Leadership Article from the International City Managers Association

Interesting Article from ICMA about  leadership from the middle of the organization.

"Develop your leadership capacity to benefit you and 
your organization. Executive managers at the top of the 
organization are too overwhelmed to do all the leading.  
The big challenges of the day (e.g., redesigning services 
in the face of our financial crisis, better using technology 
to serve and communicate with community, engaging 
citizens and building trust, finding and implementing 
environmental solutions) require leadership at all levels 
of the organization." 

             Read the Article at:

http://icma.org/en/Article/100812/Top_Ten_Strategies_for_Leading_from_the_Middle?pub=104&issue=

http://icma.org/en/icma/home

Sustainabie Development

Two New books about sustainable approaches to architecture. 

http://www.planetizen.com/node/47044

US Budget Cuts

Interesting Article and interactive survey in the New York Times. You get to figure out how to close the future US Budget gap with your recommended mix of tax increases and/or benefit cuts. 


I closed the gap with 23% tax increases and 77% benefit cuts. See how you come out.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html?emc=eta1

Unemployment Metro Nort Port, Sarasota, and Bradenton

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for North Port fell 0.0 percentage points in September 2010 to 12.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.7 percentage points higher than the Florida rate. The unemployment rate in North Port peaked in March 2010 at 12.3% and is now 0.4 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 11.4% in June 2010, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.5 percentage points.


Unemployment Rate September 2010 Month/Month Year/Year


National              9.6%             0.0        -0.2
Florida              11.9%           +0.1       +0.7
North Port         12.6%             0.0       +0.2


Note: Metro level data is not seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with September 2010 data as October metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Are People Really Fleeing Shrinking Cities?

Interesting Article in the Urbanophile about the shrinking of Midwest Cities.

http://www.urbanophile.com/2010/11/14/are-people-really-fleeing-shrinking-cities/

http://www.urbanophile.com/

Interesting Article in Planetcitizen About Sustainable Bulding Materials

Scientists in Spain and Scotland found that simply adding wool and a natural polymer found in seaweed to the clay of a brick makes it 37% stronger, and more resistant to the cold wet climate often found in Britain.

Another innovation comes from the world of concrete production, which accounts for a staggering 7-10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. When producing sustainable concrete crushed glass can be added, as can wood chips or slag - a byproduct of steel manufacturing. Whilst these changes aren’t radically transforming concrete, by simply using a material that would have otherwise gone to waste, the CO2 emissions associated with concrete are reduced.

Full Story: Five Sustainable Building Materials That Could Transform Construction

Urbanophile

Urbanization, one of humankind’s most successful and ambitious programs, is the triumph of the unnatural over the natural, the grid over the organic… Underway on a scale never before witnessed, one side effect of urbanization is the liberation of vast depopulated territories for the efficient production of “nature”.  Bruce Mau

Great Quote from 

 http://www.urbanophile.com/

One of my favorite blogs about urban development.

Excellent and positive article

David Brooks, one of my favorite pundits, writes a positive article about the economic future of America.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/opinion/09brooks.html?_r=4&src=me&ref=homepage