Entries tagged with Connections
Clusters on the Brain
November 22, 2010
Want to create local innovation clusters?
While there is still much debate about cities’ ability to create clusters, Vivek Wadhwa of Duke University’ s Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization says the answer is to invest in people not real estate.
In this recent op-ed in The Chronicle…
Richard Florida on the Metabolism of Cities
April 30, 2010
Richard Florida is back.
His latest book, The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity, came out last week and yesterday he sat down with Smart City to tell us what it’s all about.
Richard believes the key to cities’ economic success is…
Street Corners vs Cul de Sacs
January 10, 2010
Delighted to see New York Times reporter Damon Darlin bringing attention to our work on "Walking the Walk" and "Driven to the Brink." Given the plunge in real estate prices the U.S. experienced last year along with the foreclosure crisis, the twin studies provide valuable insight…
Future of Libraries According to Seth Godin
January 9, 2010
What should libraries do to become relevant in the digital age? That's the question Seth Godin is asking.
While there are many reports that library usage has increased during this recession, with librarians turning into job search counselors.
But Godin insists that libraries "can't survive as community-funded…
The Beautiful and Distinctive
December 9, 2009
Beautiful, interesting and unusual city infrastructure seems a prominent theme this week.
Here are two photo-articles that have sought out such infrastructure, highlighting architecturally interesting subway stations and the most beautiful airport terminals in the world.
The Value of Conversation
October 16, 2009
A simple buffet -- meatless lasagna, salad and garlic bread. Ten people, eight locals, two outsiders. A two-minute opportunity for each to plant new ideas about how to make San Francisco a better place.
Today a friend sends the economic development plan for a university district in a different city,…
Kids in Center City
October 14, 2009
Philadelphia's Center City District continues to innovate when it comes to retaining the young talent the city has worked so hard to attract by making the core appealing to that same talent once they couple and have kids. Today the Center City District launched a new website, KidsinCenterCity.com,…
The Bicycle Realtor
August 20, 2009
Today, I had an opportunity to interview Kirsten Kaufman, who calls herself Portland's Bicycle Realtor. She is a real charmer, a working woman with three young sons who enjoys her life that is mostly car-free. She admits to having a van, but she only gets it out "once or twice…
Biking: The Overnight Sensation
August 15, 2009
Although the exact date of its invention is debated, the bicycle is almost 200 years old. So why all the excitement now?
Boston has become the latest city to venture into street bike rentals. Streetsblog reports that the city has awarded a contract to the same company that launched…
Leverage Universities for Growth
August 13, 2009
James Wagner, president of Emory University, makes a compelling case today in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on how universities are key contributors to a city's growth. He cites their sustained impact, their role as large employers, and their ability to attract, develop and retain talent.
Wagner adds, "And unlike…
Successful Transit Is Only Half the Story
August 11, 2009
Many urban leaders long for light rail. Many make the trip to Portland and come away with visions of the line they will build in their own cities.
The problem is, though, they forget to ride the buses that connect to the light rail lines. They forget to drive Portland's…
"Our" Government
August 1, 2009
I remember my reaction the first time I encountered a security scanner at City Hall in Memphis. I was furious. I had once worked on the third floor of this building in the CAO's office. Besides, this was my City Hall. I paid for it with my tax dollars. I…
Is High Speed Rail a Good Investment?
July 29, 2009
Harvard's Ed Glaeser weighs in with the first of three blog posts on the topic. He urges serious cost benefit analysis, writing, "Large infrastructure projects are complicated things that all have hundreds of consequences, some good and some bad. It is easy to come up with good and bad…
The Low-Car Diet
July 12, 2009
You have to love Zipcar's latest promotion. It's called the Low-Car Diet, and it kicks off in 13 cities this month. In each city, a few dozen drivers will publicly gather and drop their keys into a lock box as they pledge to not drive their personal car for one…
Mobile Cultural Spaces
July 9, 2009
Cityspinning, an organization developing a platform to seed new ways of using public and unused spaces with a series of interventions in Bangalore and Delhi, is exploring how mobile cultural spaces might help make a city “less alienating and fragmented”.
