The benefits of cities are clear, but the appropriate way to quantify density is not. An article in The Atlantic Cities discusses measuring density by people per square mile. The measurement allows architects and city planners to humanize data and incorporate amenities to create a complete picture of a…

The CEOs for Cities' Connectivity Challenge convened national leaders in Chicago to discuss ways to create communities where a car is not a necessity. There, participants focused on the value of alternative transportation in vibrant cities. A recent report by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University…

The winners of Indianapolis' Monument Circle Idea Competition were revealed Wednesday. An article in the Indianapolis Business Journal reported that, "the competition, announced in March, came about after Indianapolis hosted a CEOs for Cities event last October that brought together local stakeholders and national experts to brainstorm ideas for making…

The US Initiative Opportunity Challenge in Memphis developed Big Ideas to put talent to work. Among the recommentations was to create and enhance existing dual enrollment programs for high schools. Gateway to College National Network, lead by President Laurel Dukehart, a national expert at the Opportunity Challenge, recently…

One of the key recommendations from the US Initiative Connectivity Challenge Report focused on the importance of incorporating bikes in the city planning process. The recent rise in gas prices makes alternative transportation options all the more important. In an effort to increase multi-modal transportation use in urban areas, the…

One Big Idea that came out of the US Initiative Livability Challenge came to fruition this week when the Indianapolis Downtown Inc. launched the Monument Circle Idea Competition. The placemaking initiative is seeking constructive assessments “to inform future planning and uses for Monument Circle.” An article in the…

Miami civic leaders met last week to generate ideas for Miami’s future at the Miami Brain Trust. The event, hosted by Florida International University President Mark Rosenberg and led by CEOs for Cities as part of the US Initiative, brought 60 local leaders together to elevate critical action…

Frank Gehry’s recently built New World Symphony Building, the venue for the upcoming Miami Brain Trust, received praise in the New York Times for its accessibility and openness. The New World Symphony Building, which “is the centerpiece of a 15-year effort to rejuvenate a depressed area of Miami Beach,”…

CEOs for Cities’ Give a Minute campaign plays an important role in Mayor Bloomberg’s plan for New York City in 2011. In his State of the City address, Mayor Bloomberg emphasized the importance of urban participation and committed his support for Give a Minute. The Mayor plans to use Give…

The Give a Minute for Memphis campaign launched today to ask Memphians, "What skills would you love to develop professionally or put to use?" For the next month, residents can text their ideas to 901-296-0123 or post them to the Give a Minute website. It’s an easy way…

With the 2010 Census now published, stories about how we’ve fared in the first decade of the 21st century are popping up everywhere.

In Miami, where key demographic indicators held steady since 2000, education indicators are the big story. A December 18 Miami Herald article reveals the Miami-Dade metro…

Brian Payne, President of the Central Indiana Community Foundation and leader of CEOs for Cities' Indianapolis Cluster, was the keynote speaker at the City of Calgary's 2010 Centre City Congress. Speaking to a sold out audience, Brian showcased the nationally renowned Indianapolis Cultural Trail, a "big idea" he says has…

A shift in the attitudes of environmentalists on cities is apparent by Berkeley's recent vote to approve increasing density in the city's center. Backed by well-respected green organizations such as Sierra Club and Greenbelt Alliance (previously People for Open Space), this measure will concentrate "housing, jobs and cultural…

Harry West gets my vote for best column of the day at Fastcodesign when he points out that people act on things they can see.

For example, think cigarettes.  "When society decides that it really cares about something that is harmful, we make it look or smell clearly bad."

“Hey Chicago, what would encourage you to walk, bike or take CTA more often?” CEOs for Cities launched the Give a Minute for Chicago campaign this week to help answer that question. Give a Minute is a new model for citizen participation. It’s an easy way to share ideas about…

We couldn't have asked for more from the Livability Challenge than to leave our host city with the inspiration and momentum captured by this column in NUVO Newsweekly, Indianapolis' alternative newspaper.

In reflecting upon our ambition for the challenge - to make beauty, in the form of art, good…

Tweeting from the Livability Challenge in Indianapolis, CEOs for Cities president and CEO Carol Coletta had this to say:

•    100 Acres, the Indianapolis Art and Nature Park, is a stunning asset. It must be connected to the city's trail system.
•    Think of the city as…

The Indianapolis Star published this great photo this great photo Livability Challenge participants biking the famed Indianapolis Cultural Trail. When asked after the tour concluded what he thought, The Trust for Public Land president Will Rogers quipped, "Why are we here?" Clearly this is a city that has…

Meeting our daily needs without owning a car means being able to walk, bike or take public transportation to get to work, see friends, run errands and even buy groceries. Unfortunately, high quality grocery stores are hard to come by in many urban neighborhoods, forcing even the most reticent among…

Times of great challenges also present great opportunities. As we face great challenges, from mounting unemployment to polarization of citizens to climate change, cities offer our best hope for creative solutions. The path to our nation’s success runs right through cities, but to get there requires strategic decisions now on…

Tomorrow afternoon, thought leaders from Cisco, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Adobe Foundation and the Rockwell Group, among others, will participate in a strategic conversation to elevate the role of aesthetics in creating the next generation of great American cities.…

Six emerging leaders have been selected from among more than 100 of their peers to present at the Urban Next Summit in San Francisco on September 20. Their presentations include titles such as “Ruin Porn and Building a Public Space: A Detroit Endeavor,” “Hungry Toronto: How…

The Great Reset, Richard Florida's latest book, takes on the fundamental ways of American life that are no longer sustainable. Namely, he believes (and we agree) that as a country, we went overboard with the push for every American to own a home.

A better balance of rental housing…

Seventy years ago GM's Futurama generated a compelling vision that spawned a new American ideal of a spacious, car-centered good life. We now know that paradigm no longer provides opportunity, exacerbates climate change and is diminishing our quality of life.  It is simply not sustainable.

We now have an urgent…

This is an edited version of the keynote address delivered by Carol Coletta in conjunction with the release of The Greater Louisville Project’s 2010 Competitive City Report on June 24.

The Greater Louisville Project and the 2010 Competitive City Report are an important contribution to the work we are all…