Managing Big Cities In The New Economy

Being a big city Mayor may be the toughest job in America. Smart City talks with the mayors of Austin, Texas and Louisville, Kentucky.

1 minute read

May 10, 2002, 11:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Being a big city Mayor may be the toughest job in America. On the next Smart City radio show, host Carol Coletta talks to two men who hold that job in two very different cities. Mayor Gus Garcia is the new mayor of Austin, Texas, a city that has soared in the New Economy. But along with the city’s fast growth has come a familiar list of problems – failing public schools, a threatened environment, and time-eating traffic jams.Mayor David Armstrong is nearing the end of his term as mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, as the city prepares to consolidate with Jefferson County. While Louisville has continued to lag on New Economy measures, the changes in the city under Mayor Armstrong are visible and impressive. Listen Sunday, 9 a.m. on the WKNO-FM Stations and again Tuesday, 9 a.m. Or you can hear the show streamed live on the Web.

Thanks to Sheila Edmundson

Thursday, May 9, 2002 in Smart City

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6, 2026 - Grist

People walking in downtown St. Louis, walking past shops.

Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment

The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.

November 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

Construction in Hawaii, with cranes in front of a lush mountain.

California, Hawaii, Rhode Island approve housing propositions

Hawaii and Rhode Island each approved their sole proposition, while California approved two of its three.

15 minutes ago - Smart Cities Dive

An Amtrak train pulls into a station in chicago.

Officials claim feds 'rushed' Amtrak environmental review

Amtrak plans to move their Chicago maintenance facility from an industrial area to a residential one.

1 hour ago - Block Club Chicago

A car drives through a puddle in NYC

NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project

New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.

November 9 - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.