Portland won approval today for not just the 3.35-mile eastside streetcar extension, but to start a new streetcar industry here in the Portland region with an order for 6 streetcars to be built at United Streetcar.

The Loop Project is a 3.35-mile extension of the Portland Streetcar… more

Here’s one example of a program exploring how to foster a system of opportunities for learning to build the creative capital of our future generations.

Thriving Minds emphasizes the importance of developing opportunities for children to be creative as a key to improving the lives of children,… more

Speaking to the R.J. Daley Global Cities Forum today in Chicago, Vice President Joe Biden cited the importance of the work of CEOs for Cities on the Talent Dividend.  He was using it to make the point that education is one of the most critical investments we… more

A dinner arranged by philanthropist Eric Avner and hosted by Mayor Mark Mallory in Cincininnati this week was our first chance to stage a local discussion on the Green Dividend.  Cincinnati unveiled its comprehensive climate strategy almost a year ago, and the mayor and his staff are taking… more

In a time where reinvention is the name of the game, the roles of producers and consumers, citizens and decision-makers are being blurred, and new technologies are making new relationships possible, this initiative is bringing all these things to the art world.

ArtPrize aims to “reboot the… more

For several years, I've been warning mid-size cities that they have a particularly difficult hurdle to clear.  Think about the fate of general purpose midsize retailers, midsize banks, midsize investment firms.  Not terribly encouraging, is it?  Are midsize cities similiarly theatened?

I was reminded of this today when I read… more

How do we help mobile talent connect with place?  Better yet, our place?  This is one of the big questions for cities. 

Lavonzell Nicholson and Ishaneka Williams have won a competition for the best business proposal to do just that: help the 23 – 35 year olds who… more

As the Talent Dividend tour continues, one of the questions we get at every stop is, "With so many lay-offs occurring. why should we be focused on increasing our number of college graduates?" 

Some facts in the current Newsweek bolster the answer we always give.  Newsweek reports, the unemployment… more

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood held a press conference today to announce a new U.S. push to transform travel in America, creating high-speed rail lines from city to city, reducing dependence on cars and planes and spurring economic development.

The President laid… more

From a compelling article by Bruce Fisher:

"In Buffalo, City Hall says it has a plan for vacant land, and that its plan doesn’t include turning vacant lots into farms. City Hall actively opposed land-banking legislation, and got Governor Paterson to veto a land-bank bill just last year.

President Barack Obama’s national high-speed rail (HSR) master plan will be announced Thursday, April 16, at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

Scott Bernstein, president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology who spoke at the CEOs for Cities November, 2008 meeting in Chicago and who has been invited to attend the announcement, said… more

Today, we held our second Talent Dividend Summit in Atlanta where we were joined by a number of VIPs including Mayor Shirley Franklin, Superintendent Beverly Hall, Penny McPhee of the Arthur M. Blank Foundation and other community, corporate and civic leaders.   The meeting was convened by Peggy… more

Good for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his endorsement this morning of Portland's transit system as "a model for the nation."  LaHood also called Portland a model for reducing pollution, "getting people out of their cars" and creating "livable" communities.  How encouraging it is to see Secretary LaHood acknowledge… more

How is it possible that playing host to Sail Boston and the World Series has a negative net ROI for Boston?

Boston, with no local sales tax, is severely limited in the number of revenue sources available to it.  “What would be a windfall to cities elsewhere is… more

Interesting details from St. Paul's pursuit of high speed rail by way of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association:

A faster train on a 'shovel-ready' route from St. Paul to Chicago
By Jim McDonough, Chris Coleman and Kristofer Johnsonmore

After two days of meetings in Abu Dhabi that included a long series of convenings on public transport, this story in the The Economist hits home.

"France, Japan, Spain, Germany, all have trains that zoom through the countryside at speeds up to 217mph (350kph). America has one 'high-speed' rail… more

Tweeting again today from the Global City Conference in Abu Dhabi.  Read my posts here.

I was on the branding panel with an outstanding group of people. Thomas Sevcik, CEO of Arthesia, moderated very smartly.  Her Excellency Reem al Shemari, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Office of Brand, showed off… more

I am tweeting from the Global City conference today in Abu Dhabi.  You can find my comments here.  Theme is the Sustainable City.

"Obama is less interested in rejuvenating urban policy than he is in reshaping its very dimensions."  Check out this article by Alan Greenblatt in this month's issue of GOVERNING for more on the Administration's view on cities.

Attending Turning the Tide was a fascinating 2-day conversation at Fort Baker in Golden Gate Park.  I tweeted throughout the meeting, so if you want to catch up on the highlights of the proceedings, go to my profile on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ccoletta. This week I'll be in Abu Dhabi… more

At our recent Strategy Summit, we had a lively exchange between Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota, and Tersesa Schwarz, who has done a brilliant job of reimagining Cleveland's vacant land as an asset for sustainability.

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Noted this post at Switchboard on the impact of strong central cities in helping weather the recession.  The post reinforces the conclusions of our research late last year by Joe Cortright, "Driven to the Brink" that showed cities with strong central cities were seeing housing prices declining less metro-wide. … more

I am speaking at the Turning the Tide event today and tomorrow.  Good news is that the proceedings are being offered via a free, live webcast from Fort Baker.  Watch Nobel Laureates, Pulitzer and Goldman Environmental Prize Winners, artists, scientists, CEOs, journalists, educators, and young activists plan action for… more

Reading Matt Bai's short piece in NYT Sunday Magazine contrasting the culture embodied by GM (and many "old economy" companies) and business culture today, I was struck by this observation: "...younger Americans... have largely dispensed with the mythology of the infallible institution. Transparency and reinvention, rather than stability and… more