This week’s list looks at how small-scale and informal changes can have large and lasting effects in our cities.

• The Interventionist’s Toolkit Our current recession is inspiring its own strategies and tactics: It’s increasingly a catch-all for a host of urban interventions. This is a trend that author Mimi Zeiger describes with a mouthful of a title: Provisional, Opportunistic, Ubiquitous, and Odd Tactics in Guerilla and DIY Practice and Urbanism. (Places.DesignObserver) Here’s more on DIY Urbanism.

• “An Ideal City Doesn’t Exist” David Gouverneur, a PennDesign professor who has made a career out of injecting environmental and social values into the process of placemaking, shares his recipes for healthy cities. (Next American City)

• Why America needs to love its cities more Economist EdwardGlaeser discusses his new book Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier, and tells us why he thinks the future of American innovation lies in its urban centers. (Grist)

• Design Lessons From India’s Poorest Neighborhoods New York’s Center for Architecture’ exhibit “Jugaad Urbanism: Resourceful Strategies for Indian Cities” showcases local, every-day innovations from urban India. (Fast Company)

• How Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Interventions Can Catalyze City-Wide Renewal: Place-by-place interventions are emerging as a powerful way to create new life for an entire district, especially in cities where great economic hardship encourages innovation and entrepreneurship. (Project for Public Spaces)