On the day I read about a small bakery in Paddington which is doing wonders to the palates of Sydneysiders (and further proving the creative superiority of the independent store over the franchised chain), I read that the golden arches is set to open in the Louvre. Quoi le phoque putain?

I have always been a fan and supporter of the corner-store/small business/independent retail. Never liked Starbucks or Gloria Jean’s as I always preferred the local cafe. Being vegetarian, Macca’s never really appealed to me. I have been to towns in Australia that do not have the golden arches dominating the skyline. Yes they do exist! Then again I have been as far north as Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle in Finland, which claims to have the world’s most northern McDonald’s.

I believe that independent retail and small businesses are a core ingredient needed to create a sustainable and liveable city. This was one of the themes discussed at the International Urban Planning Congress held last week in Amsterdam. Just need to compare, say the hell-hole that is Oxford Street in London with Marylebone High Street. Or Grote Marktstraat with Denneweg with in The Hague. (Though there are plans to make Grote Marktstraat into an international shopping boulevard). Or parts of Sydney’s George Street with the many side streets in Glebe, Paddington or Surry Hills. This is what city councils, urban planners and designers must realise. A sustainable and liveable city needs small business/independent retail. Not just brand names and franchises.

But then again since the councils of Sydney and many other cities in Australia are filled with real estate agents and property developers I fear that what we will see more are high-rise monstrosities and non-liveable and unsustainable cities. Perhaps it is time we ban real estate agents from serving on councils? I am in the process of compiling a current occupation list of my former local council in Sydney. I know when I lived there there were several real estate agents sitting on council. So stay tuned…

Picture: The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 October 2009