The results of a competition, in which…
Say Hello to Mapumental
June 28, 2009
Here's a remarkable new piece of technology that maps London according to price, commute time, and other attributes (even how scenic various neighborhoods are). It's called Mapumental and a short video on the technology ought to be viewed by all urban leaders. (Stick with the video. The capability…
Can iQuilt Reknit Downtown Hartford?
June 23, 2009
You've been in this downtown before. It feels so disconnected that no one even thinks of walking. Instead, they'll hop in the car to drive three short blocks.
Hartford, CT, will unveil a plan tomorrow to address the problem. Tom Condon of the Hartford Courant previews the plan with…
Shrinking Cities
June 22, 2009
This story keeps running so I finally have to comment. It's the story that the Obama Administration is considering backing a plan to shrink deteriorating American cities by bulldozing entire neighborhoods and returning the land to nature. The idea, which originated in Flint, Mich. -- cratered by the auto…
City Dwellers Healthier than Suburbanites
June 19, 2009
A new study from San Diego State University finds that people who live in city neighborhoods are twice as likely to get exercise than their suburban counterparts.
According to the study published in this month’s American Journal of Preventative Medicine, the biggest single factor influencing physical activity around the…
A Call to Action
June 16, 2009
This morning I learned about Chicago's Red Line Green Roofs. I was instantly intrigued by the project's name. Underway in Chicago’s 48th Ward, it' an effort to activate a neighborhood coalition to design and create 50,000 square feet of green roofs along one of the city's busiest elevated…
Digging into Infrastructure
June 13, 2009
New York Times Magazine tomorrow is all about infrastructure. The Infrastructurist has the Cliff Notes.
Fresh Produce Where It's Needed
June 11, 2009
Two hundred Green Carts have hit the streets of New York to bring fresh produce to the city's low income neighborhoods.
They are first of 1000 new mobile food carts approved for the five boroughs in "food desert" locations without easy access to fresh produce at reasonable prices. What…
Blooming Chicago
June 7, 2009
Beauty makes such a difference in the human experience. And it's readily available to any city.
This is Millennium Park's Lurie Garden last weekend.
Mistakes of the Past
June 7, 2009
Why would you do this to a city's riverfront? This is why cities continue to tear down these expressway barriers to their waterfronts. Louisville, sadly, is still stuck with this mess.
The Sorry State of Transport in America
June 3, 2009
Daron Dierkes, who has lived abroad for three years, posted this on MyCity last night comparing U.S. transportation with that in Asia:
"I have lived abroad for about three years now. I spent a year in Seoul, a few months in Barclelona and around, and the past year and…
Ryan Avent Talks Sense
June 2, 2009
Another brilliant blog post from Ryan Avent who writes,
The Joys of Less Space
May 30, 2009
First, it was the joys of less stuff. Are we evolving now to the joys of less space?
There is something I love about this true story from a young Vancouver family of four living in a 950 square foot condo. Having grown up in a two bedroom house and…
The Heart of a City's Thinking
May 30, 2009
SPUR, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, is being celebrated as "the city's premier think tank" upon the opening of its new, very public building on Mission in the heart of San Francisco. Its aspiration is to the be the public hub of planning and policy…
Ray LaHood Rides the Bullet Train
May 30, 2009
Found this good news item in my Inbox today from the Midwest High Speed Rail Association:
US transport boss rides Spanish bullet train "Spain showed off its bullet train system on Friday, giving the U.S. transportation secretary a…
The Value of the Corner Store
May 29, 2009
Walking San Francisco's neighborhoods this week, I was reminded of the many contributions of the corner store. Take Tartine, for instance, in the Mission District. This tiny bakery gives the neighborhood a place to gather, a focal point, a destination. (All of these attributes are augmented by its several outdoor…
A Rolling Salon
May 23, 2009
You have to love this idea. Reconnecting America is staging a 1400-mile rolling salon on the California Zephyr from San Francisco to Denver, site of CNU's annual gathering. Robert Davis, visionary founder and developer of Seaside, Florida (and all around nice guy), will be a featured host…
Bus Stops of the Future
May 23, 2009
You have to see these (especially if, like me, you stand on an open el platform in Chicago winters).
