City Dwellers Gained More Access to Public Spaces During the Pandemic – Can They Keep It?
COMMENTARY | Will cities revert to familiar car-centric patterns, or build on the past year to create more outdoor spaces that are accessible and welcoming for all of their residents?
The Wide Gaps Between Minority and White Business Ownership in America’s Cities
A new data tool offers ways to gauge the disparities with businesses in the nation’s largest metro areas. It also includes information on women-owned firms.
Mayors Want Vaccines Distributed Directly to Cities
The proposal, pitched to the White House on Monday, would mean bypassing states. It’s likely to be a tough sell given the added complications it would involve.
How Local Governments Can Deal with Recycling Scofflaws
Education is often cited as the key to improving recycling rates and reducing contamination. But a new report suggests cities might be better served by cutting off problem households.
What Can Parks Do When Demand Rises as Budgets Decline?
Though there may be greater appreciation for the nation’s parks, many are still fighting for funding. Some states are finding solutions.
The 'New Normal': A Survey of Covid's Lasting Effects for Localities
A new survey is asking local government staff and officials how Covid has changed their work—and what might happen next.
Miami Beach Extends Curfew, State of Emergency as Visitors Swamp South Florida
City officials called an emergency meeting Sunday in Miami Beach to discuss mitigation measures for throngs of unruly gatherers after a week of arrests, fights and crowd-control headaches.
The Mayor on a Mission to Bring a RoboCop Statue to His City
Mike Wiza, mayor of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, wants to score an 11-foot-tall replica of the cyborg police officer from the 1980s action film. But if that effort fails, the city might see about making its own—possibly bigger—version.
Florida Officials to Spring Breakers: Please Try to Not Spread Covid Everywhere
City and county leaders in Florida, prohibited from enforcing local mask mandates, are relying largely on public messaging to keep visitors in line.
The Overshadowed Plight of City Budgets
New federal aid offers welcome relief for many local governments, which have seen their financial difficulties upstaged at times by better-than-expected state revenues.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Threatened to Sue Austin Over Mask Mandate. The City Isn't Backing Down.
Austin and Travis County officials said they would continue to require masks even after Gov. Greg Abbott ended his statewide mandate.
Police Department Tries Out Virtual Reality De-Escalation Training
The department in Schenectady, New York, is working with a local game development company on the program.
An Initiative to Improve Street Safety through Public Art
Officials used street murals and planters to transform a hazardous intersection in Kansas City, Missouri, tapping grant funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Asphalt Art Initiative.
'I Need to Find Water, and I Need to Find it Now': A Local Official Takes Disaster Relief Into Her Own Hands
Paige Ellis, a city council member in Austin, Texas tracked down 10 pallets of bottled water and distributed it across her district after winter storms left thousands in the state without power or water.
Equity Budgeting in Cities: Directing Dollars Where They’re Needed Most
A growing number of cities are turning to their budget offices to help treat historically underserved communities more fairly.
For Cities, Less Traffic Means Lost Revenue
Cities have seen parking fee and traffic fine collections drop during the pandemic as commuters and tourists stay home and enforcement is relaxed.
LAPD Investigates Claims that Employees Circulated Valentine Mocking George Floyd
The card featured a photo of Floyd under the words, "you take my breath away." The investigation, announced Saturday, is ongoing, officials said this week.
Grocery Groups Sue Over Mandated Hazard Pay for Workers
Two industry trade groups sued the city of Seattle over a new law requiring a $4-per-hour hazard pay raise.
Hackers Tried to Poison a City's Drinking Water Supply
The cyberattack used remote access to toggle levels of sodium hydroxide at a water treatment plant near Tampa, Florida, but an operator at the facility quickly fixed the problem, officials said.
Americans Don’t Know What Urban Collapse Really Looks Like
COMMENTARY | Neglect and inertia pose bigger threats to cities than the pandemic does.
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