Chicago's theater scene is the subject of this week's Time Out Chicago cover story, and it reminds me of how fundamental press attention and reviews are to a robust arts community.

"... arts journalists.. have less ink and column inches than ever to spare.... You have more theaters competing for less… more

Fifty percent of businesses in the United States are based in the home. And people seem to care less and less. As home-based virtual consulting business Cogentes owner Bradley Rhine told the New York Times, commuting is "a ridiculous waste of time and resources. It is both wasteful and… more

While CEOs for Cities promotes university-community partnerships, including those that involve real estate, Columbia University is coming under fire for its plans to add 17 acres to its West Harlem campus over the next 23 years. The university promises the expansion will produce thousands of new jobs and new vitality,… more

Not sure exactly what BRT is? Here's what you need to know from Wired.

"Architecture alone does not a city make." So writes Denny Lee is today's New York Times in his commentary on Bilbao, Spain. The Gehry-designed Guggenheim is still a wonder, he asserts, but even without it, the city would have an "astonishing" collection of contemporary buildings. But Lee says, it's… more

Had an interesting conversation tonight at the start of the Mayors Hemispheric Forum in Chicago. One consultant who will speak later this week suggested that the best hope for reviving Detroit is for the city to team up with Windsor, Canada, which is just across the border and within sight… more

Well-known downtown Chicago panhandler Tom Finley lost his dog two weeks ago outside of McDonald's. Hundreds of downtowners then went to work to help him find 12 year-old Reba. Yesterday, dog and owner were reunited after a woman turned Reba in to the Anti-Cruelty Society. Speculation is that the woman,… more

Ad in today's Chicago Tribune urges readers to "join The Mather for a live performance by the Chicago Comedy Company as we uncover the common myths about LifeCare and discover a lifestyle so many people say they've put off for too long."

According to the ad, The Mather is a… more

Transforming and healing a community through inclusive storytelling is the new mandate for museums of the 21st century, according to Jake Barton, the 34 year-old principal of the interactive design firm Local Projects. Local Projects was selected in April to co-design the permanent exhibition for the World Trade Center Memorial… more

I don't often agree with opinion in The Wall Street Journal, but I agree with Sam Schulman's (contrarian) assessment of Mark Penn's new book "Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes." The 75 trends Penn describes, in Schulman's words, "lack historical perspective" and "seem to miss the forest for… more

Now that we've been sold the idea that it is unAmerican to rent rather than own a home, the battle lines are being drawn as homes intended for sale turn into rentals. Owners in gated communities and condo projects especially are worried that they can't keep up with renters' comings… more

Tiny parks took the place of on-street metered parking in hundreds of cities around the world, as urban planners and environmental activists celebrated Park(ing) Day. Intended as a demonstration of the lack of open space in urban areas and the waste associated with circling for parking, the celebration was created… more

While air travel is more of a hassle every day, there are 10 airports that are the easiest to get to reports MSNBC.com.

According to the travel site airfarewatchdog.com the following airports are the most accessible to passengers:

Boston Logan
Washington Reagan National
San Francisco International
New York John F. Kennedymore

Lowell, Massachusetts, was once heralded as the model for urban renaissance of old industrial cities. But today's Boston Globe asks if the Renaissance was real.

"In its heyday, politicians and national publications hailed the resurrection of Lowell as the definitive model for troubled cities ruined by the collapse of the… more

Cincinnati, where I spent the day, was a big surprise. It’s been years since I’ve been there, and the city has made a number of smart moves in the meantime. Most impressive were three initiatives:

(1) The remaking of Fountain Square. What used to be separated from its surroundings is now… more

"To our generation, it doesn't make sense to have a great job in a crummy city."

Those are the words of one mobile member of the Young and Restless as quoted in today's New York Times.

Writer Lisa Belkin devoted her Life's Work column to the fact that 64 percent… more

Or so Memphis and Shelby County hopes...

Shelby County Park Conservancy today issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for teams to transform 4,500 acres at the center of the Memphis region into the “America’s great 21st century park.”

The RFQ launched a process that will result in the selection of three finalists… more

The Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development has released a report in its continuing Behind the Numbers series titled “HOUSES IN TRANSITION: A REPORT ON PROPERTIES OWNED BY FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND REAL ESTATE ORGANIZATIONS IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY, 2007”

Cuyahoga County is home to Cleveland, Ohio.
At the end of February… more

If you want to see the kind of analysis local newspapers ought to be doing today (but few are), read the Smart City Memphis blog. Written by my colleague and CEOs for Cities member Tom Jones, it is regularly read by Memphis journalists to find out (at times) what's… more

A survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association found that mortgages on properties that aren't occupied by the owner -- mostly investment homes -- account for between 21% and 32% of the defaults on prime quality home loans in Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada, states where overdue payments are mounting fast.

According… more

Charles Landry, the father of the Creative City concept, has a great new interview in Spiegel.

The cities Landry favors have, "contradictions, most of all, a balance between chaos and order." They need "neighborhoods vibrating with energy just as much as cozy little corners and parks; well-tended, middle-class sections as… more