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… more

Or are they about to become the new centers of "thrift?  That's the question Newsweek asks in a story just posted.  Read it here. 

Newsweek reports that nearly a fifth of the country's largest 2,000 regional malls are failing, and according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a… more

The conversations at the Chicago Humanities Festival are always a pleasure.  Last weekend, I heard Saskia Sassen (she of Global City fame), her husband and author Richard Sennett (power couple extraordinaire), Ricky Burdett of Urban Age and Philip Enquist, SOM partner in charge of Urban Design… more

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… more

What a difference 17,000 Target employees have made to downtown Minneapolis.  On a perfect day, I had an opportunity to visit Target's headquarters on Nicollet Mall.  There was a busy flow of casually dressed people (average age looked to be maybe 26?  28?  young), giving these corporate headquarters an unmistakeable… more

With creative cities strategies increasingly gaining the attention of city leaders around the world, the Creative Cities Summit being hosted in Detroit October 12 – 15 will engage leaders with ideas on how to “rethink and redesign our cities for this age of innovation, knowledge and creativity”. 

By… more

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… more

Jim Russell over at Cleveburgh Diaspora has a great post that gives solid examples of what shrinking mid-size cities can do to reinvigorate their appeal and their fate.

Buffalo is talking about becoming a national laboratory dedicated to… more

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… more

Convenience sounds like such a mundane benefit.  We associate it with fast food, the corner 7-11, the Pot Belly across the street. It may be a compromise in terms of quality or variety, but at least it's convenience.

So it has been interesting to have two recent Smart City… more

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… more

Colleague Greg Zachary has found in Nairobi 600 young programmers, bloggers and Web enthusiasts who have turned themselves into Skunkworks, a group sharing ideas and encouraging new businesses to develop in response to the distinctive (narrow bandwidth) digital experience in that city.

“To be truly creative in… more

"To keep tempers cool and spirits high this year, the Aeroports de Paris implemented an unconventional plan: free dance lessons for passengers," according to Springwise.

"Summertime passengers can use their wait time at the airport to learn any one of 15 dances offered by the airport's resident trainers,… more

I've spent the past two days in Seattle and Portland. I arrived late Tuesday night in Seattle. Approaching downtown by taxi, I was struck by the growing size of the city skyline. My hotel, Inn at the Market (which gets a big gold star for service and staff), is situated… 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