Washington Post staff writer Justin Blum reports today that Democrat-leaning states increasingly are regulating energy use and emissions rather than waiting on the feds to act.  "The states are creating energy efficiency requirements for light bulbs and household appliances, limiting power plant and automobile output linked to global warming, and… more

With local and state governments in the United States in search of ways to increase revenues without raising taxes or issue bonds, public-private partnerships that convert public infrastructure to revenue-generating assets have become "a hot-ticket investment idea," according to the New York Times.

The powerhouse dealmaker in the field is Macquarie… more

In Portland, ME, elderly citizens can trade their cars for a ride.  The Independent Transportation Network, started 10 years ago, provided 15,200 rides last year to older citizens who donate their cars to the network.  And the network does it without using taxpayer money.

Pilot programs are beginning in Santa Monica,… more

I was in Minneapolis last week and was asked what the city should do with its skywalks.

Minneapolis, a progressive city much-lauded for its beautiful parks and robust arts scene, gave U.S. cities two unfortunate downtown innnovations:  the skywalk and the pedestrian mall.  Cities rushed to copy Minneapolis, only to learn later… more

We've written about the trend of third home ownership.  The New York Times is following the "double nester" trend.  "Enabled by cheap airfares, flexible work schedules and technology like cellphones, Blackberrys and the Internet, a growing number of people are shuttling between two or more homes, blurring the age-old distinction… more

According to economist Joe Cortright, understanding the mix of things that makes your city different and understanding who that appeals to is a key component of building a distinctive, economically vibrant city.

But how does a city capitalize on its distinctiveness and at the same time respond to market demand?

"It's not… more

Today, I asked a health care expert about the value of cities designed and programmed to encourage active living as part of daily life.  CEOs for Cities member Gary Shorb leads Methodist Healthcare a healthcare delivery system with seven hospitals based in Memphis, and he told me that it is not… more

Paul Grogan, CEOs for Cities founder and president of the Boston Foundation, was our guest on this week's "Smart City," and the subject was civic leaderhsip.  Paul outlined the direction he has set for the Boston Foundation to fill the leadership gap left by corporate CEOs who have been merged out of business.

This… more

The following Op-Ed first appeared on www.planetizen.com.  It is written by CEOs for Cities President and CEO Carol Coletta and economist and author of "The Young and Restless in a Knowledge Economy" Joe Cortright:

One of the burning questions about the future of the American city is who will lead the… more

The Census Bureau estimates that the population of the U.S. will reach 300 million this fall.  The percentage of foreign borns among us was 12 percent in 2004, which is still lower than the 13.2 percent who were foreign-born in 1920.  But in 1920, 89.7 percent of us were white. … more

Various medical studies show that small changes can mean a big difference in health outcomes.  One hour of gardening per week lowers the risk of sudden cardiac death by 66 percent.  Walking one hour a week lowers the risk of coronary artery disease by 51 percent.  Exercising 30 minutes six… more

The Oregon Bus Project, now in its fourth year, recently convened its own three-day version of a power lunch,  to consider how the young activists who make up the project can reboot democracy in this election year.  

According to Willamette Week, "the project aims to get progressive volunteers -- especially young people -- to ride… more

Jazz great Wynton Marsalis, who co-chairs the Bring New Orleans Back Commission's cultural committee,  is scheduled to announce his committee's report this afternoon.  Making the case for its importance, Marsalis told The New York Times, "What gives you the will to survive?  That will has to do with your soul… more

As audiences splinter across hundreds of cable channels, time shift with the iPods and remove commercials altogether with DVR and TiVo, advertisers are seeking new ways to reach their prospects. Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Brian Steinberg and Suzanne Vranica suggest that the new world of advertising just… more

Since most public transit trips begin and end with walking, increased access to public transit could provide more opportunities for people to be physically active, says a new study. Americans who use buses, subways and other public transit spend a median of 19 minutes a day walking to and from… more

From The Guardian 12/29/05

"It is not every day that a concept car re-writes the rules of more than 100 years of motoring. In development for four years by a team of architects and engineers led by William Mitchell, former head of the school of architecture at the Massachusetts Institute… more

John Thackera, author of the terrific book from MIT Press "In the Bubble," posted this item on his Doors of Perception blog...

"If humans can live in skyscrapers, why not pigs and fish? When the Dutch architect Winy Maas first proposed that 600 metre-high skyscrapers, filled with pigs, could… more