Five of the most interesting  posts on urbanism that I read in the past week:

• Using technology in local government: Our changing economy demands that our government budget crisis be more than a simple math problem; more taxes or less spending. True reform means changing the way we do things. (Strong Towns Blog)

• Sharon Zukin’s Prayer for The City: The author of Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places laments New York’s astounding loss of authenticity (Gelf)

• Urban Journalism in Transition: City papers play a vital role in civic life, but they are struggling to survive in a depressed economy and adapt to new technologies. ([polis])

• Is the Myth of City Life More Significant Than the Real City Itself? The city, as we imagine it—myth, aspiration, nightmare—is maybe more real, than the hard city one can find on maps and statistics. (Alternet)

• My Car, My Crutch: Musings on our mixed relationship with the automobile. (Planning Pool)