The Reinvented City

I'm writing from Cambridge, where the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Harvard Graduate School of Design are hosting their annual shindig for a small crew of journalists crazy enough to have urban issues as their beat.

2 minute read

April 23, 2010, 8:11 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur


I'm writing from Cambridge, where the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Harvard Graduate School of Design are hosting their annual shindig for a small crew of journalists crazy enough to have urban issues as their beat.

Last year, the focus was decidedly on the journalists themselves. The newspaper business was falling apart, and the future was uncertain. This year, TIME magazine editor Rick Tetzeli set the slightly more optimistic tone for journalism in summarizing his magazine's bold move to plant a reporter in a house in Detroit. "The world of unemployed journalists is an untapped resource," he said. "The big media company is more and more of an anachronism." Tetzeli, with all of his big media clout, saw that the blog they set up for the project told a more interesting, consistent narrative than the stream of articles in TIME's many magazine properties. 

Instead of navel-gazing, this year is focused on giving journalists the inspiration and high-level exposure to really dig in to stories about cities and urban planning. Andrés Duany kicked off the day with his usual bravado and razor-sharp analysis. Duany never ceases to amaze with his balance of real-world architecture and planning experience and next-generation thinking. Realizing that the projects he's planning today won't be built for another 5-10 years, he's already imagining they'll need to be ready for possible post-peak oil and global warming conditions. He's got a book coming out on agrarian urbanism in the next couple of months which should be fascinating. "It's not just one thing, it could be THE thing," says Duany. I'm dying to find out (more on Duany's provocative presentation on Monday).

But perhaps no one exemplifies the idea of "The Reinvented City" more then economist Paul Romer, who was the keynote speaker at tonight's dinner.  Romer's "Charter City" concept is a dream that is so out there it is highly probable. In a nutshell, Romer is pitching places in the world with unused, unwanted land on creating a city framework outside their jurisdiction.The new "city" would be run remotely, using the Hong Kong model, and the citizens would be invited from all the poor areas of the world to come there and work. Sort of Sweatshop City, without the nationalism. Ingenious, and a little scary. 'Cities are the right interface for experimentation," says Romer. I couldn't agree more. 

"The Reinvented City" continues tomorrow, and Mary Newsom (@marynewsom) and I are twittering up a storm. Follow me on Twitter at @halbur, or search hashtag #lincinst.


Tim Halbur

Tim Halbur is communications director for the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the leading organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions. He was managing editor of Planetizen from 2008 to 2011.

portrait of professional woman

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 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 Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today