July 20, 2018
What Employers Want From Cities
Is talent the most important factor? Taxes? Crime? It's a long list.
May 9, 2018
5 Lessons From the Amazon HQ2 Frenzy
Most places were never going to land the company’s next headquarters. But there are still some key takeaways for them.
March 15, 2018
A Tip for Infrastructure Builders: Fix It First
Before we invest in new infrastructure, we need to maintain and update what we have.
January 11, 2018
It's Time to Confront Our Coastal Elite Economy
Coastal cities have disproportionately thrived thanks to economic centralization. Yes, the marketplace is to blame, but so is federal policy.
November 13, 2017
Struggling Suburb? Merge It With the Big City Next Door.
It wouldn’t be a panacea, but it’s an option that needs to be on the table.
September 27, 2017
Are We Still Bowling Alone?
In broken communities, the focus should be on social capital -- not just the economy.
July 27, 2017
The Importance of Cities Finding Their Cultural Match
Sometimes a person and a city just aren’t right for each other.
May 10, 2017
The Downside of Pragmatism
It served our ‘maker’ cities well for a long time. Now it holds them back.
March 1, 2017
Can a Small College Save Its Small Town?
In many places, they're trying to like never before.
January 1, 2017
Globalization's Winner-Take-All Economy
The Chicagos and Cincinnatis of the world are more vulnerable than they realize.
November 11, 2016
Looking Back From the Future
Understanding how some cities have transformed shows why focusing on the little things can help struggling places survive and thrive.
September 15, 2016
What Cities Need in the Global Economy
To thrive in today’s world, they need to connect with immigrants.
July 11, 2016
The Rage of Those Left Behind
The 20 percent who run America need to start paying serious attention to the plight of the middle and lower classes.
May 17, 2016
De-Industrialization and the Displaced Worker
The shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a technology- and services-based one hasn’t been kind to the middle and working classes. That won’t change anytime soon.
March 22, 2016
Should Economic Development Focus on People or Places?
Cities tend to favor building stadiums and convention centers over investing in education or human services. It's an understandable but troublesome trend.
January 1, 2016
Why Moving Isn't All Bad
When lower-income Americans move, it's seen as a result of displacement instead of opportunity. This negative perception needs to change.
November 1, 2015
What Is the Real American Dream?
In our nostalgia for the postwar era, we ignore some things that weren’t so good.
September 1, 2015
The New Unemployables
Drugs, crime and the social ills long associated with urban areas have migrated to rural America, and it's having a profound effect on the economy.
July 1, 2015
Big Aspirations Aren’t Just for Big Cities Anymore
Much of what used to happen only in the biggest metropolises is spreading out.
May 1, 2015
The Other Digital Divide
Will small cities be able to exploit technology the way bigger cities have?
March 2, 2015
The Real Loser in Chicago's Mayoral Election
Rahm Emanuel's failure to avoid a runoff has less to do with him and more to do with Chicago's problems, which run deeper than many want to acknowledge.
March 1, 2015
Where’s America’s Entrepreneurial Economy?
Despite many perceptions, entrepreneurship and self-employment have been on the decline for years, especially among Millennials.
January 1, 2015
The Myths of Municipal Mergers
The media attention on Ferguson, Mo., one of the 90 jurisdictions in St. Louis County, has also brought attention to consolidation -- a touted solution to government ills.
November 1, 2014
Lessons from Kokomo on How to Spend Responsibly
How the Indiana city that was the center of the auto industry collapse became an unlikely poster child for long-term fiscal sustainability.
September 1, 2014
If Cities Want to Succeed, They Need to Focus on What Makes Them Distinct
Many municipalities struggle to identify their uniqueness and instead try to market themselves for having things that you can find anywhere.
July 1, 2014
Do Cities Really Want Economic Development?
A poor economy and all the problems that come with it actually benefit some people, giving powerful players less incentive to improve the status quo for the rest.
May 1, 2014
The Benefits of Being a 'Necessary City'
Cities aspiring to prominence on the global stage are overlooking a key economic development strategy.
March 1, 2014
How to Harvest Good Ideas
Just as seeds need fertilizer to grow well, innovation requires nurturing too.
January 1, 2014
How Globalization Isolates Struggling Cities
Troubled post-industrial places need help building better connections with more successful cities.
August 15, 2013
Beyond the 'Brain Drain': How Cities Really Need to Sell Themselves
Cities worry a lot about losing talented people, but few of them do much to attract new people. A sales mindset needs to be part of the culture of the community.
July 15, 2013
Cities and the Illusion of Growth Economics
A city that's growing can spend more money while keeping taxes low. But when the limits of growth are reached, it will need to reinvent itself.