At first glance, cities may appear to be a big source of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. But new research by the nonprofit Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), which compares greenhouse gas emissions of city and suburban households, yields some surprising results.

CNT looked at emissions of… 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

A paean to American cities circa 1956.  Scenes from a film called 'American Engineer.'

We'll be Live Blogging on this page from the CEOs for Cities Strategy Summit in San Diego next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Check here for live updates, photos and speaker notes.  We also have a tv crew taping the entire meeting for later broadcast.  I look forward to the conversations.

USA Today finally picked up the story we blogged last week on new EPA research that shows a substantial amount of housing built this decade has shifted from open fields on the edges of suburbia to dense central cities and their nearby suburbs, a change that suggests that the… more

I'll be joining city managers and planners from the world’s leading cities including Seoul, Lyon, Paris, Mumbai, Beijing, Jeddah, Riyadh and San Francisco in Abu Dhabi next month to debate and determine the blueprint for successful urban living over the next 10 to 100 years.

Global City 2009 will be… more

Normally, I run the other way when I see these Forbes' lists of most/best/least/worst cities.  But I'll post the link to the list of America's Fastest Changing Cities. Los Angeles is at the top of the list, having lost the most households in the nation.  The rest of the… more

It is now accepted wisdom that federal highway funding has been a major subsidy to sprawl.  But sometimes the subsidies are so insidious that they go unrecognized for years, even by those who pay the bills. 

This is the case today in Memphis where taxpayers there pay once for City… more

This morning I've been reading an advance copy of Jeff Brugmann's new book, Welcome to the Urban Revolution: How Cities Are Changing the World, along with the new issue of Seed magazine. 

Both make the obvious (but much ignored) point that cities are bastions of efficiency, thanks to their density. … more

While the future may be uncertain, a collaboration in Stamford is actively engaging in conversations to ensure that their city rides this wave successfully. The Reinventing Stamford initiative, co-hosted by CEOs for Cities partner Kip Bergstrom, will use this year to convene key stakeholders with outside thought leaders… more

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… more

After an interview on WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi show Thursday, I started thinking again about this idea of America as a "metro nation."  I was on first with guest host Rebecca Roberts, followed by Amy Liu of Brookings, where the idea of regionalism has been pushed hard for the… more

Why do cities continue to grow? And why, even in the electronic age, do they endure as wellsprings of intellectual life?

The Boston Globe believes it has found the answer.  "Recent research by scientists at the Santa Fe Institute used a set of complex mathematical algorithms to demonstrate that… more

Freakonomics author Steven Levitt disputes the new report making headlines by James Alan Fox that homicide rates of black teens are up.  Turns out that Fox failed to adust for the increase in the number of blacks ages 15 to 19, which rose 15 percent between 2000 and… more

Bob Yaro, who continues to lead on good regional planning from his post as head of New York's Regional Plan Association, has prepared a statement to the new administration on the economic stimulus plan that outlines a five step program for infrastructure investment as part of the America 2050 Coalition:

Mayors meet in Chicago Thursday with Valerie Jarrett, White House Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison.  Jarrett is expected also to have the new Office of Urban Policy reporting to her.  Reports are that mayors will at minimum describe the type candidate they… more

As reported by Politico:  "To the nation’s mayors, Barack Obama seems a little like Santa Claus — with a big sack of federal money to build local projects that would help stimulate the nation’s faltering economy.

"With infrastructure investment a key tenet of the economic… more

That's the cover headline on a recent issue of Azure.  Inside, reporter Nelda Rodger asks, "Is a great city one that is thrilling to live in, or one where you never have to lock your bike?  Where buildings are tourist attractions, or where everyone rides public transit?  Can a… more

In the past week, I've been in South Africa and Canada, as well as the U.S., speaking and exchanging ideas with leaders.  It occurred to me that in all three nations, there is a romanticized notion of the role rural areas still play in their success. 

In the U.S., we've… more

Did anyone else notice?  Good for Colin Powell.  See it here.

Also, Powell comes out strongly -- strongly -- for religious freedom by telling a very poignant story of an American soldier who died in service who was also a Muslim. 

If we can't get along across faiths,… more

I couldn’t find a guidebook before I arrived in Johannesburg.  In fact, I couldn’t find one after I arrived either.  And the attractions listed in the (very good) hotel directory had only five listings, including a Lion Park and the Zoo. Not exactly what this urbanist had in mind.
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Business Week says in a recession you are safer in a city that relies on government (including universities and contracting) and health care.  Number one recession-proof city?  Arlington, VA.  Number two?  Washington, DC. 

Love these photos.

That's the theme for this year's Designboost to be held in Malmo October 15-17.  Learn more here.

According to Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota), Democrats are rejoicing over the high cost of gas and the loss of jobs around the country.
 
"This is their agenda," Bachmann states bluntly. "I know it is hard to believe, it's hard to fathom -- but this… more

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… more

Here's one of the happiest, most exuberant videos on the web.  Where is Matt?  Everywhere.

GOOD Design Challenge Designers Announced

Three superstars from the world of design will join us in San Diego to present their solutions to three big civic challenges submitted by CEOs for Cities network partners. They are:

• Scott Stowell, winner of the 2008… more

The House Appropriations Committee has released information on the proposed economic stimulus package that has the following as its focus:

• Clean, Efficient, American Energy
• Transforming our Economy with Science and Technology
• Modernizing Roads, Bridges, Transit and Waterways
• Education for the 21st Century
• Tax Cuts to Make Work Pay and… more

The Center for an Urban Future (New York City) has published a new report that offers 51 specific recommendations for what Washington could do to help New York City. The recommendations encompass a wide range of the most critical issue areas affecting New York, including public safety, transportation infrastructure, economic… more

Negotiations on the stimulus package continue. While the “Investments” portion of the four-part package (infrastructure) gets smaller, it also seems to be getting narrower.  Included are roads, bridges, schools and water systems.  Transit is currently not favored out of fear that transit projects are not “shovel ready.” There also seems… more

Two days after the Presidential election, CEOs for Cities will convene in Chicago for a special one-day meeting to challenge the President-elect and his transition team to establish a new era of cooperation between the Federal government and America's cities.

At a national press conference during the Nov.… more

Too many urban leaders still operate under old assumptions when it comes to planning for their cities' futures. In her speech to the Tennssessee Municipal League, CEOs for Cities president and CEO Carol Coletta, discusses what leaders must pay attention to today and how they must respond to new realities… more

Seventy-two percent of political donors strongly agree that America cannot be strong without strong cities, and they view cities as the solution for some of the country's most pressing problems, including job growth and development, according to a new survey released today by CEOs for Cities and Living Cities. See… more

The House Appropriations Committee has released information on the proposed economic stimulus package that has the following as its focus:

• Clean, Efficient, American Energy
• Transforming our Economy with Science and Technology
• Modernizing Roads, Bridges, Transit and Waterways
• Education for the 21st Century
• Tax Cuts to Make Work Pay and… more