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In Texas, parts of Houston are sinking at a rate faster than 10 millimetersor about two-fifths of an inchper year. Parts of Dallas and Fort Worth are sinking more than 5 millimeters per year. While that may sound small, it adds up: Every few millimeters that a city sinks can cause cracks in roads or tilt building foundations, and make that region more vulnerable to extreme flooding. And those Texas cities arent alone: Twenty-five other major citiesfrom New York and San Francisco to Boston and Oklahoma Cityare also sinking, according to a new study, putting more than 34 million people at risk. Cities can sink for a few reasons. Buildings are heavy, and so sometimes the ground below them can settle and constrict, especially if theyre built on top of sand. Erosion or natural land and tectonic movements can come into play, too. But the most common cause for cities sinking lower and lowera process known as subsidenceis groundwater extraction. Across the county, half of the U.S. population relies on groundwater for drinking, irrigation, or industrial uses. When cities pump that water from the ground below, the land then compacts and settles down, bringing the city, and the structural integrity of its buildings roads, and bridges, with it. Land subsidence is often invisibleuntil it isnt, says Manoochehr Shirzaei, a geophysicist at Virginia Tech and coauthor of the study, published today in the journal Nature Cities. It undermines building foundations, damages roads and pipelines, and compromises flood defenses. . . . It’s a quiet hazard, but its effects accumulate, potentially amplifying damage during storms or earthquakes. All 28 major U.S. cities are shrinking For their study, Shirzaei and his team focused on the 28 most populous U.S. cities, which cover nearly 12% of the countrys population. Previous studies about subsidence often focused just on coastal regions or individual cities, ignoring the widespread urban risk. Researchers used satellite-based radar measurements to create high-resolution maps of those cities sinking land. The researchers expected to see subsidence in places like Houston and New Orleans. Houston has long been one of the fastest-sinking cities because of groundwater mining and oil and gas extraction; and New Orleans is built on top of soft, marshy land, with a drainage system that runs through the city. But they found subsidence in all 28 cities they examinedincluding Chicago, Columbus, Seattle, and Denver. The widespread nature of the hazard was striking, Shirzaei says. In 25 out of the 28 cities, at least 65% of the urban area is sinking. In some cities, thats even greater: Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Detroit, Fort Worth, Denver, New York, Indianapolis, Houston, and Charlotte saw the most widespread subsidence, with about 98% of their areas affected. Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston saw the highest rates of subsidence, from about 5 millimeters to as much as 10 millimeters per year. Climate change, subsidence, and what cities can do Subsidence comes with a range of risks. In cities that are already prone to flooding, like New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., it can make floods even worse because more land is closer to sea level. That means when cities sink, theyre more vulnerable to climate changes impacts. Our study found that the cities with the highest rates of subsidence have also experienced numerous major flood events in the past two decades, Shirzaei says. But at the same time, climate change can exacerbate subsidence, by increasing droughts and also the demand for groundwater. Cities still have time to act, Shirzaei says. They can slow this rate of sinking, or even reverse subsidence, by enacting regulations around groundwater use, managing aquifers better, and updating building codes to take soil movement into account. Cities should also adopt monitoring systems, integrate this risk into their urban planning, and retrofit any infrastructure that may be vulnerable. The key is that these responses must be tailored to a specific cityits ground makeup, its infrastructure, and its subsidence causes. What works in San Diego wont work in Memphis, Shirzaei says.
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E-Commerce
Greg Creed spent 25 years at Yum Brands, including more than a decade in leadership roles at Taco Bell, before he retired from the company in 2020. He offered this unsolicited advice after a rough quarter for McDonalds, in which same-store sales fell over 3%, the companys worst drop since the pandemic. The problem, Creed asserts, is that McDonalds isnt chasing menu options that its customers will crave. And without a menu that elicits a strong reactioneither positive or negativefrom diners, McDonald’s is just being beige. Nothing as a brand is worse than being beige, Creed wrote in a recent LinkedIn post. It upsets no one, but lets be honest: No one loves beige. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} In the companys first-quarter earnings report, McDonalds CEO Chris Kempczinski cited uncertain economic and geopolitical conditions as reasons for the sales slump. Traffic to McDonalds fell more than expected, even as the company leaned into its value messaging. Still, McDonalds has raised prices as inflation persists. Were not immune to the volatility in the industry or the pressures that our consumers are facing, Kempczinski said. Comparatively, though, Taco Bell is killing it. In the first three months of the year, sales are up 9%. Traffic is up too, regardless of customer income. These numbers were a bright spot for Yum Brands, also the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, which reported mixed results in the first quarter. I know this is a tough operating environment for everybody else in the industry, Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs said during his companys recent earnings call. It just is probably an environment that favors Taco Bell, and thats what youre seeing there, firing on all cylinders. From his position on the outside, Creed can only speculate on whats happening. But his hunch is Taco Bells success comes from its willingness to aggressively push new menu items, like its crispy chicken nuggets, a former limited-time offering that just made it onto the menu for good. Its not that McDonalds cant innovate, Creed says, its that the companys structurewhere he guesses operators have more input on menu items than the marketing departmentis slowing it down. I always thought of McDonalds as an operating company, Creed said via email. Whereas I used to say when I ran Taco Bell, that we are a marketing company that just happens to sell Mexican-inspired food. Process aside, Kempczinski expects McDonalds fortune to turn. Like Taco Bell, its adding more fried chicken to the menu with this weeks nationwide launch of fried chicken tenders called McCrispy Strips, and plans to lean hard on its value offerings to reach a stretched consumer. The biggest co-sign of Creeds analysis, though, comes from current Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant. In response to Creeds LinkedIn screed, he wrote: Nuggets (pun intended) of gold, Greg. