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The future development of urban environments is the subject of controversial discussion and action all over the world. Programmes range from technologicallydriven Smart City concepts to local grassroots democracy initiatives. The one thing that these otherwise highly diverse movements have in common is that changes in the city climate mean they will and must fundamentally alter our city lives.

Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) announced on Monday, its collaboration with Engaging Cities as a media partner for their upcoming CNU 20 conference in West Palm Beach, FL,  this coming May. Expert speakers include Richard Florida, Dr. Richard Jackson, Leon Krier, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Peter Norton, Galina Tachieva, Andres Duany, among others. EngagingCities will be sharing written dispatches from CNU20, as well as new media on our site during and after the event.

The Compass Blueprint program recognizes and provides opportunities for local planning efforts that creatively and efficiently integrate land use and transportation planning.  The annual Awards recognize the most forward-thinking projects that demonstrate excellence and achievement in the four key elements of Compass Blueprint planning: Livability, Mobility, Prosperity and Sustainability.

This Monday, October 17, the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation release the final in a series of eight white papers aimed at implementing the recommendations of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy.  The paper—"Assessing Community Information Needs: A Practical Guide" by Richard C. Harwood—proposes four guideposts and nine strategies for communities to assess and build a healthy information environment.

Marking its 75th anniversary, the Ford Foundation is bringing together some of the most creative minds in metropolitan development—civic leaders and policymakers, urban designers and entrepreneurs—to explore how fairness, opportunity and equity can serve as the defining features of this new era of urbanization. The event will take place on July 14 at the foundation.

As planners, architects, and passionate urbanists, we regularly ponder new ways to engage the public and get them motivated to be involved in planning projects. Besides the new tools for public engagement available today, we believe it is important to keep hands-on approaches to public engagement as part of the mix. Similarly, we are passionate about sharing with our readers success stories and insights from thought leaders within the planning industry, such as that of the legendary grassroots urbanist Jane Jacobs, which might inspire them to make their communities more livable, or shall we say, “walkable”.

In our opinion, evaluation of participation metrics should be paid more attention to. More often than not, online communities don’t serve their purpose of engaging visitors, simply because they are not being monitored appropriately for optimal participation. Here are just a few things that can be done to raise the bar to measure and increase public engagement in online communities.

In March 2011, Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn, and City Planning Commissioner Burden released Vision 2020: The New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. Produced by the Department of City Planning,Vision 2020 is a comprehensive analysis of New York’s 520 miles of diverse waterfront and a strategic framework for the waterfront, waterways, and water for the next ten years. Five experts will discuss the plan, the steps for implementation, and the challenges that lay ahead on the waterfront and the waterways.

We all share a unique enthusiasm for urban planning and public involvement and love exploring innovative technology that enables us to combine these passions. LivableCities is in the midst of planning their 49th Annual International Making Cities Livable Conference, which will be held in late Spring 2012 in Portland, Oregon.

QR codes, lauded as the next new thing since the mid-1990’s, have finally met with their fifteen minutes of fame.  Early adopters are well-aware of QR codes, but only in the last year or so has the general public started noticing those black and white squares popping up on magazine pages and offline advertising.

In their technical assistance visits to communities across the state of Colorado, Downtown Colorado Inc. has seen the same five issues surfacing time and again. The problems facing today’s urban revitalization projects of course vary from city to city, but we can’t help observing common themes across the board.  First on the list: money.