Here's an example of the kind of grand thinking that the Seattle area can't seem to do anymore: a contest to design an urban park.
New York City is asking desgn firms for ideas how to configure Governors Island, a chunk of land a half mile off Manhattan. Check out the latest in last week's New York magazine.
Then contrast that with the process to revamp the Seattle Center to meet the current and future needs of this city. There's a citizens' panel hashing out ideas, which appear likely to yield a series of half steps that satisfy no one.