Does Fat Really Cost Us $40 Billion?
May 22, 2009
Yeow. $40 billion is a lot of money for too many potato chips (see my weakness) and too many sugary drinks. New York Times columnist David Leonhardt asked Rand to estimate how much money obesity costs the federal government in Medicare and Medicaid. And yes, their answer was $40…
Creating a New Legacy for a Great City
May 21, 2009
I love everything about this story in New York Magazine on Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City's Transportation commissioner, who is transforming big chunks of Broadway into pedestrian spaces. Borrowing ideas from Copenhagen and cities around the world, Sadik-Khan has a vision of turning the great diagonal into a linear…
The Inexorable Move to Bigger Cities
May 19, 2009
If the world is so flat, then why are cities growing so quickly, especially in the third world? That's the question Harvard economist Ed Glaeser attempts to answer in this NYT blog. Growing cities are no accident, Glaeser writes. "Globalization and new technologies attract people to big cities, by…
Culture Is Travel's Holy Grail
May 19, 2009
High-end travel apparently needs to "mean" something today. At least, that's what Ann Mack, director of trend spotting at JWT, told the NYT. Seems that wealthy travelers are too embarrassed to indulge in hedonistic mindlessness. Instead, they are pursuing "cultural sojourns" to compensate for their profligate spending. "It's not about…
Top U.S. Destinations for Movers
May 16, 2009
The results of the annual 2008 U-Haul National Migration Trend Report, titled "The 2008 Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities," are out and worth noting.
Top destinations are, in order, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Portland, Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Orlando.
The ranking reflects destinations for movers traveling…
A German Suburb without Cars
May 12, 2009
Residents of Vauban, Germany, "are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars." Cars are forbidden on most of Vauban's streets, and houses cannot have driveways or garages.
Will Railroads Make Us Rich?
May 8, 2009
Ryan Avent is one of our favorite bloggers. He explains why he believes railroads will help cities historically reliant on industry maintain stable economies. The trick is to be located near thriving markets -- and be connected by rail.
Ryan cites Baltimore as an example…
Putting the UD Back in HUD
May 5, 2009
Speech by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan to ULI today in Atlanta was captured by Kaid Benfield in his blog at NRDC. Some excerpts:
"Let's be honest--HUD has become the Department of Subsidized Housing, and that must change. We've got to put the "UD" (urban development) back in HUD. At the…
Unavoidable Drinking
May 3, 2009
That's the headline of a letter than ran in today's Chicago Tribune from a 17 year-old Lake Bluff resident. Here are excerpts:
"I'm 17 and I am a senior in high school. When the subject of teen drinking comes to mind, I am here to defend the underage drinkers.
"In…
The Middle Continues to Fall Away
April 22, 2009
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…
Connection to Place
April 20, 2009
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…
High Speed Rail a Priority for White House
April 16, 2009
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…
Obama and High Speed Rail
April 15, 2009
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…
Portland a Model, Says LaHood
April 14, 2009
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…
A Rail Corridor That Makes Sense?
April 9, 2009
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 Johnson
A National Strategy for Rail
April 9, 2009
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…
Playfulness in Cities
April 5, 2009
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.
Blogger Ray LaHood
March 24, 2009
Welcome to the Fast Lane. That is, welcome to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's blog.
Today, he is defending high speed rail. (I interviewed Rick Harnish, head of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association today for Smart City.) But LaHood is pushing hard for livable communities. Here are excerpts from…
Promising News from the Hill
March 18, 2009
House Appropriations Committee
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on "Livable Communities, Transit Oriented Development, and Incorporating Green Building Practices into Federal Housing and Transportation Policy." (Part One)
Witnesses: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan
Location: 2359 Rayburn…
Mapping a City's Rhythm
March 15, 2009
How cool is this? Using cell-phone and taxi GPS data, Sense Networks can produce heat maps that show activity at hot spots across a city. Currently, the service, called Citysense, only works in San Francisco, but it will launch in New York in the next few…
Live from San Diego
March 13, 2009
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.
