Cities

'Consumption Amenities' Key to City Success

Cities that have fun things to do -- so-called "consumption amenities" -- are more successful at attracting people and growing jobs, according to a recent report.

4 January 2009 - 5:00am

The Boston Globe

Bell Tolls for California Cities and Their Creative Borrowing Schemes

Cities in California have been finding creative ways to generate funding and financing in recent years. Now, it seems lenders are coming to cities to collect on loans and many are left scrambling to pay up.

2 January 2009 - 8:00am

Los Angeles Times

Power Plowers

How well mayors and city officials deal with snowstorms is one of the best indicators of how well they can serve their cities, according to this article from Governing.

28 December 2008 - 5:00am

Governing

The Role of Urban Journalism in the Future

Dan Lorentz at Where blog takes a look at the current state of urban affairs journalism in these two posts. He looks at the role of bloggers and citizen journalists, and wonders what would happen if a city were to lose its daily newspaper.

14 December 2008 - 7:00am

Where

The Planetizen News Brief - 12/11/08

4:15 minutes (3.95 MB)

A weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, download or listen to this week's News Brief, which looks at Chicago's privatization of its parking meters and how cities across the country are struggling to stretch federal stabilization funds.

11 December 2008 - 5:00am

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The Planetizen News Brief - 12/4/08

4:30 minutes (4.18 MB)

A weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, download or listen to this week's News Brief, which looks at what the economic recession will mean for cities, and what they're doing to lighten the blow. Read, listen or download.

4 December 2008 - 5:00am

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For Cities, Cutting Back May Simply Mean Streamlining

Tough economic times spell troubles for city budgets. One way to cut back on costs is to rethink operation of seemingly untouchable public safety services like police and firefighters, according to this column from Neal Peirce.

2 December 2008 - 11:00am

Citiwire

Urban Autonomy An Impossible Dream

The idea of city autonomy is increasingly unrealistic, according to a new book by University of Western Ontario professor Andrew Sancton.

14 November 2008 - 11:00am

The Globe and Mail

To Re-Imagine Cities, Re-Imagine Urban Design

Oil is running out and the climate is changing. How this impacts cities will largely be determined by how the urban design field reacts.

13 November 2008 - 5:00am

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6 comments

Scott Page

Stuart Smalley was a planner!

Thu, 10/30/2008 - 14:05

One of the perks of my job is getting to know new cities and neighborhoods. We research, create a lot of graphics and talk with a lot of people. In the course of those discussions, while people often exhibit pride in where they live, there is also an underlying concern that frequently goes something like this:

“We feel like a last place team – the one that can never get out of the cellar.”
“There is a real self-image problem here.”
“You can’t do that in [insert name of place here] because we

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older posts

Segregated in the City

As more and more people move to the cities, the prevalence of economic and racial segregation becomes more and more apparent.

29 October 2008 - 12:00pm

Next American City

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2 comments

Obama, the 'Tin-Cup Urbanist'

If history is any indicator, Senator Obama's presidential plans to pump more federal money into fixing cities' problems are futile and wasteful, according to Steven Malanga.

29 October 2008 - 7:00am

City Journal

Income Gap in American Cities As Bad As African Cities

Income inequality in U.S. cities rivals that of many African cities, which struggle with deep divides between the haves and the have-nots, according to a recent report from the United Nations.

26 October 2008 - 9:00am

Reuters

What a New Presidency May Mean for Cities

Senator Obama seems to be more "responsive" to cities' needs, while Senator McCain's focus is largely on cutting taxes to restore jobs and business.

22 October 2008 - 11:00am

Philadelphia Daily News

Noise Pollution in San Francisco is A Health Risk, Study Shows

A new study shows that noise pollution on the streets of San Francisco is putting nearly one in six residents at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and other stress-related illnesses.

10 October 2008 - 8:00am

The San Francisco Chronicle

How Cities Can Compete - An Illustrated Guide

An artist recently drew an interpretation of a speech by author Richard Florida about the "creative class", competition between cities and the importance of place.

5 October 2008 - 1:00pm

Creative Class Exchange

Predicting McCain and Obama's Effect on Cities

Neal Pierce asks the question, 'Who's Best for Cities, McCain or Obama?' The evidence has been difficult to come by, but Pierce unearths some clues and makes some logical predictions.

19 September 2008 - 1:00pm

Citiwire.net

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The Unseen City Icons

This piece from Discover looks at the iconic "invisible" things that define cities -- like Seattle's clouds, Houston's air conditioning, and L.A.'s Botox.

7 September 2008 - 5:00am

Discover