Here is this week’s collection of articles for urbanists:

• Roads Weren’t Built For Cars: We have all heard the tall tale that roads were built for cars, so bicycles and pedestrians have no place on our streets. It simply isn’t true. (The Urban Country)

• The City and the State—American Urban Planning and the Role of Government: Recent books by Witold Rybczynski and Edward Glaeser celebrate the ever-changing American urban experience but underplay the critical role of the government. (Foreign Affair)

• There’s More to Public Art than Sculptures and Statues: Residents speak up for the need to beautify cities through color, light, and other non-traditional (read: not-a-sculpture-in-a-plaza) public art. (Urban Design Week)

• Swapping the Suburbs for the City: People choosing to return to city life are looking for a better life balance that doesn’t include spending time commuting two to three hours daily. (National Post)

• REBAR makes simple yet powerful statements about the how and why of city design: Thought the movement to reclaim city streets was over? Think again. (Next American City)