…Cities Hot for Housing
March 11, 2009
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…
The Lorax Was Wrong
March 10, 2009
Head over to Economix to find out why Ed Glaeser says we should all live in tall buildings.
Global City 2009
March 8, 2009
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…
The Tipping Point
March 3, 2009
As we consider the shovel ready road and bridge projects of the stimulus package, consider this important analysis by our colleague Joe Cortright of the impact modest declines in auto travel have on congestion. And how that could save us big, big money...
Last year, the US made more…
Promoting Growth in Downtown San Fran
March 2, 2009
A new report out from SPUR is urging more office development in downtown San Francisco. Quoting from the report...
Downtown San Francisco is the only employment node in the region where most people travel to work without bringing their own car. Downtown San Francisco is the node with…
Residential Building Soars in the Center
February 27, 2009
Across the country, many urban neighborhoods are experiencing dramatic transformations. Parking lots, underused commercial properties, and former industrial sites are being replaced by condos, apartments, and townhouses. In spite of the many impressive projects, a central question remains: Do such examples add up to a fundamental shift in the geography…
Another Way Cities Get Screwed
February 22, 2009
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…
Recovery.gov Goes Live
February 17, 2009
Bruce Katz: Purpose of Urban Policy Office
February 12, 2009
Bruce Katz of Brookings (on leave to HUD) is speaking now at the NYU Furman Center's Housing Policy Conference. What does it mean for a national government to create an Office of Urban Policy? Bruce says it is a recognition that place matters. Cities and metro areas are key to…
Housing and Education
February 12, 2009
Listening to developer Richard Baron, Chairman and CEO, McCormack Baron Salazar, talk about the neighborhood transformations that he is managing and the comprehensive services he is coordinating for residents, while agencies continue to do what they have always done [working independently rather than together]. “We make very poor use of…
Selling Density
February 12, 2009
Building affordable housing and parks at the same time density is advanced helps sell density.
Terry Montague of the Atlanta Beltline just noted that the silos at the federal level flow all the way down to local communities. So it makes it difficult to advance multiple linked agendas as she…
Housing: What's Next Part II
February 12, 2009
Mary Nichols, Chairman of California Air Resources Board, says Ed's recommendation to getting rid of the unlimited home mortgage interest deduction has not yet been discussed as a solution to climate change. California has been absent from the scene in land use for many years, but the desire to mitigate…
The Ugliness around Us
February 12, 2009
He foresaw the ugliness. The meme of doomed suburbs went mainstream with Chris Leinberger's cover story for the Atlantic magazine last March, “The Next Slum?” The problem, he says, goes much deeper than the foreclosure crisis. It’s part of a painful societal adjustment that will take a generation…
Transit Cut but Ridership Up
February 3, 2009
How much sense does this make? The NYT just posted a story that begins like this: "There are some 2,300 bus stops around St. Louis where the buses will no longer stop at the end of next month, when, despite rising ridership, the cash-strapped transit system plans to lay…
Transit Cuts
January 25, 2009
Find them here, courtesy of Transportation for America.
When Sports Matter
January 2, 2009
Hockey came to Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. It was the unusual scene of the Winter Classic, with the Chicago Blackhawks facing off against the Detroit Redwings.
Here's how the Tribune's Paul Sullivan described the experience:
"The Wrigleyville experience—including the ballpark, the bars, the rooftops and assorted…
Thoughts on Gentrification
December 31, 2008
Gentrification is not exactly a hot topic at the moment, given falling real estate prices. (I've been in Aspen since Christmas, and there are "For Sale" signs all over town.) However, Joe Cortright sent me an interesting post on gentrification from Matthew Yglesias.
Matt writes he doesn't like to…
Connect by Hertz
December 29, 2008
From Springwise...
Launched late last month, Connect by Hertz now offers car sharing in London, Paris and New York City. In New York, members can choose from among three plans, depending on how often they drive. All three give consumers 180 free miles per day and free gas;…
Regional Economic Development
December 27, 2008
End of year cleaning brought to the surface a 10-year old paper by Ash Amin, University of Durham, on regional economic development. Given the times, it still seems relevant.
