• Do any truly "Smart Cities" exist? Scientific American argues that so-called Smart Cities are simply places with "a few or several standout smart projects." To be successful, any plans for more wired, networked, and connected cities must also account for existing, local, and non-digital elements such as governance and urban equity.

• In light of The Guardian's recent investigation into London's "pseudo-public spaces"—which exposed the growing corporate control of the city's parks and squares, Mayor Sadiq Khan will draft a new charter regulating the management of privately-owned public spaces.

Topic: Privatization

• Baltimore Confronts Underinvestment in Communities of Color (Planetizen)
• Toward Car-Free Cities: Beijing Seeks an Inroad to Sustainable Transport (TheCityFix)
• Toronto Neighbors Calm Streets Using Only Leaves and Chalk (StreetsBlog)
• Want to Reduce the Energy Used by Buildings? Make Cities Denser (Vox)

• CFP: URBACT III Call for Transfer Networks (Deadline: January 10, 2018)
• Conference: UN-Habitat World Urban Forum, Cities 2030 (Kuala Lumpur, February 7-13, 2018)
• Conference: 2nd Annual Complete Streets Conference, "Intersections: Creating Culturally Complete Streets" (Nashville, TN: April 3-4, 2018)
• Conference & CFP: 55th International Making Cities Livable (Ottawa, Canada: May 14-18, 2018)
• Conference: EDRA49, "Social Equity by Design" (Oklahoma City, OK: June 6-9, 2018)
• Conference: Walk Bike Places 2018 (New Orleans, LA: September 6-9, 2018)