On a recent trip to Neiman Marcus on Chicago's Michigan Avenue, I found this striking woman reading intently in the Accessories Department.  When I left the store almost an hour later, she was still there.  That's when I took this photo.  I later learned from a sales associate that she…

A new forecast commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Mayors predicts heavy job losses in the nation's major cities and the metro areas they anchor.  (That's not surprising since that's where most of our citizens and most of our jobs are.) 

New York is expected to lose…

Congrats to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, organizer of Science Chicago.  It's a collaboration of more than 100 public and private institutions that are producing what they call "the world's largest science celebration."  Thousands of activities, tours, and hands-on learning are part of the celebration, which runs through…

The City of Chicago is attempting to get citizens involved in its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by offering the $800 challenge.  The challenge lists 13 things people can to to save money while improving the environment.  The full checklist and plan are available here.

The City of Chicago has led the way in the U.S. on leasing public facilities to private interests in exchange for big money. The latest municipal asset to go on the privatization block is Midway Airport, expected to be a 99-year deal.  Bids are due within a month, but given…

As I was headed to meet the Innovation team at the City of Chicago today at lunch, I encountered one of those wonderful urban delights.  On Daley Plaza with the Picasso as background, a deejay was spinning smooth sounds for a group of spontaneous dancers surrounded by hundreds of surprised…

A nice film on how bike sharing works in DC can be found here.  Portland, Oregon, is considering its own program, as is Chicago and a number of Southern California communities.  The biggest hurdles seem to be liability, resistence to more advertising on the streets (the way most communities…

Guess where the most satisfied people in all the world’s major cities live? 

Would you believe Midwest, USA?

Chicago, to be specific.

It turns out that, according to the world survey of 14 major cities commissioned by Veolia Environnement,  Chicagoans are not only the most satisfied…

As I prepare for the Urban Next Summit kicking off tomorrow in New Orleans, I can’t help but check out Forbes recent rankings of Best Cities for Young Professionals.

Looking at the 40 biggest metros in the U.S., Forbes bases its rankings on where the class of…

Saturday, I attended a press conference with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley at the city's Riverwalk. Although he was there to recognize the new Riverwalk vendors and the artists selected for a major temporary exhibition, the media, of course, asked him not a single question on topic. Instead, they quizzed him…

Want to engage the general public in architecture and design? Join like-minded professionals at Architecture & Design as a Catalyst for Change, a first-ever conference on advancing public dialogue on the built environment, taking place in Chicago Nov. 5-7.