Find it here in The Washington Post.  It's a speech worth reading.  There is far more here than the sound bite running in the cable news loop

ABC News is reporting that Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion is being named as Director of the White House Office on Urban Policy.  The New York Daily News reported yesterday that he was being named and will report directly to the President.

This just in from the Midwest High Speed Rail Association...

"The Senate approved the stimulus package today.  The conference committee hopes to have a finished bill on the President's desk by Monday.

"But that isn't why this action alert is so important.  Earlier today, President Obama listed high-speed…

Yes, he knows cities.  Yes, he rode the "L."  Yes, he knows a part of America that few presidents have ever seen without a bevy of reporters along for the photo opp. 

But let's talk about the important stuff.  The man can dance.  He is my kind of guy.

Hint:  It wasn't rural America.  Check Nate Silver's chart in Esquire.

As the discussion on the stimulus heats up, some projects submitted by mayors are being used to demonstrate how foolish it would be to funnel stimulus money directly to cities.  The proposed Las Vegas Museum of the Mob is this morning's poster child for stupid submissions.  (Sadly, new roads and…

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:

This morning's NYT carried a full page of pictures and bios on President-elect Barack Obama's key appointments.  The last one on the page:  Aldolfo Carrion to lead the Office of Urban Policy.  Just one problem:  To my knowledge Obama hasn't yet made that announcement.  U.S. mayors met with Valerie Jarrett,…

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…

Congress for the New Urbanism CEO John Norquist warns the President-elect on the pitfalls of moving without consideration on the portion of the economic stimulus package calling for new roads and bridges. He writes:

With six weeks to go before he moves into the White House, Barack Obama is…

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.…

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…

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…

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…