Depsite a change in local laws that let businesses stay open 90 minutes later, few businesses in the northwestern Swiss city of Basel have extended hours, worrying officials that their idea of creating the "largest shopping center in the region" has fallen short.
"This promotional offensive was prompted by the fact that Basel's stores can now be open on weekdays till 8 p.m. and till 6 p.m. on Saturdays thanks to the new rest day and shop opening hours law passed in October last year. The moderate extension of opening hours by six hours per week had been fought for years by the commercial industry."
"Store opening hours, the employers argued back then, had to be adjusted to modern lifestyle, as well as to the habits in the agglomeration and across the border. Otherwise stores downtown would continue to die. According to a study of the Office of Statistics, one fifth of all stores downtown did indeed close between 1991 and 2001; roughly 4,000 jobs were lost."
"One year after the promised opening Basel is presenting itself more as a shopping desert than an oasis or a paradise. If you want to shop after 7 p.m. you will find more closed than open doors, even on Thursdays and Fridays."
FULL STORY: Shopping in the evening becomes a gamble
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.
California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.
HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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