This is guest post by Bill Eller, vice president, business development at HomeServe. Scranton, Pennsylvania is known as “the Electric City,” and in recent years, it has become a poster child for legacy cities and efforts of revitalization. Facing decline since its height in the 1950s, Scranton has recently become home to a vibrant arts
Can a conference jumpstart a national movement of city officials supporting local entrepreneurs? It can if national support is connected to local commitments to action. Last month at the Mayor’s Conference for Entrepreneurship, 65 mayors committed to specific policies, programs, and practices that will provide support and resources to those in their communities starting a
This is a guest post by Bill Eller currently serves as Vice President, Business Development at HomeServe. Rebuilding water infrastructure will require sustainable investment in local projects; strong local-federal partnerships; and flexible financing strategies. America’s cities are at the forefront of both funding and design of the infrastructure of our country’s future, and that is
Every day, more than 42,000 flights travel through cities in the United States, carrying 2.5 million airline passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace. This is why reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was on the must-do list before Congress leaves Washington for the mid-term elections. Cities were glad to see that
Over the last few years, “The Rent is Too Damn High” has grown from a fringe political party in New York to a constant complaint from millennials, seniors, middle-income wage earners, policy wonks and city elected leaders. While housing issues in a growth economy might seem counter-intuitive on the surface, the research tells a much
This is a guest post by Mayor Mark Stodola, Little Rock, Arkansas, president of the National League of Cities. Since January, the National League of Cities has been looking at work in cities in a whole new way. We’ve been conducting new research, highlighting promising practices, engaging new partners, and publishing new resources. Our focus
Elected officials hold unique vantage points within our communities, as they represent not just city leaders, but citizens, as well as participants in the global economy. These perspectives can often vary — especially between constituents, fellow elected officials, and private sector partners. Such subtle differences in point of view can result in inefficiencies and missed
Around the country, cities large and small are finding innovative ways to weave together every strand of their community, so that every resident has a fair shot at opportunity and prosperity.
Autonomous vehicles. On-demand everything. Gig jobs. Big data. Tech innovations are shaping life in cities — impacting how we commute to work and school, altering the way we respond to climate change, and shaping the job opportunities that are available now and in the decades to come. In much of the country, shifts in how
The digital economy, or the internet sector, is a critical component of urban economies. This sector is not often thought of in the same way as more traditional industries — if formally measured, it would be among the 20 largest — but today it looms over many ‘powerhouse’ sectors like retail, construction, and the auto
