T he Festival of Ideas for the New City is an urban triumph. The mayor of Seattle gave us some tips on composting and David Byrne (who was a delightful surprise for the evening) said that he has a small herb garden. The presentation opening the panel of mayors was of a number of pictures Byrne had shot while bicycling - in his signature manner Mr. Byrne described urban greening, the future of cities and the importance of parking spaces for bikes. The great hall was packed for the event and the crowd was enthralled while each of the four city leaders elaborated on their plans for successful community. “ The overwhelming focus of the evening was this - act transparently, use resources wisely, be available and open, wander your city in search of marginal neighborhoods - plant gardens and build unique town squares and architecturally innovative structures to displace blight. These initiatives have a positive and measurable results - crime is reduced and most notably murder rates are