the style of construction, limiting lighting options for parking lots, banning drive thrus, etc. with land prices here being so expensive, they've basically made it impossible to advertise businesses, or locate them accessibly. it sounds harsh, but economically we're doing perfectly fine- the farms are survivng, the quality of life has been preserved, and we're not even an hour outside of Boston. We have an interstate on the edge of town (and en exit onto main street).

i'm not saying this would work everywhere. but there are ways to stop the sprawl. does the NW/W side of san antonio really NEED another walmart - especially there? do there need to be HEBs and walmarts and fast food on every corner? its a bit ridiculous & i do not miss THAT part of San Antonio. Not that i had a choice in my moving, but if I did, that would be the number one reason why I left: urban sprawl.