"I started to realize there was so much going on with the rooftops that had implications for the city, making the city more livable, " he explained of the project.

WSJ: Open-Air Status Symbols

We take so much for granted in this city, and this is a reminder to us of the huge sacrifice they made, and I think about those people in the tower.

FORBES: Connect

The city basically has been locked down for the last three of four days not so much because of Baghdad's security plan but because they're hunting for an Iraqi-American soldier who went missing about a week ago.

NPR: Drive for Security in Baghdad Fails to Bring Peace

And when you take that away and that has happened to us on two different occasions, not so much with city government but within our school system, and our school system has been under emergency managers for the last three years almost four years now, and a lot of people don't feel that that's the democratic process working as it should work.

NPR: Detroit Mayor Dave Bing On City's Crisis