Round up: State of the Cities 2018, classic American main street, free legal services, gender-free retail, steakhouse local

Scott Landfried is Operations Manager at Larisa Ortiz Associates

National League of Cities: State of the Cities 2018

Based on content analysis of 160 mayoral speeches between January and April 2018, this report breaks down the top ten major topics and discusses five subtopics of each major topic.

What a steakhouse can teach us about walkable neighborhoods

The concept: restaurants, and the like, built into mixed use residential environments become an extension of the resident's house and guarantees a reliable customer base. It is just another demonstrated point in the walkable/human-scale oriented versus auto-oriented debate.

Quantifying the death of the classic American main street

Main street is struggling under the pressure of chain stores and shifting economic forces. Among helpful tips to counterbalance this trend, the story discusses eight core characteristics of the classic main street.

NYC to offer free legal services to small business owners

Giving mom-and-pop stores some much needed help against the many forces against them with much deeper pockets, NYC Department of Small Business Services is offering up to 40 hours free legal services to small businesses with issues regarding their leases.

NYC retailer offers gender-free experience

Possibly a first - a retailer offers gender non-binary shopping experience. The retail space also includes a juice/coffee bar and community space - an experiential space of sorts.