Chicago

New Chicago Mall and Schumpeterian Disruptive Innovation

Today a new mall is opening in Rosemont, near O’Hare Airport and the Rosemont Convention Center. The Fashion Outlets of Chicago will have a range of familiar factory outlet stores and restaurants, conveniently located near the airport and public transportation (I could even take the el there from KP Chicago HQ!). So what? According to its …

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Green Urban Infrastructure Can Save Green(backs)

Lynne Kiesling Some of the best environmental projects also save money. This post at The Atlantic’s Cities blog highlights urban green infrastructure such as permeable pavement projects, including a recent study finding that they can also be economical: Looking at 479 case studies of green infrastructure projects around the U.S., the report finds that the …

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Walmart Express, Market Definition, and Local Politics

Lynne Kiesling Recently Walmart announced that they would begin operating small-format stores called Walmart Express, the first two of which opened in June in Arkansas. If you look at the portfolio of earlier Walmart stores, they range in size from the 185,000 square foot Supercenter (the big kahuna) to the 42,000 square foot Market (with …

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A Disgusting Display of Bureaucratic Force from the Chicago Department of Public Health

Lynne Kiesling This is so vile, so disgusting that I am literally nauseated at my desk as I write. One of the ways that independent chefs, caterers and confectioners economize on their substantial fixed costs is by sharing kitchens. In Chicago, the business license treatment of such kitchens from the Chicago Department of Public Health …

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House Renovation: Have We Got Concrete?

Lynne Kiesling Over the past several years, some kind readers have inquired after the state of our home. Here’s the backstory: three years ago we bought a neglected 1924 Craftsman home in Chicago. We did some preliminary work (air conditioning, plaster, refinished wood), but then spent three years living in the place and working with …

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