With changing technologies and higher constituent demands, cities and state leaders are trying to move faster to build more intimate and meaningful relationships with their constituents. There is pressure to deliver digital services more effectively as a result of online consumerism. Technological change is accelerating at an exponential rate due to industries built around innovation.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two partisan gerrymandering cases this term.
“The Budget devolves responsibility to State and local governments, which are better positioned to assess local community needs and address unique market challenges.” – The President’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2020, explaining the proposed elimination of the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership programs for the third straight year. The administration’s budget proposal
City governments and city leaders continuously grapple with the costs of the “deep end” of the juvenile justice system. Deep-end youth include the roughly 30,000 young people placed in detention facilities who may be better served in targeted community-based services in the city. Deep-end youth constitute our most vulnerable and marginalized young people. Many deep-end
In this day and age, we spend a lot of time talking about our differences, our divisions and our struggles. But the reality is, there is one thing that binds all local leaders together – that four-letter word that we all feel, but can’t always explain: love. As president of the National League of Cities
No matter their size, level of prosperity or growth pressures, nearly all communities in the United States struggle with housing affordability. Whether the priority is supply of housing, quality of housing or helping households achieve economic mobility, cities need the proper tools and flexibility to meet the unique housing circumstances facing their communities. Local Tools
In advance of our annual State of the Cities report, which will be released later this year, this blog series captures speeches given by mayors in 2018 and shares their sentiments around the fiscal responsibility of their cities and the retirement needs of their workforces. Amid decelerating property, sales and income tax revenue growth, mayors
Last week, local leaders from all over the country traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for stronger federal partnerships on issues important to their communities. And for the second year in a row, NLC’s top legislative priority is legislation that helps rebuild and reimagine our nation’s infrastructure. Although our advocacy focus has not changed, the
On Wednesday, March 13th, Mayor Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio, Texas testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on behalf of NLC. The following is a selected set of excerpts from the Mayor’s testimony at the infrastructure briefing: “Aligning Federal Surface Transportation Policy to Meet 21st Century Needs”. The briefing took place during
Informed by a scan of youth engagement practices across the country and a recent informal survey of select member cities, the National League of Cities (NLC) offers local leaders a new set of resources designed to strengthen authentic youth civic engagement. In addition to these resources, NLC supports youth civic engagement through the Youth Delegate
This is a guest blog by Melissa Young, director of Heartland Alliance’s National Initiatives on Poverty & Economic Opportunity. Housing and income are inextricably linked. Research and conversations with people with lived experience of homelessness tells us that people experiencing homelessness can, do, and want to work. Homelessness persists, in part, because public systems fail to
This is an excerpt from our newest backgrounder, Affordable Housing and Health: City Roles and Strategies for Progress. Cities nationwide are experiencing housing-related challenges, with a growing share of the population unable to afford to rent or own a home. Residents struggle to afford not just a place to live, but a stable home that supports
