Liam Jan 9, 2023

I’ve long had a planning theory that you can use pawnshops as proxies for commercial health of an area; the more there are, the worse the economic conditions.

There’s a money-lent place near my office which has shut and I’m reading it as evidence of boom in Newtown

Show threadRussell Degnan
@liamvhogan Also, betting shops and strip clubs. King St, Melbourne is completely changing character but noone seems to demand the protection of these traditional low income businesses from the ravages of gentrification.
Jan 9, 2023 at 5:42amWeb
Show threadLiam Jan 9, 2023
@knottedpaths yes, though strip clubs and other sex work businesses tend to strongly cluster in districts—and operate on a spectrum of high- to in-visibility, that doesn't apply to pawnshops. (FWIW they're both really fascinating planning questions)