This week’s things to know:

 For Cities, Big-Box Stores Are Becoming Even More of a Terrible Deal

Something we at Verdunity are shown each and every time we conduct a fiscal analysis for any city is the fiscal impact that large, big box, retail development has on cities ability to leverage property tax values to their benefit. The convenience for residents and the name brands that often tag on to these large depots are good from the outside, but once you run the numbers there’s another story to be told. This article was brought up again from a twitter thread that harps on the same point we make with every city about big box development. We can’t make the places we live and love a place dominated by highway commercial corridors with strip malls. Let us know what you think and get in touch if you want to hear more! - Ryan

To Cut Carbon, Think Low-Rise Buildings, Not Skyscrapers

Building more two to five-story buildings in your community can go a long way toward bridging your infrastructure funding gap. This recent study found that a similar approach might work best for fighting climate change as well. – Kevin

This Week in Federal Funding

I first learned about Baltimore's outcome based budgeting process when I read Andrew Kleine's City on the Line. Since reading the book, I've gotten to know Andrew and the Baltimore approach better (including having him on our Go Cultivate podcast) Check that one out here. Now, Baltimore is using a similar approach to evaluating how to utilize their $640 million in ARPA funds. In this article, Director of the City's newly established Office of Recovery Programs Shamiah Kerney details their process. It's one I hope many cities use to ensure the funds are used to address the issues that matter most to the community in the best possible way. – Kevin

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Hey, friends in local government:

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