With the folly of relying on growth in the finance sector to compensate for losses in manufacturing now brought into focus by the financial crisis, the building blocks for economic recovery and job growth are more elusive than ever.

The world's greatest greening opportunity many not be saving trees, but rather making our cities self-reliant so they are less dependent on the natural order for resources.

By looking at our assets holistically, we can create a fully integrated, intelligent approach to the greening of cities, one that combines carbon savings with an increased quality of life.

Take a creative break from today's active discussions about the benefits of urban density with a sonata that examines compact development examples from across the world.

Those of us who write about cities should be students of history and experience, and with some humility listen to scholars and the legacy of urban development from from around the world.

Amid the roads, sidewalks and places that you have visited before, there are often embedded patterns to uncover, read and reinterpret.

Will the prime square footage occupied by Borders have similar 'third place' potential once reclaimed? Will replacement uses provide the equivalent fusion business purposes of books, coffee, lecture and song?

When a small branch of a local ice cream business opened within the laundromat up the street, it was evidence that today's land use regulations are becoming more in sync with changing urban reality.

If our cities must be dense to be competitive and sustainable, we must also look with care to the potential displacement of uses, institutions or traditions -- not to mention the artifacts we will leave behind.

More so than public squares -- which require a conscious set-aside of assembled space -- corners naturally result from crossroads, the elemental feature of travel between places.

Cities are hubs of human interaction, and the urban experience can be enhanced by authentic participation in the dynamics of a place and transitions to nearby venues.

What if American cities legislated brighter color amid windows, balconies planted green and encouraged flags and hanging laundry? What if homeowner associations and rental contracts required vegetation and decoration?

Once a big idea is vetted -- whether in an authoritarian or democratic way -- what assures its success? Most particularly, what if, from Day One, the vision pushes comfort zones of the achievable; politically, legally or monetarily?

We all know the rules of the road, but as gas becomes more expensive and we learn more about the environmental hazards driving imposes, it might be a good time to focus on learning a new skill: walking.

Sustainable cities -- or eco-cities -- cropping up across the globe may hold the answers to the challenges presented by swelling urban populations.

This video from CNN takes a look into the work of Jaime Lerner, a renowned Brazilian architect who has used his political positions to implement inspi...