Regular access to nature brings multiple benefits to children, including improved mental and physical health and increased opportunities for social and emotional learning. With these benefits in mind, Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), a joint initiative of the National League of Cities and Children & Nature Network, welcomes 11 new cities to mobilize municipal
For NLC’s Equitable Economic Development (EED) Fellowship Program, June 5-8 were very special dates. After a year providing extensive technical assistance to the inaugural cohort cities of Boston, Charlotte, Houston, Memphis, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, the EED Program team introduced the new cohort: Austin, Baltimore, Louisville, Nashville, Phoenix and Sacramento. The EED Fellowship provides one year
What makes a great neighborhood? Why do millennials for example, or any other demographic subgroup, choose one city over another or one neighborhood over another? Several factors that are consistent across many research studies include affordable housing, safe and walkable streets, access to employment and mobility networks, options for entertainment and recreation, and the often
A diverse set of partnerships lie at the heart of efforts in the City of Baltimore to revitalize neighborhoods, grow population, and support community prosperity. In Baltimore, it is “big tent” mobilizations that are emphasized. The coalitions across the city draw expertise and support from philanthropies, real estate developers, educational institutions, church congregations, community development
Many cities, especially the old manufacturing centers hardest hit by economic transformation and demographic shifts, are developing and implementing strategies to attract new residents and new investment. Options that have been or are being deployed to once again grow these cities include targeting immigrants and knowledge workers (“creative class”) as well as place-based initiatives focusing
This is the fourth post in a seven-part series on trends and themes in local leadership. In his 14th State of the City Address delivered at a local high school on Columbus, Ohio’s south side, Mayor Michael B. Coleman stood before fellow city leaders, school district officials, nonprofit and business leaders and residents, passionately calling
This is the third post in a seven-part series on trends and themes in local leadership. Atlanta, Ga. Mayor Kasim Reed announced in his State of the City Address that the Atlanta Police Department recruited more than 700 new police officers last year, and now has a force more than 1,940 strong, making it the
The holiday decorations are put away, the resolutions have been made (maybe even broken by now?), and 2013 is underway. This is a critical year in our nation’s efforts to end veteran homelessness. In late 2009 and early 2010, the federal government rolled out their plan to end veteran homelessness by 2015. We are now
The National League of Cities’ Center for Research and Innovation has joined with Next American City to explore how cities are developing innovative models for tackling complex urban issues and strengthening their local economies. NLC is featuring a series of case studies, and this post highlights the third and final of the series, The Rise
Which group do you think has higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): American soldiers deployed to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, or American children living in high-crime urban neighborhoods who are exposed to community violence? At a Congressional briefing held a week ago, Dr. Howard Spivak, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
