The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law seeks to partner with cities to understand the legal challenges facing cities in crafting and adopting climate-friendly laws and policies. U.S. cities, towns, villages and counties are increasingly taking the lead on climate mitigation. Dozens of U.S. cities have set greenhouse gas mitigation targets, more than 400 U.S. mayors
At City Summit 2018, 50 cities committed to new initiatives to support their innovation economies. NLC’s City Innovation Ecosystems program collects and tracks these commitments in order to showcase successes, identify best practices and connect peer cities who can learn together. Here we share the story of one city’s work: In the beginning of the 20th
By Bill Eller, vice president, business development at HomeServe. Across the United States, cities, towns and villages are grappling with aging infrastructure and expensive repairs that their residents can’t afford. Reports indicate that most individuals can’t afford the cost to repair damage to their sewer or water lines to their homes – and most don’t even
On September 26, 2019, the President signed an Executive Order that puts into place new requirements for State and Local governments on issues pertaining to refugee resettlement. The EO states that refugees shall only be resettled in those jurisdictions in which both the State and Local government have consented to receive refugees under the Department of State’s Reception
Local officials can weigh in on national water policy that will affect their communities. In September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a draft National Water Reuse Action Plan (Draft Action Plan) that highlights key actions that support consideration and implementation of water reuse, which can be a valuable tool to
Nearly two months after a final order from the Federal Communications Commission upending the cable franchise system went into effect, cities remain uncertain about the future of their franchises. After the order was finalized, NLC joined more than forty municipalities and local government organizations in a legal alliance to challenge the order. NLC also joined
Solvent pensions are crucial to local governments and the employees who serve them because they reduce financial instability. And the first step in reducing that instability is becoming informed. But navigating pension plans for your municipal workforce is no easy task. As several states have reformed their retirement systems since the Great Recession, it is
In a speech peppered with rap and inspirational quotes, Academy and Grammy-award winner Common admitted that he’s often asked why he doesn’t go into politics. Facing a room of more than 2,000 local elected officials, his answer: I’ll leave that to you guys. Common congratulated the local leaders for their service and offered a map
This year, over 4,000 local officials, partners and municipal staff from all 50 states travelled to San Antonio with one purpose in mind: building stronger communities. There’s an exciting kind of energy that fills the room when so many local leaders come together – and with over 500 attendees joining us for the first time,
Joe Buscaino, councilmember, Los Angeles, currently serves as the president of the National League of Cities. The thing that makes me most proud today is that 45 years ago as my mother was bringing me home from the hospital after giving birth, Los Angeles’ legendary Mayor Tom Bradley was taking the helm as president of
