Wes Craiglow gives a TEDx talks about city budgeting services from a spatial point of view (per acre, per square mile) and uses a Walmart Superstore site versus a historic commercial property in a Arkansas city as an example. While Walmart delivers a massive tax assessment compared to its smaller historic peer, it’s much more unproductive and less valuable on a per acre scale. Craiglow also takes a similar approach to evaluate the sales tax and what he finds is that urban development is more more financially prudent than suburban development.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.