Paul Graham, essayist, programmer, and programming language designer, used his keynote address at Xtech to explain how to become Silicon Valley.

You need two kinds of people to create a technology hub, he contends: rich people and nerds. And that's all you need. That's the exciting thing. "If you… more

Get people attached to their neighborhood before it is too late. That was the urgent advice of Jane Jacobs in her Interview in 2002 with the Active Living Network.

How can you improve neighborhoods so that people want to be be there? Jacobs recommended such simple things as tree… more

The Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce will gather this week to strategize for the area's economic future.

Area leaders and the journalists who cover them are worried that competing efforts and egos continue to discourage efforts at coordination. But dramatic measures are needed based on studies by the Glengariff Group. The… more

The San Francisco Chronicle begins a six-part series today on the city's schools. The midyear departure of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman calmed an acrimonious atmosphere that had come to characterize the district, according to the Chronicle. But even through the city schools spend $8,126 per student each year -- more than… more

An $80 million mixed-use devleopment near Temple University in North Philadelphia? Anyone who knows the area knows how unlikely that seems. But it is happening.

Temple's student population, now at 34,000, is the impetus for the new development. The university is no longer building dorms, which opens a huge market… more

The risk of Americans spending time living below the povery line iincreased sharply in the 90s. During the 80s, 13 percent of Americans in their 40s spent at least one year living below the poverty line (now calculated at $19,157 a year for a family of four). In the 90s,… more

While only 7.6 percent of native-born Americans with a bachelor's degree or higher make less than $19,800, almost one-quarter or 23.6 percent of foreign-born noncitizens make less.

What to do about this overeducated, underemployed talent? Enter Upwardly Global, a tiny San Francisco nonprofit that helps skilled foreigners match their abilities to… more

Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin suggests that Chicago could set a smart example for an energy-mad world with its bid for the Olympics. He calls for a green Olympics and, with Skidmore Owings & Merrill's chief planner Phil Enquist proposes an interesting package of green strategies:

* Harness the energy… more

Real estate investors are finally catching up to what the market wants. Not so long ago, it was impossible to sell investors on mixed use. Too complicated, they said. We don't get it. Is it housing, office, or retail?

Well, it's all three -- and more. According to the retail… more

What happens to the corporate headquarters community when the CEO refuses to reside there? We're not sure, but it can't be good news.

The Wall Street Journal (5.22.06) profiled ConAgra Foods CEO Gary Rodkin long distance relationship with the company's home, Omaha. He commutes each week in a corporate jet from… more

Deepak Chopra, himself an immigrant and author of 42 books, calls America's immigrants the nation's secret weapon. Referring to his own experience of coming to the U.S. as an Indian doctor during a Vietnam era physician shortage, Chopra says immigrants are the "fuel behind globalization." "We soften hard national boundaries.… more

The micro-compact home, pioneered by Horden Cherry Lee Architects, is debuting in the UK next month.

International attention in the design was sparked by the O2 Germany sponsored student village of micro-compact homes in Munich, Germany. The prototype dwelling will be showcased at the Grand Designs Live exhibition at ExCel in… more

Reconciling the growing number of airport expansions with the growing number of troubled or low price airlines is a puzzling challenge. The Wall Street Journal (5.17.06) sorts it out by focusing on the the no-frills approach to new terminal. Having squeezed concessions from employees, travel agents, suppliers and customers, airlines… more

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Billed as Berlin's first international children's hotel, Kinderinsel is a 24/7 daycare center not just geared to residents, but also to tourists visiting the city with children in tow.

Kinderinsel (German for children's island) employs experienced educators and artists who offer children experiences that include arts, crafts, music, and visits… more

In a major London address, British Defense Secretary John Reid warned that global climate change and dwindling natural resources are combining to increase the likelihood of violent conflict over land, water and energy. Climate change, he indicated, "will make scarce resources, clean water, viable agricultural land even scarcer" -- and… more

The latest issue of Dwell magazine arrived over the weekend, and once again the editors admirably promote green living.  But why is every green home inevitably pictured as an isolated work of art in the middle of forest or field.  Do the editors ever question how far the owners have to travel… more

Metropolis (June, 2006) reports on Object Orange, an anonymous group of artists working in Detroit using paint to advocate demolition as a positive force for change.

"Object Orange scouted out neighborhoods cursed with an exceptional number of collapsing houses -- several of them marked by the city with a 'D' for… more

Due to the enthusiastic response of CEOs for Cities members to the Q&A series with speakers at our national meeting, we are posting the series here on our blog.

First up is Larry Keeley, who will discuss the leadership challenges that matter most to the success of our cities and how… more

Better, not bigger, is the dream of Gen X homebuyers, according to today's New York Times. Boston-based Reach Advisors claims there is a generational shift taking place with buyers 25 to 39 spending "thoughtfully" to get more family space and neighborly interaction rather than living large.  Some… more

Today's New York Times reports on yet another reason for the two-home owner.  Partners, increasingly, hold jobs in two cities.  NYT profiles couples who split time between two cities because one partner takes a job in another city and the other decides to stay put.  The couples make… more