Cities are like elephants. They get more economical with size. That's the conclusion of Dr. Geoffrey West, president of the Santa Fe Institute. Together with ecologist Jim Brown of the University of New Mexico, he is producing important new insights on how cities grow, why they fade, and what we can do about it.

Also with us is Denise Nunes to talk about her recent experiences as a volunteer reconstructing devastated homes in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward. Denise is a Williams College graduate and a native of Evanston, Illinois.

Breathing new life into cities, this week on Smart City.