Talking Head Joins New Urbanism Panel

David Byrne, former frontman of the Talking Heads, has joined the lineup for the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) meeting in May.

He’s taking part on an opening panel at the “Rx for Healthy Places” conference in Atlanta. The rock star may sound like an unusual choice, but Byrne is a thoughtful commentator on urban life.

Byrne's book Bicycle Diaries chronicles how his use of bicycles as his primary form of transportation (and folding bicycles wherever he travels) taught him to view the world and its cities differently. His also wrote an essay for the Wall Street Journal this fall that described his perfect city.

"Riding his bicycles through the cities of the world, David Byrne is out front among the voices from diverse worlds — the arts, economics, music, public health — who are seeing connections between how we build neighborhoods, how we get around and how well we live," said John Norquist, CNU president and CEO, in a statement. "Whether its songs such as 'Once in a Lifetime' or other forms of art and writing, he's been a shrewd observer of modern life so it's a real joy to see him turn his eye to the built environment and the communities it supports."