** Policy actions designed to strengthen networks of association are more desirable than those that focus on individual actors.
**…
An Infrastructure Conundrum
December 27, 2008
Many of the communities with the biggest job losses are those whose populations are shrinking. The worst possible investment would be in infrastructure that fuels sprawl... putting too few people on too much land. In fact, what most of these communities need is a massive investment in people in the…
Regionalism in Action
December 24, 2008
Today's announcement that The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun will begin sharing stories and photos as a cost-saving measure is a concrete example of regionalism in action. In the case of the newspapers, it makes sense.
It also makes sense for local governments to form regional pacts to support…
Investing in Infrastructure Wisely
December 23, 2008
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:
…Americans Are Moving Less
December 20, 2008
Only about one in 10 Americans moved in the last year — roughly half the proportion that changed residences as recently as four decades ago, census data show.
According to The New York Times, the Current Population Survey found that fewer than 12 percent of Americans moved since 2007,…
Advice on City Building
December 19, 2008
Paul O’Connor, former head of World Business Chicago and one of the smartest urbanists around, was my guest for a recent video conference. Paul always has provocative things to say. Reviewing my notes of our conversation tonight on a flight from LaGuardia to Chicago that I almost missed, I was…
Good and Bad Infrastructure
December 15, 2008
The Economist warns that America is in danger of getting the wrong kind of infrastructure. Thank goodness some credible organization has finally said it.
U.S. infrastructure problems result from two causes, "the smaller of which is lack of money." But "the greater problem is the lack of a strategy.…
Growth the Austin Way
December 8, 2008
Austin is one of the nation's most successful cities. The nation's 14th largest city with 800,000 population, Austin is bigger than Washington, San Francisco and Boston. It is also the nation's youngest big city.
Mayor Will Wynn is contending with the addition of 85 new cars on Austin…
Don't Let Auto Bailout Stop Innovation
December 5, 2008
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom released the following letter today to congressional leadership. The mayors are advocating for Congress not to reallocate funds intended for advanced transportation technology innovation and identify a different mechanism to finance efforts to improve the viability of the American…
Anchor Institutions: Another View
December 3, 2008
Two pioneers in the anchor institutions movement and I were in Philadelphia Monday night to exchange ideas on the challenges to anchors. Hank Webber, now at Washington University but long at University of Chicago, and Ira Harkavy at the University of Pennsylvania have led ambitious initiatives on behalf of their…
Broken Windows Matter
December 1, 2008
The "broken windows" theory had its day in the sun during the "zero tolerance" policies of the Giuliani adminsitration in New York. Petty crime, such as graffiti and subway turnstile jumping, were not to be tolerated because, according to the theory, observing disorder has a psychological effect on people.
The…
Key Drivers of Community Engagement
December 1, 2008
The Knight Foundation and Gallup Consulting have just published their Soul of the Community research. The purpose of the study was to understand what drives "engagement" or commitment to community and how each of Knight's communities ranked on "community citizen engagement" or CCE.
Several findings stand out. Aesthetics…
Build Better Connections for Stronger Cities
November 30, 2008
Ryan Avent (if you're not reading him you should be) celebrates the new excitement about infrastructure. He reports for Grist, "Last week, Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) introduced the High-Speed Rail for America Act, a bill that would authorize $23 billion in bond sales…
More Push to Mega-Regions
November 30, 2008
Here's one more reason to get serious about mega-regions: the Air Transport Association said 97 U.S. airports have lost or will lose all commercial airline service by the end of this year. Among the cities that have lost all scheduled passenger service in the past year: Salem, Ore.; Trenton, N.J.;…
After Mumbai
November 30, 2008
Saskia Sassen has a provocative post at Open Democracy suggesting that the violence in Mumbai represents an emerging type of urban violence.