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/Expedite-Icon-E-white-background.jpg.jpg","headline":"Expedite","description":"Restaurant technology and the big ideas shaping the future of hospitality, by Kristen Hawley. To learn more visit expedite.news","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.expedite.news\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. The speed and breadth of the changing political/cultural status quo in the U.S. has been breathtaking and disorienting for brand leaders across the tech/business community. Some leaders have gone all in to kiss the ring of the new status quo. Many more are wrestling with the question How do I continue to support the ideals my brand believes in without causing serious self-sabotage? This article is intended as a conversation starter, not a neat solution, and is informed by decades of experience of building the most influential brands as well as a series of 2025 interviews with leading founders. It puts forward a set of three principles and concrete actions to help leaders get on the front foot again. 1. Rebrand initiatives for minimum drama, maximum impact Inspiration: The rebranding of progressive finance We can learn from the example of the progressive finance community, which is in the process of rebranding its entire category, swapping trigger words such as ESG for terms like energy security. Surveying fund managers and analysts, the FT noted, The new world of sustainable investment will have a greater focus on energy transition, better regulation, and less virtue signalingESG as a synonym for sustainable investment is likely to disappear but the trend, in its revamped form, will continue. This is a great example of reframing language to focus on the nondebatable goal of ensuring our energy suppliers resilience, no matter what your view on the causes and speed of climate change. 2. Stick to your values, but focus on outcomes: The Flo Health approach Flo Health, a leading womens health app, successfully navigated the post-Roe v. Wade landscape by focusing on science-backed healthcare outcomes rather than political rhetoric. Instead of engaging in ideological debates, the company stayed true to its missionimproving womens healthby highlighting established medical research demonstrating the negative impact of restricted reproductive care. This wasnt just talk; it sparked tangible innovation. Flo Health introduced Anonymous Mode, a game-changing feature that allows users to track their menstrual cycles without fear of their data being misused. The move resonated deeply with users, addressing concerns about digital privacy at a time of heightened vulnerability. The results speak for themselves. By keeping the focus on action rather than controversy, Flo Health experienced a 55% surge in paid subscribers, solidifying its position as Europes first femtech unicorn. In the U.S., the app has become an essential tool for reproductive health, with an estimated 40% of women who were trying to conceive, relying on it. Flo Healths approach underscores a key lesson: Brands can stand by their values and drive meaningful impact without performative statements, earning both community trust and business success. 3. Adopt an adaptive Day One mindset focused on current needs over historical wrongs This mindset has long been advocated by innovative CEOs, treating each day as if its the first, willing to let go of the past with a focus on excellence and opportunity. I believe that now is the time for brand leaders to apply the same lens in a new world with a new set of rules. Reduce talk of correcting historical injustices and focus more on actions that drive the maximum benefit for the majority of people. Example: Rockets blockbuster Super Bowl activation Rocket, a leading provider of mortgages in the U.S., returned to the Super Bowl in 2025 with a goal to unite a divided nation around the principle that everyone deserves a shot at home ownership. The campaign was intentionally crafted to find common ground from the choice of music (one of the U.S.s most beloved country tracks) to representative, authentic casting from young families to veterans, to the topic with 94% of Americans believing that homeownership is part of the American dream. With two million people visiting Rocket.com within an hour and the largest brand lift of any Super Bowl advertiser, the impact illustrates the power of the approach with feedback showing that people from both sides of the political spectrum saw themselves in it. Final word Navigating this complex landscape requires courage and a commitment to acting with intention, orienting towards inclusive solutions over rallying against partisan problems. There is no one-size-fits-all formula but adopting a Day One mindset offers a way forward where values drive decisions but outcomes drive communications. A blend of purpose and pragmatism to achieve maximum impact with minimum drama. The examples above illustrate how this strategy can yield significant benefits, from strengthening community trust to driving commercial success. Were all writing the new playbook for purpose-driven performance in real time, and I remain stubbornly optimistic that this evolution will, over time, elevate the industrys ability to create lasting cultural and business impact Neil Barrie is cofounder and global CEO of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand.
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E-Commerce
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