What area of business do more companies need to invest in to provide more appealing products and services for their customers?  As the leading magazine for innovation in business, Fast Company calls attention to the power of design, “The evidence of design’s power is everywhere. It’s apparent in the mere fact that the bar has been raised. Customers expect, even demand, more from the design of everything they buy.“

Does this apply to neighborhoods as well?  You bet.  Take the comparison of two

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...the Smart car would be it, and as of yesterday, it’s officially coming to the U.S. (finally) in less than two years… and speaking of Dublin’s medieval pedestrian-only streets in yesterday’s entry, this is probably the only car in the U.S. that would fit, not that they’re allowed in the Temple Bar district.

Though not quite stackable, Smarts are found all over Europe, especially in the narrowest streets throughout Italy where pedestrians come first.  They were originally designed to be as

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As profiled in the previous entry, the Temple Bar quarter is a wildly popular and economically successful multi-block pedestrian-only district in Dublin, Ireland.  The question is, how did a city begin to establish such a place to reap such fiscal and cultural benefits?

It starts with affordability and pedestrian-oriented urban fabric.  As late as the 1980s, the state began to buy up and demolish buildings in the area in favor of a major bus terminus. While the plans were delayed due to

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Since there are too many inspiring places for one person to absorb, it is our customer-driven fashion to let our readers show you what’s out there, and more importantly, what could be realized in your city.

Today’s reader discovery is on Temple Bar, a cultural, retail-entertainment-residential pedestrian-only (see map) district in downtown Dublin, Ireland, as experienced by Kamile Kay, a knowledge worker in Virginia and occasional world traveler:

“I like it since it was pedestrian only and

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Most people haven’t exactly heard of Collingswood, New Jersey.  It borders Camden, and is within the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area.  Well, having a ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants and bars (which I guess means there are none) doesn’t exactly help in attracting the demographic that tends to start new companies and spawn jobs, but at least you can bring your own, which to many may be even better.

A sign that the borough’s residents are embracing an evolution from the

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Universities grow the economy, but they also advance change for a higher quality of life and health.

It’s well documented that universities are talent and economic engines for cities - the economic impact of ‘higher education’ is $1.2 trillion per year, 10% of the U.S. economy. 20 million Americans either work for or attend an institution of higher education - 1 out of every 15 people. In Canada, 35% of its total R&D ($9 billion) was done by universities.

However, universities and colleges

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If you want to live in the next Silicon Valley auto-free and safe, these two city rankings are for you.  Cities that appear in both lists are in red

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The first is Beyond Silicon Valley: 10 Blooming U.S. Cities for Tech from tech news portal, eWeek, followed by the companies that are based there:

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- HP, Intel, Apple, Sun, Oracle, Cisco, Google, eBay, Yahoo!
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- Microsoft, Amazon, RealNetworks, AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile
2. Atlanta - Cingular, EarthLink, Internet

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Given the not so big home trend, here are the reasons why people are downsizing with zest:

Less $$$
Less house means more disposable income through smaller mortgage payments, heating and cooling bills, and property taxes.  This is especially a concern where interest rates and energy prices are rising.

Less Maintenance
Less house means less house to clean, lawns to mow, things to fix.  If you’re single, you’d rather be out socializing.  If you have a kids, you’d rather be spending time with

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The average area of living space per occupant in the U.S. was 290 s.f. in 1950, 446 s.f. in 1970, 800 s.f. in the 90s, to a whopping 939 s.f. today.  However, according to the Wall Street Journal, that trend may have hit its peak:

“The golden age of McMansions may be coming to an end. These oversized homes - characterized by sprawling layouts on small lots, and built in cookie-cutter style by big developers - fueled much of the housing boom. But thanks to rising energy and mortgage costs,

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In an economy that is becoming increasingly customer driven, it’s critical for the creatives to be able to communicate what it is they actually want in order for developers to bring it to reality.  Design psychology, a field founded by Toby Keith Ph.D. of Toby Israel Consulting, can help.

Design psychology is defined as “the practice of architecture, planning and interior design in which psychology is the principal design tool used to create not just aesthetically and functionally beautiful

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