24 July 2007
Construction. That bane of every driver has come, in aces, to my neighbourhood. You see, a Wal-Mart is opening just over 2 miles from my house at the intersection of a busy FM highway and one of the primary arteries between Mansfield and Arlington. Despite much opposition and votes against the construction of this Wal-Mart, which necessitated the destruction of a beautiful section (one of the last in our area) of woodland, it is progressing. There does not seem to exist a direct correlation between surrounding property values and the existence of a Wal-Mart so certainly I can’t use that as any sort of defensive stance. Although independent studies done by Thomas Muller on the effects of Wal-Marts in Iowa suggests that property values could decline by 16-20% in the years immediately following the erection of the sprawl. However, since each Wal-Mart also contributed about $2 million to the local tax base, the detrimental effect was overlooked at the micro level as the macro level tended to benefit. As a small business owner (Bannockburn Bridge & East Wind Games), I am petrified by the construction. Not only does the on-going construction have an immediate negative impact on traffic flow and pattern, the long-term shuttering of long-established retail outlets is, sadly, a foregone conclusion. Wal-Mart will force a number of smaller businesses in the area to finally make the difficult decision to nail shut their doors for good. Does Wal-Mart really need a fourth megaplex in a 5 mile radius? I would hazard that they do not; but what am I? Just a little guy in a really friggin’ big world.
I took this photo for two reasons:
First, I took it to get the above diatribe out of me. It’s cathartic, I feel better.
Second, my friend Terrill challenged me to take mono-or dual-chromatic photographs in order to better myself. It’s easy, he says, to take a photo of highly-contrasting colours and make it work. It’s much more difficult to take a photo consisting of only familial colours. So, that’s what I’ve tried here. I espied the pattern on my way home, so at a friendly stop light, I leaned out the window and took the photo. The rusting rebar, the brown dirt, the dark shadows were all so very brown(ish), I thought “that’s it – monochromatic!” It’s not quite. But, close enough.
Cheers.
~KR (24 July 2007)
Listening to:
A Day Without Me by U2
on Boy
Great texture!
Kyle: I love this photo! And to think you just leaned out the car window at a stop light?! I think it’s a phenomenal thing that you got such a fine shot so quickly! Kudos to you, my love.
~MB
Ugh. Wal-Mart. A Wal-Mart Supercenter Store went up near us in Plano and put a nearby Albertson’s out of business. Albertson’s, for crying out loud! Which is a pretty big chain, at least locally, and in a much more convenient location than Wal-Mart. Sadly, the shopping center where Albertson’s was located is also suffering now that the anchor store is gone. This is one of the many reasons why I refuse to set foot in a Wal-Mart.
Nice photo, too, by the way! Very crisp.
~Emily
We’re getting a Wal*Mart AND a Sam’s Club less than a mile from us. It’s probably going to kill the Albertson’s across the street, too. We used to have cows, trees and wildflowers all around our home when we bought it. The open space is all quickly going away.
http://gallery.photographyreview.com/showphoto.php?photo=70390&cat=500&ppuser=256171