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Slow Towns
Nick Smith, The Tyee
Local, relaxed, sustainable. Europe is leading the way. Is BC next?
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... That Ludlow's transformation began with food is highly appropriate -- the trend towards slow towns grew out of Italy's nearly two-decade-old slow-food movement.

Those who embraced the Italian philosophy realized it was about much more than what they were having for lunch. It was about how they chose to live their lives.

Hence Citta Slow, a more ambitious movement that hit the ground in Italy circa 1999 ("Citta," Italian for "town" and "Slow" for "slow food"), and now boasts about 100 adherents across Europe, Asia and Australia.

Citta Slow applicants must adhere to a set of criteria to qualify. These address the unique qualities of the town, the sustainability of its infrastructure, the preservation of its history and the maintenance of local ways of doing things.
(22 December 2008)

Life Without Cars
Nathan Lewis, New World Economics (blog)
Life used to be without cars. Before 1925 or so, only the wealthy had automobiles, and before 1900 nobody did. Most of the cities and civilizations of the world were developed without cars. Indeed, I would argue that there really hasn't been much in the way of cities and civilizations built since cars became common. Try to name the top ten achievements of European culture after 1950. Name the top ten built environments created after 1950.

However, it is hard today for many to imagine a world without cars. This is because we've created an environment in which cars are something close to a necessity. You might as well ask people 40 feet underwater if they can imagine a world without SCUBA gear. So, what we really need to imagine here is not trying to live in a car-dependent wasteland without a car, but rather an environment in which a car is unnecessary and even a useless pain in the butt. Just try to climb Mt. Rainier with your SCUBA gear on. When you are halfway up Mt. Rainier, it becomes very easy to imagine life without SCUBA.

The funny thing is, Life Without Cars (I've done it) is actually a lot of fun. There is no hardship or privation involved. It's cheaper, too, which means everyone can play. Probably the closest many Americans have come to a Life Without Cars is the time they may have spent at a residential university. The university campus is about the best example of a no-car-needed environment you'll find in the U.S. these days. And wasn't it fun? Yes, you can have a car for the occasional weekend trip, but on the other hand, you might spend all your time on campus and not want even for that.
(21 December 2008)
Long post, many photos. According to his bio,

Nathan Lewis was Chief International Economist and later Global Strategist for firms providing investment research to institutions. Today, he is involved in asset management. He previously worked in financial journalism in Toyko

The dead mall problem
Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney
Experts say Atlanta, Las Vegas, and retail hubs in California and Florida are at real economic risk if thousands of more stores shutter in 2009.
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As the recession leaves more retail casualties in its wake, rising store bankruptcies and mall closures could have devastating economic consequences.

As more stores exit malls, vacancies in regional malls could rise past 7% by year-end, a level not hit since the first quarter of 2001, according to real estate research firm Reis.

... "One of the biggest consequences [of store and mall closings] is the loss of a sense of community," Birnbrey said. "I am a big believer that malls are an essential part of Americana. A mall is a place where people gather and socialize."

In addition, many municipalities are heavily dependent on retailers for the tax revenue and jobs that they generate.
(17 December 2008)
Related: Sharon Astyk visits a mall.

My suggestion? Use the abandoned malls as indoor flea and farmers markets. Instead of selling wares from halfway across the globe, how about wares from down the block? Oh, and they might make good homeless shelters if things start to get really bad...