She writes, "Cities seem to be losing the capacity they have long had to triage conflict - through commerce, through civic activity. The national state, confronted with…
Coney Island Visions
November 24, 2008
With New York's Coney Island in limbo, the Center for an Urban Future has asked thinkers from a variety of fields to share their vision for Coney Island. The Municipal Arts Society invited the public in on the discussion.
Reading through the vision statements, I particularly liked the…
Do the Collapse
November 23, 2008
The Urbanophile blogs about the Midwest. Always provocative, today's post reviews the auto industry's options and what that means for Detroit. Definitely worth a read.
Hoping for a Boost from Obama
November 21, 2008
"How do we recapture the value of the investments we've already made?"
If ever there were a time in the life of this nation to ask that question, it is now. And if asked in a public sense, the answer leads inevitably to the need to re-focus on cities.
Cleveland's University Circle
November 21, 2008
Earlier this week I spoke to Cleveland University Circle's annual meeting. Chris Ronayne is doing an impressive job in leading this district full of extraordinary assets, including Case Western, Severance Hall, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Botanical Gardens, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospitals. …
Power Philanthropy
November 18, 2008
The Columbus Foundation, led by Doug Kridler, has come up with a powerful way to motivate more people to donate funds to that city's nonprofits.
Doug calls it PowerPhilanthropy Match Day 2.0 and the plan is to raise $1 million…
The Whole Foods Effect
November 17, 2008
New research from Portland demonstrates the truth of something we all probably suspected: The presence of an upscale grocery store in your Portland neighborhood adds an extra 20 percent or so to homes within a block and a half. Small neighborhood move theaters have an even greater effect – 14…
Transportation for America
November 17, 2008
As calls for federal investments in infrastructure get louder, send President-Elect Obama a message to support a new direction for America developed by Transportation for America.
Major points include:
1. A 21st CENTURY NETWORK: Invest in a world-leading, sustainable transportation system.
2. NO MORE BLANK…
A Differentiated View of Regionalism
November 16, 2008
Increasing calls for regionalism by Brookings and others seems smart on its face. But the experience with regionalism in a lot of parts of the country does not exactly produce the outcome advocates of regionalism are seeking. I was reminded of this last week when I traveled to New…
The Kids Loved the City
November 13, 2008
Greg Hinz, over at Crain's Chicago, produced a terrific column on the impact of having our first urban president in too many years.
But in it he also made some interesting observations about the ways city life is different and how it is changing:
"City folks are, well, different.…
Photos from Constitution Hill
November 3, 2008
Here are some overdue photos from the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. The photos don't do justice to the magnificence of the building but I am posting anyway throughout the week. This one is of the doors to the court where the nation's constitution is carved in relief.
Back to the City
November 2, 2008
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told the NYT that Starbucks is "more relevant to our customers than ever before...arguing that his cafes can be a refuge from the economic storm." Schultz said, "We are not selling a commodity cup of coffee. We have created a unique experience." But the company…
Nostalgia (and Ambition) for the Land
October 31, 2008
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…
We've Passed a Milestone
October 31, 2008
The front page of yesterday's recently redesigned Chicago Tribune had no news stories -- just huge headlines and big graphics. It's the first time I've seen that happen on the front page of a daily newspaper. Faced with declining readership of the print product, daily newspapers are trying all…
Colin Powell Sticks Up for Cities
October 19, 2008
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,…
The Momentum of Special Events
October 19, 2008
In preparation for the World Cup in 2010, Johannesburg is building its first metro line that will run approximately 60 km (with stops to include the airport). In the central city, the line is underground, again. The city is also building bus rapid transit in the city center, based on…
Making the Wait More Entertaining
October 19, 2008
Just heard on CNN Worldwide that Shanghai is trying to make the wait for its metro more entertaining. On one line with 12 minute headways, Shanghai has installed a system to lend magazines to waiting riders. Problem is, only 10 days into the program, riders haven't quite figured out how…
Austin Mayor Will Wynn Dances
October 11, 2008
Austin's plans to participate in Thrill the World got a boost when Mayor Will Wynn showed his own Michael Jackson moves. What a trouper.
