Diversity and Inclusion

We’re Back! Our Grand Return to Live Events

Route Fifty and GCN will hit the road with a new free event series to explore how cities across the country are building their future today.

Tips for Winning Federal Transportation Grants

A Biden administration official had some advice for city leaders seeking funding for projects under the latest federal infrastructure law.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

A Recipe for Supporting Our Innovation Nation

COMMENTARY | How should the public and private sectors work together to ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in technology? Here are four key steps.

  • By Ahmad Thomas

Diversity of US Workplaces Is Growing in Terms of Race, Ethnicity and Age – Forcing More Employers to Be Flexible

COMMENTARY | Employers need good strategies to hire and retain more workers of color and older workers. The mandatory diversity training and requisite skills tests many of them now rely on don’t measure up.

  • By Adia Harvey Wingfield, The Conversation

The New Federal Grants to Help Cities Ditch 'NIMBY'-backed Zoning

There’s $85 million available for communities that want to relax restrictions on the density and type of housing that can be built in certain neighborhoods, especially areas limited to single-family homes. Proponents say the changes could address both affordability and equity concerns.

  • By Kery Murakami

Building a More Diverse Public Sector Hiring Pipeline

Local governments are rethinking how they go about connecting with job candidates. “It’s just not enough to post a position and then say we have no qualified diverse talent,” says one official.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

Shifting Power Can Help Local Governments Partner With Communities to Achieve Racial Equity

COMMENTARY | City and county leaders should create more opportunities for people of color to participate in the policymaking process.

  • By Sonia Torres Rodríguez and John Sankofa

How Federal Infrastructure Funds Can Build More Accessible Transit Systems

COMMENTARY | By taking significant steps towards increasing accessibility, public transit systems will better incorporate equity and social mobility into their operations.

  • By Aline Frantzen

Why Local Action Is Important to Combat Police Brutality and Racial Injustice

COMMENTARY | George Floyd's brutal murder two years ago did not inspire bipartisan federal action. Cities have stepped up and are driving a range of reforms. 

  • By Clarence E. Anthony and Doug Linkhart

5 Things Women Job Seekers Want

Women want better pay and work-life balance but also value working in diverse organizations, among other factors, a new Gallup poll reveals.

  • By Andre Claudio

Turning Equity Into Action and Getting Results

COMMENTARY | Government leaders must translate racial equity from an aspirational value to specific, tangible operating principles. Recent affordable housing efforts offer valuable examples of equity in action at the local level.

  • By Jen Tolentino and Sophie Bergmann

How the Rise of Remote Work Intersects With Digital Equity

COMMENTARY | Reliable broadband access is essential to the success of remote worker programs, from the mountains of West Virginia to the rural towns of Oregon.

  • By Kylie Cannon
Featured eBooks
Road and Transit Infrastructure Trends
Federal Recovery Funds at the State and Local Level
Infrastructure at a Turning Point

Making DEI the Cornerstone of the Public Finance Workforce

COMMENTARY | There is an opportunity to create a more diverse public finance sector with the expected increases in employee turnover in the coming years.

  • By Shawn T. Wooden

Even in Black History Month, Interpreting the Past Can Be a Challenge for Local Governments

Inclusiveness and the need to balance priorities are among the issues officials nationwide face. 

  • By Tom Shoop

Three Essential Reasons Governments Must Embrace Remote Work

COMMENTARY | If state and local governments want to be competitive in the job market, then they need to embrace remote work.

  • By Jenny Kosek

Governments Turning to Data to Find Solutions to Equity Issues

It’s easy for leaders to pronounce that they’re going to make a fairer state or locality. Here's how several states, counties and cities are utilizing information to achieve their goals.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

Should States and Localities Have Official Languages?

Voters in one Pennsylvania county will decide whether to remove English as the official language in a city charter. Dozens of states and localities have similar measures on the books.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Lack of Diversity in the Government Workforce Can Lead to Retention and Trust Issues

African Americans and Hispanics are underrepresented among managers and professionals, and women are underrepresented among chief administrative officers, according to a report.

  • By Andre Claudio

As Heat Waves Intensify, Tens of Thousands of US Classrooms Will Be Too Hot for Students To Learn In

America’s public schools, which are over 40 years old on average, are not equipped to handle rising temperatures due to climate change, a new study reveals.

  • By Paul Chinowsky, The Conversation

The Most Racially Diverse States

While the white population still is the largest racial group in most states, many places are much less white and many more people identify as multiracial, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

  • By Jean Dimeo

How Local Governments Can Help Minority-Owned Businesses Gain Access to Public Contracts

Procurement of goods and services by localities totals $2.5 trillion annually, but people of color struggle to gain access to lucrative public contracts, according to the National League of Cities.

  • By Jean Dimeo