Successful Cities and Green Jobs

This week's episode of Smart City explores what makes a city successful and tracks the future of the green job market.

1 minute read

May 18, 2009, 6:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"Christopher Choa is an architect and urban designer and a principal at EDAW, a design firm that values the relationship between people and their environment. Chris joins us from London to talk about the design of a successful city and what we can learn from the construction boom happening in cities in the Middle East.

And we'll speak with Joan Fitzgerald. Joan Fitzgerald is the Director of the Law, Policy, and Society Program at Northeastern University in Boston. She's studied how U.S. and Western European cities are addressing the interrelated issues of global warming, energy dependence and opportunities for green economic development. Joan is challenging the enthusiasm about green jobs and says there will be fewer than we expect if we don't recapture the manufacturing side of renewables. She's also the author of the forthcoming book 'Emerald Cities: Linking Sustainability and Climate Change'."

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 in Smart City

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 14, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Cars driving under automatic congestion pricing toll machines on Broadway next to the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.

Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off

After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.

October 13, 2026 - Marcelo Remond

A crane lifts a manufactured house, with is rectangular and does not yet have a roof.

HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework

The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.

October 8, 2026 - Boston Real Estate Times

A large brown house in Massachusetts.

Small single-family homes are illegal in most of MA. Voters can change that

Most land zoned for single-family housing in Massachusetts requires at least 40,000 square feet of land per house.

October 16 - NPR

A group of people gather around Metra's battery-powered bus.

Public steps inside U.S.’s first battery-powered train

Metra’s groundbreaking train feature modern seats and a futuristic battery car.

October 16 - Chicago Sun Times

Tobias Bauer, Managing Director of Siemens Mobility North America in front of the company's Sound Transit new light rail vehicles.

Companies show off AI technology, new innovation hubs at APTA Expo

Nearly 700 companies attended the American Public Transportation Association’s Expo last week, which happens once every three years.

October 16 - Smart Cities Dive