The Citiwiki Project
October 8, 2008
Take a look at Pittsburgh's Citiwiki that invites citizens to offer their own ideas to develop an intelligent, easy-to-use transportation system that works for people of every stripe?
The goal of the Wiki is to harness the considerable intellectual firepower of the Pittsburgh region's thoughtful citizenry to help transform…
Feels Like Home to Me
October 8, 2008
This morning I flew through Chicago's O'Hare airport on my way from Portland, Maine to San Jose, California. My chances of seeing anyone I know in one of the world's busiest airports are next to none. But the surroundings are familiar, and some of the service people are familiar. And…
Making Customers Cry
October 2, 2008
Alinea chef and impresario Grant Achatz demonstrated last night at Wired's NextFest why he, and not just his food, is so special. He peppered a seemingly casual cooking demonstration and tasting with stories of how he evolved his one-taste preparations onto specially-made, sculptural serving utensils that hold heat, cold…
Ohio, Home of Innovations & Opportunity
October 1, 2008
Ohio has announced a new economic development strategy that includes 33 new efforts designed to create jobs, improve productivity through innovation and grow the income of all Ohioans.
The two programs with high priority are called Ohio Means Home and Ohio Hubs of Innovation and Opportunity.
Ohio Means Home…
Connected Urban Development
September 30, 2008
Cisco is promoting a concept called "Connected Urban Development" in partnership with cities to cut traffic congestion and reduce C02 by deploying innovative connected network solutions. The program initially involved three pilot cities: San Francisco, Amsterdam and Seoul. According to the Financial Times, "these were selected because each…
Networked Workers
September 28, 2008
A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that "One of the major impacts of the internet and cell phones is that they have enabled more people to do work at least occasionally from home. Some 45% of employed Americans report doing at least some work from home…
The Cascade Agenda
September 28, 2008
I was in Seattle this week to open the Design for Livability forum. One of its sponsors was the Cascade Land Conservancy, Washington’s largest independent land conservation and stewardship organization. What makes CLC so exciting is that it connects preservation of natural…
Seattle's Pink Tent City Emptied
September 28, 2008
The homeless of Seattle (and a lot more of their "adovcates") were moved from their high profile pink tent camp today. The arrests were without fanfare, although its organizers complain that their property is "presumably destroyed" and that the city should have been willing to provide land for…
Bailing Out Surburbia
September 28, 2008
Channeling Atlantic Monthly's Megan McArdle, Wendy Waters asks the provocative question, is Congress bailing out surburbia with its plan?
Social (and More) Impact of the Arts
September 28, 2008
Just checking out some terrific reports from the great Mark Stern and Susan Seifert who lead Social Impact of the Arts Project, a research center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice.
Wish I Could Go
September 24, 2008
The intersection of art and nature will be the subject of what looks to be a very cool conference in Reno, Nevada, October 2-4. I love this invitation:
Global interest in the intersections of nature and culture has broadened in recent years. In this expanding field, contemporary…
Smart Mayors Meet Millennials
September 23, 2008
Good for Detroit's suburban mayors. They are launching an experimental venture called Millennial Mayors Congress, in which mayors and emerging civic leaders will collaboratively develop action-oriented solutions to regional challenges. If it works, promoters believe it could break some serious SE Michigan barriers: increasing the access that young(ish) people have…
Body and Soul
September 21, 2008
That's the theme of the 2008 International Urban Parks Conference that begins today in Pittsburgh. I'll be speaking briefly on a panel tomorrow with Trust for Public Land President Will Rogers, New York's Director of the Mayor's Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability Rohit Aggarwala and Brookings VP and…
City People Are Authentic Americans, Too
September 20, 2008
Karrie Jacobs, who writes for Metropolis, has a great photo on her blog with this caption: In front of the WWII Memorial in downtown Brooklyn, city dwellers play with their children just like suburbanites and exurbanites. Those of us who live in cities are authentic Americans, too.
I can…
High Speed Rail Developments
September 19, 2008
News of two new high speed rail projects just landed in my Inbox from Midwest High Speed Rail Association.
