Chuck Marohn is a city planner who tries to expose the game for what it is. In a recent Strong Towns post that then appeared at Philanthropy Daily, Marohn explains why bringing a barber into town once a week from the regional center would be a better investment than building a community center.

I asked them [the planning committee] who cut their hair. One by one they told me that they all went to the regional center forty miles away to get their hair cut. … Of course, when they made that drive they brought the entire family and used the occasion to visit the big box stores to stock up for the month.

So then I asked them whether they would go to someone local for a haircut if that opportunity existed and, if so, if that would reduce their need to travel to the regional center. They were all affirmative on both counts.

So here was my idea: …[Keep reading]