Urban news and views from the past week:

• The Talking Head Rides to the Rescue: The former leader of the Talking Heads and current solo artist is an unabashed advocate for two-wheeled travel. David Byrne talks about using a bicycle as his primary mode of transportation. (Wall Street Journal)

• ‘Riding Pretty’: bikes as fashion accessories: Why women being intent on looking good while bicycling around town is a sure sign that a new age of biking has arrived. (Crosscut)

• Can Super Tall be Super Green? The second in a two-part Q+A with Peter Weingarten on why super tall buildings an important building typology for tomorrow’s cities. Part one is available here. (GenslerOnCities)

• Urban Nation: A look at the Obama administration’s approach to urban policy, including transforming the Housing and Urban Development. (Next American City)

• The Re-Emergence of the Public Square: More and more, public squares and urban parks, not expensive mega-projects, are emerging as the best way to make downtowns more livable. (Project for Public Spaces)