President of Opportunity: Just Add Funding

"President-elect Barack Obama has vowed to act on climate change, bringing the U.S. in from the sidelines after eight long years. He has promised to end dependence on oil and support renewable energy. And he seems to recognize that cities and metropolitan regions will play a crucial role, in these challenges but also as centers of innovation, economic activity, and housing opportunities, and that they deserve support."

"But everyone at this conference and all environmentalists and urbanists everywhere have the same question shared by so many Americans: how in the world is he going to do it all?"

"It's clear the new president and his team intend to walk and chew gum at the same time. Any economic stimulus plan will include investments in cities and infrastructure and the new energy economy that is envisioned in our post cheap-oil, post-carbon future–the so-called 'green New Deal.'"

"But it's also the point where one has to ask: where is the money going to come from?"