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This article does a poor job of addressing the root causes of this sort of urban desiccation. There are likely many that compound. One is certainly the presenc

This article does a poor job of addressing the root causes of this sort of urban desiccation. There are likely many that compound. One is certainly the presence of malls and big box stores nearby. I live within walking distance of several groceries and bakeries but I mainly shop at Costco, because of the insane convenience of getting 90% of what I need at one place, with parking, that also happens to be very inexpensive. Another is tourism. In tourist towns (Albi is one, apparently), there's a tipping-point where shops can make more money selling bottled water and tchotchkes to tourists than they could selling staples to locals, and once you pass that point things go downhill fast. Lastly, jobs. If Albi is like many small cities in the US, the jobs are simply elsewhere.

rjsw 10y ago
One thing that is very noticeable in France is that people still buy locally made products. There isn't nearly the same trend to move production to China as elsewhere, so smaller factories haven't all closed.
- muninn_ 10y ago
  People in the US at least have wised up to this as well. There are stores all over the place that sell made in "insert state here", and people buy! I think it's good. It helps build a cultural identity, which is something that is under attack in the West.
  - ocschwar 10y ago
    Sometimes it gets a little absurd. In Somerville, MA, there are stores for locally made goods, and the goods are high quality, and certainly good examoples of the local esthetic. Which in turn is built around the cultural identity of the 20 somethings who move into this area to try to make their way in the world.
    - muninn_ 10y ago
      Fair criticism for sure, sometimes it can be superficial, but hey at least they're trying, unlike their parents.
      - bsder 10y ago
        The superficial can pave the way for the folks who are genuine. Gluten-free is definitely a fad, but it sure helps the people who are actually gluten intolerant,
      - ocschwar 10y ago
        I wouldn't call it superficial, even. Might not be deep rooted, but some thought and work go into it.
- wott 10y ago
  Not true at all. France is almost totally de-industrialised. The rare products which do not come from China and similar Asian countries come from Maghreb or Italy/Germany/Belgium, the few Western European countries which kept some kind of industry. For example, the textile industry was quickly wiped out in just a handful of years, recently (about 10 years ago). Industry represents only 10% of French GDP. For neighbouring countries, it is 12% in Spain, 14% in Italy (that's the average in EU) and... 20% in Germany! That's the country of Alcatel, the company that decided to become "a company with no factory" 15 years ago. It's like an exceptional moment worth a celebration when you discover a "Made in France" behind a product.
xapata 10y ago
> tourism It's like the "curse of oil". If you have too much of a natural resource, your economy is very unlikely to create a healthy mix of industries. The high-margin resource crowds out investment in other activities.

rjsw 10y ago

One thing that is very noticeable in France is that people still buy locally made products. There isn't nearly the same trend to move production to China as elsewhere, so smaller factories haven't all closed.

muninn_ 10y ago
People in the US at least have wised up to this as well. There are stores all over the place that sell made in "insert state here", and people buy! I think it's good. It helps build a cultural identity, which is something that is under attack in the West.
- ocschwar 10y ago
  Sometimes it gets a little absurd. In Somerville, MA, there are stores for locally made goods, and the goods are high quality, and certainly good examoples of the local esthetic. Which in turn is built around the cultural identity of the 20 somethings who move into this area to try to make their way in the world.
  - muninn_ 10y ago
    Fair criticism for sure, sometimes it can be superficial, but hey at least they're trying, unlike their parents.
    - bsder 10y ago
      The superficial can pave the way for the folks who are genuine. Gluten-free is definitely a fad, but it sure helps the people who are actually gluten intolerant,
    - ocschwar 10y ago
      I wouldn't call it superficial, even. Might not be deep rooted, but some thought and work go into it.
wott 10y ago
Not true at all. France is almost totally de-industrialised. The rare products which do not come from China and similar Asian countries come from Maghreb or Italy/Germany/Belgium, the few Western European countries which kept some kind of industry. For example, the textile industry was quickly wiped out in just a handful of years, recently (about 10 years ago). Industry represents only 10% of French GDP. For neighbouring countries, it is 12% in Spain, 14% in Italy (that's the average in EU) and... 20% in Germany! That's the country of Alcatel, the company that decided to become "a company with no factory" 15 years ago. It's like an exceptional moment worth a celebration when you discover a "Made in France" behind a product.

xapata 10y ago

> tourism It's like the "curse of oil". If you have too much of a natural resource, your economy is very unlikely to create a healthy mix of industries. The high-margin resource crowds out investment in other activities.