Air France-KLM confirms high speed rail discussions
FRANCE: Speaking at the opening of Terminal 2G at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport on September 9, Air France-KLM President Jean-Cyril Spinetta confirmed that the airline…
Dumb Growth
September 18, 2008
Is one more Lowe's worth it? Miami-Dade commissioners have overridden a veto by Mayor Carlos Alvarez of their decision to ignore the urban development boundary and approve a Lowe's beyond the buffer that stands between developed Dade County and the Everglades. Now the state has entered the fray,…
Richard Florida: The View from Here
September 14, 2008
I spoke with Richard Florida a couple of weeks ago about his books and his ideas. A few excerpts:
"From a public policy point of view, we had better figure out how we're going to cope with an increasingly unequal world -- the rising gap between rich and poor,…
New ways of working, new opportunity for cities
September 10, 2008
For telecommuters, working at home is isolating, and Starbucks isn't cutting it for doing real business. "Sometimes that's great, but if you're on a business call and the cappuccino machine goes off in the background, it can be a distraction," says Jeff Kubarych, a co-founder of Soundview Coworking. There are many business…
Metro Nation
September 6, 2008
Much has been written about regionalism and our "metro nation" lately. But there is little evidence that local governments, even within a metro area, can cooperate on the big issues. One organization stands in stark contrast to business as usual -- the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus of Chicagoland.
I was reminded…
What I Did at Lunch Today
September 2, 2008
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…
Curbing Sprawl and Emissions
August 30, 2008
California is nearing adoption of a law to encourage housing close to job sites, rail lines and bus stops to shorten the time people spend in their cars. And, surprise! The homebuilders are on board. The measure, which has passed the State Assembly and awaits Senate approval, would be the…
Yes, Denver
August 29, 2008
Yesterday I made a quick trip to Denver to visit with mayors there for the Democratic National Convention. I took a very early flight (The CTA is always interesting at 4 a.m., filled with workers headed to O'Hare.), so I had plenty of time to look around a city I…
Global Monopoly
August 24, 2008
A photo in the Thursday edition of The Chicago Tribune caught my eye. The character Mr. Monopoly was standing on a large version of the game board for Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition. Cities visible in the photo include New York, Sydney, London, Beijing, Vancouver, Shanghai and Hong…
Silicon Valley Embraces Density
August 17, 2008
"Strip malls and low-rise office parks dominate the landscape of northern San Jose, but a long-term redevelopment plan could make over large swaths of the area along decidedly more urban lines," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Over the…
Older Neighborhoods Are Healthier
August 16, 2008
A new study to appear in the September issue of The American Journal for Preventive Medicine finds that people who live in older neighborhoods appear less likely to be overweight. The key? Walkability. Older communities encourage people to drive less and walk more because they tend to have better sidewalks,…
A New Way to Connect
August 3, 2008
The New York Times called it "Night Life Reprogrammed." It's today's story on how young, tech-savvy New Yorkers are getting together at night under banners like "Ignite NYC" to show off their wonky skills, their best ideas and their best advice. As one participant put it, "Instead of just…
Bank of Common Knowledge
July 31, 2008
Here’s another example of some of the ideas we’ve been exploring with city leaders through our Remix and Creative Cities work. This exemplifies ideas of connecting and tapping diverse knowledge as a starting point for individuals to contribute to community or public challenges.
The Bank of…
RSVP for San Diego Strategy Session
February 5, 2009
CEOs for Cities Announces Next National Meeting
Strategy Session 2009: The Upside of Down
San Diego, CA, March 18-20
Hosted by CEOs for Cities and the University of California San Diego
Hard times force us to re-consider everything.
What are the opportunities for your city to innovate now…
University Circle Keynote: Cities are the Solution
November 18, 2008
Old assumptions about cities are under assault, and new ones are in play, demonstrating that cities like Cleveland, where CEOs for Cities President and CEO delivered the keynote address for University Circle Inc.'s Annual Meeting, are not the problem. Cities are the solution. Read the full text of Coletta's remarks…
Carol Coletta's Speech to the Tennessee Municipal League
June 22, 2008
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…