For many, a new year, is a time to take stock and set goals for the future. But what happens when an entire planet tries to make a common pledge? In a new podcast episode, President and CEO @GMacMCcarthy parses out what makes a global pact successful bit.ly/2GRjVNy

He wasn’t just a bard for the ages, he was the social consciousness of a generation. A veteran who spoke out against the Vietnam war, an early environmentalist, someone attuned to the contradictions of modern life. I was introduced to John Prine in 1975 and he sustained me...

..through many difficulties with humor and grace. I’ll miss his wry wit and his honest assessment of things in general. Farewell, John, and I’ll remember that “a heart filled with anger grows weak and grows bitter,” although I’ll maintain my own chain of sorrow at your passing.

I’m betting that Ann and Rob will offer fine tributes to John Prine this weekend. If you haven’t listened to Essential Music and Acoustic Cafe on WDET-FM, you should. They always surprise and delight. Rob Reinhart ann delisi

they say we're at war I think we're falling in love with the human race onbeing.org/blog/an-unfold…

While we consider responding to this crisis, we cannot let “urgency” trump equity and fairness again: the 1930s Homeowner Loan Corp and FHA were the original sins responsible for disproportionate mortality rates for African Americans 90 years later. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Yes, so long as we give local government sufficient resources to do its job—this is why austerity is so dangerous, as the city loses population, it’s tax base follows, and then local government is starved for resources—a death spiral.

Identify abandoned areas w/location advantage, rezone for walkable commercial, build affordable spaces (w/decent outdoor dining space)& offer spaces for pop-up businesses w/small start-up grants. If some pop-ups stay, convey the property to the local community as a land trust.

Key message for the a mayor—don’t delude yourself into thinking the city can solve its problems on its own. You need partners at state and federal level and regional collaboration among neighboring jurisdictions if any new progress will take root and grow.

.The White House just announced new actions to lower housing costs for the millions of Americans who struggle to pay rent—and a new report by our Center for Geospatial Solutions is directly informing one solution.

Outside money: foreign investment in property w/ NY, London, Paris leading the pack--what does it do to affordability? #chq2016 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Sassen:Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn attracted $5B in foreign investment 2 build residential towers,de-urbanizing Brooklyn #chq2016 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Sassen: Shell companies own 54% of real estate valued over $5M in NYC & 69 % of condos in the Plaza #chq2016 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Sassen: strong cities produce urban subjects--defining the scope of one's identity & limiting one's activities #chq2016 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Is their a dialectic in which urban subjects exert influence back on the city? E.g the city as subject of its collective subjects? #chq2016

What is the difference between urban subject and rural subject? Aren't we all defined by the contexts in which we reside? #chq2016

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. George Bernard Shaw #quote

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -Bertrand Russell