Introducing 'City Makers: Global Stories'

After decades of decline, cities are back. With more people and new wealth, they are erasing the suburbs' historic advantage—so much so that we may be living through "the great inversion," a lasting reversal of 20th-century sprawl. But to say that more people today simply want an urban lifestyle glosses over the fundamental things that are changing because of this turn, like the ways we get around, where we choose to raise families, and how we grow old.

Americans haven't talked about cities this much since the Founding Fathers squabbled over where to locate the new capital. Even so, the conversation could be broader. We hear a lot about the same handful of cities that top the rankings: They're the greenest, the most walkable, the best places to live. When we read about innovation, it usually involves an app. Apps are great—but innovations can be low-tech, too. And they may arise in cities we don't always associate with the next wave of big urban changes.