Entries tagged with Distinctiveness
Invert the World
December 18, 2009
In this blog, the insightful Aaron Renn urges us to take a fresh look at our cities to find the opportunity in perceived challenges.
He reminds us that a big part of being competitive is using distinctiveness to advantage.
Aaron asks “Why [in the Midwest] can’t we use…
Portland’s Artisan Economy
December 14, 2009
For people seeking greater insight into the “unique relationship between Portland’s culture, arts and economy”, a new book is slated for next year that examines the industries of Portland.
Charles Heying, the author of ‘Brew to Bikes: Portland’s Artisan Economy’, will offer new insights on the role of cultural industries…
Identity Theft for Cities
November 21, 2009
While regionalism might look good on paper, in practice it leaves much to be desired. Carol Coletta discusses the pitfalls of being place agnostic in this blog entry featured on GOOD.is.
American Homes Are Getting Smaller
October 11, 2009
Seriously? McMansions are on the wane?
The trends seem to suggest that, yes, it's true. The median size of new houses in the U.S. shrank last year, reversing a decades-long trend. And this year, the trend continues, with houses nearly 200 square feet smaller than two years ago. Average new…
ArtPrize from Above
September 29, 2009
Just received this picture of the crowds at ArtPrize in downtown Grand Rapids. Organizers tell us the crowds are even larger than expected.
Buying Local Does Matter
September 23, 2009
We ran across this interesting piece out of Hendersonville, N.C., on the economic effects of buying from local, independent retailers. This paragraph was particularly telling: "A recent study by the firm Civic Economics makes the issue crystal clear, for every $100 spent locally, $45 stays in the community.…
Scents of New York
August 30, 2009
There is something lovely about this map. It maps the summer smells of New York.
A City Outdoors
August 26, 2009
Pittsburgh has been featured in headlines across the country for its impressive story of urban renewal. This recent article highlights Venture Outdoors, an organization that takes advantage of the distinctive assets available in Pittsburgh. With the city's center at the convergence of three rivers and surrounded…
Creative Infill
July 28, 2009
This article by Julia Levitt highlights an emerging trend with exciting potential for our cities – the creative infill, re-use and sharing of under-used spaces.
Using the example of the restaurant Everest Momo Shack that shares space with a burrito kitchen, Levitt challenges us to think about…
Eat Real
July 22, 2009
This email came today and reminded me that you can create an asset out of anything -- in this case, street food. (And notice the personal signatures after the "Yours in tacos" sign-off.) Thought I would share...
Did you say street food?
Just six weeks to go until…
The Element of Surprise in Public Spaces
July 14, 2009
Here’s another example of a city putting the challenge out to “interdisciplinary teams to think about the changing role of public spaces.”
This one asked those submitting proposals to rethink the hidden spaces and laneways of Sydney’s city center and bring vibrancy…
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…
Second Cities
June 10, 2009
Interest in second cities is on the rise again. As travelers look to urban experiences that come with a lower price tag and go beyond the most established destinations while still accessing world class dining, entertainment, culture and events, second cities around the world are proving attractive choices.
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…
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…
Who Wouldn't Want to Live Here
May 14, 2009
Do you know Paju Bookcity? I didn't until I found Dana Cho's lovely blog, Goodspace, devoted to design and innovation.
Am I the only one who would think I had died and gone to heaven if I lived in Bookcity? Ok, maybe it's close to a theme park…
A Leader for NEA
May 13, 2009
The President has his man to run the National Endowment for the Arts. The New York Times reports that Rocco Landesman, the colorful theatrical producer and race-track aficionado who brought hits like “Big River,” “Angels in America” and “The Producers” to Broadway, has…
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.
Cities Get Serious about Small Business
March 23, 2009
I'm seeing more of these kinds of workshops...
This Thursday, I will be hosting another Shop 52 Small Business Seminar. My Shop 52 seminars provide education and resources to small business owners and individuals interested in opening their own small business. This one will focus on how small businesses can…
Humbly Authentic?
March 11, 2009
A release from Hilton Hotels on its new Denizen Hotels brands indicates a new fascination with local.
Born modern, with global appeal and a local accent*
Denizen Hotels will become a cultural epicentre at each of its destinations, cultivating community within…
Matching Democracy to Media Reach
February 26, 2009
Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibarguen's comments to the WeMedia conference just made my hair stand on end.
He pointed out that there is, for the first time, a disconnect between media reach and where democracy happens. While local newspapers and radio are disppearing, online media…
Dreams of Bourgeois Bohemia Fading
February 26, 2009
What happens to bourgeois bohemia when the bourgeois part drops out? For long-time residents in LA's Eagle Rock neighborhood, the return to pre-boom rents may be a blessing. But for those with visions of new hipness, its identity is seriously threatened.
From today's NYT: "Over the last five to…
Freakoutonomics
February 17, 2009
NY Mag surveyed more than 100 retailers in the city and came up with a terrific, very now look at how retailers are coping with changing consumer habits. Reporter Michael Idov calls it "a retail shakeout of historic proportions." "Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue and Soho are suddenly pocked with…
Tampa Bay Looking to Capitalize on Boomer Population
February 12, 2009
In the coming decade Tampa Bay is expecting a huge wave of Baby Boomers to roll into the region. Anticipating this trend, CreativeTampaBay's Deanne Roberts and Michelle Bauer (both CEOs for Cities network partners) are already strategizing on how to capitalize on this impending opportunity for their city.
In…
Employees wanted?. to put place on the map
January 21, 2009
Here’s a unique approach to putting a place ‘on the map’. This job advertisement is transformed into a campaign, sure to grab attention, that highlights the distinctive qualities of a place and taps the power of new media for tourism promotion.
‘The Best Job in…
The Content Campus
January 3, 2009
Opened last month, L.A Live, with its two concert halls, an ESPN Zone/broadcast studio, a bowling alley, movie theaters, ten restaurants, Grammy Museum, and condos, is being called a "content campus" by Business Week. Its developers call it an entertainment campus. The complex cost $2.5 billion and is…
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…
Dark Sky Park
December 31, 2008
Congratulations to Scotland for having the forethought to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope with Galloway Forest Park announcing its plans to become Europe’s first “dark sky park.”
The Bldgblog reports that the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) web site…
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…
Designer of Sydney Opera House Dies
November 30, 2008
Danish architect Jørn Utzon, designer of the Sydney Opera House, died today at the age 90. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. And it does not disappoint in person or up close. It is a marvel.
Utzon designed the opera house in…
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…
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…
Are Shopping Malls Dead?
November 13, 2008
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…
Offshoring Audacity
November 9, 2008
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…
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…
Wow! Minneapolis Looks Great
October 10, 2008
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…
Great minds converging in Detroit
October 8, 2008
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…
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…
Remaking Shrinking Cities as Living Labs
October 1, 2008
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…
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…
The Benefits of Convenience
September 9, 2008
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…
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…
If Nairobi Can Do It
August 15, 2008
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…
Dancing in the... Airport?
August 14, 2008
"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,…
The Vibrancy of Seattle and Portland
July 10, 2008
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…
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…