Innovation Perspectives

Inclusive Procurement Works and We’re going to Help Scale It Up

A new inclusive procurement cohort creates opportunity for 10 cities to learn from trail blazers who came before

Turning Moxie Into Money: How Cities Can Use Targeted Investments to Help Local Businesses Thrive

Detroit's Motor City Match program is a model other cities should emulate.

Distressed Cities Find Hope in Federal 'Opportunity Zones'

A new program may be a boon to struggling cities -- if it targets the right ones.

Equitable Contracting Delivers Impact

A new guide to equitable procurement allows cities to build on field-tested ideas.

Want to Build a Better Business Ecosystem? Do What This City Did.

Over the past decade, San Antonio has made a concerted effort to strengthen and grow its local business community.

A Conversation with Cities: Local Leaders and Business Owners on Harnessing a City’s Buying Power

When it comes to procurement spending, there is an opportunity to strengthen cities by connecting more effectively with their diverse business population.

Why Losing Out on Amazon HQ2 Isn't So Bad for Cities

A new study points to evidence that luring a large corporation isn’t the best way to spur job growth.

How Memphis Revamped Its Procurement By Embracing Minority Businesses

The Tennessee city has worked to become more responsive to the needs of local minority businesses—and to help those firms grow.

As L.A. Tackles Procurement Reform, the Watchword is "With"

As a member of the City Accelerator program, the city of Los Angeles has made great strides in reaching out to its diverse local business community and helping those firms do more business with the city.

Watch: 4 Cities Talk About How They Innovated to Improve Equity

As participants in the City Accelerator initiative, these four cities have created smart, successful programs to better serve their residents.

How Charlotte, N.C., is Expanding Opportunities for Minority Businesses

With a new training program and improved digital tools, the city is working to support its community of minority-owned enterprises.

As Amazon Enters Government Purchasing Market, Signs of a Bad Deal Emerge

The online retail giant's new relationship with public schools and agencies raises concerns that the company is cornering the marketplace and costing taxpayers more money.

Cultivating the Ecosystem for Homegrown Businesses

Announcing the newest round of cities that will engage in the ongoing City Accelerator project.

6 Ways Cities Can Create Economic Opportunity for All

We don't need more policy initiatives. We need to rethink our processes.

Creating Systems Change in Your City: 4 Lessons From the Front Lines

After helping a dozen cities implement policy innovations through the City Accelerator initiative, these experts offer some best practices.

Through Procurement Reform, Chicago Is Bringing New Opportunities to Small and Minority-Owned Businesses

The city is strengthening local businesses by making its contracting process more inclusive and transparent.

Each of These Cities Wants to Grow Its Local Network of Entrepreneurs

Announcing the finalists for this year's City Accelerator initiative.

Can Your City Build a Better Local Business Network?

What innovations could help you nurture home-grown business and minority-owned companies? City Accelerator can help you find out.

P3s Can Be Bad for Racial Equity -- But They Don't Have to Be

Governments can structure arrangements with private contractors that consider impacts on low-income individuals and people of color.

How Milwaukee Plans to Help Minority Businesses by Rethinking City Contracting

The city is one of the most diverse in the nation. But not everyone has shared equally in its economic growth.

5 Ways Cities Can Use Their Purchasing Power to Support Minority-Owned Businesses

The teams involved in this year's City Accelerator program met recently to discuss how they could improve the representation of minority-owned businesses in government contracts.

Thinking About a P3? Better Ask These Questions First

Washington, D.C.'s innovative Office of Public-Private Partnerships offers a good case study in to assess whether a P3 makes sense for a particular city project.

If P3s Are the Answer, What Was the Question?

Public-private partnerships aren't free money. But they can be used to improve performance.

Which P3 Model Works Best For Your Project?

With more than a dozen different ways to structure a public-private partnership, figuring out the most appropriate one for a given project can be hard. Here's a list of what's out there.

As Los Angeles Overhauls Procurement, 2028 Olympics Will Provide Major Test

The city hopes to involve minority firms in a big way -- but there are major hurdles it must first overcome.

Chicago Confronts Procurement Reform and Finds the Hardest Part Still to Come

The Windy City is ahead of most places when it comes to making improvements to the way it buys goods and services. But the city's biggest challenge still lies ahead.

Most Government Procurement Has Got It All Wrong, These Advocates Say

Proponents of an approach known as Best Value Performance Information Procurement Systems say it could simplify government purchasing and deliver better results.

Funding Tomorrow's Inclusive Cities Today

A new guide for financing infrastructure allows cities to build on field-tested ideas.

As Cities Look At Options For Financing Infrastructure, They Keep An Eye Out For Low-Income Residents

Four cities -- Pittsburgh, St. Paul, the District of Columbia and San Francisco -- field-tested collaborative approaches to paying for things that cities need.

Smaller Cities Are Getting Smarter About How They Buy Things

Performance-based contracting has been a best practice in big cities for years. Now some mid-sized municipalities are adopting the approach.

Even Majority-Black Cities Struggle With Minority Contracting Programs

Just how much should race be taken into account in city purchasing?

A Conversation with Cities: Mayors on Closing Gaps in Infrastructure and Economic Opportunity

Four mayors reflect on their attempts to better meet the infrastructure needs of low-income residents.

With Procurement Strategy, Charlotte, N.C., Seeks to Address Past Racial Bias

Officials want to create more opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses.

For Procurement Reform, Cities See Value in Learning What's Worked Elsewhere

Lots of cities want to increase their outreach to women- and minority-owned businesses. Often, that means taking a look at the best programs in other jurisdictions.

How Can Cities Boost Minority-Owned Businesses? By Buying from Minority-Owned Businesses

Building on reforms in places like Atlanta, five new cities are now working to make their procurement strategies more inclusive.

The Smartest Thing in Federal Infrastructure Plan? More Credit.

Expanded credit programs could help cities innovate new financing solutions for much-needed projects.

Evaluating City Accelerator: Outcomes and Stories from Cohort on Engagement

What the Evaluators Saw: What the Cities Did, How They Did It, and Why It Matters

Reflections on Innovation

Some observations after nearly four years of reporting on the City Accelerator

Five Cities That are Buying into Equity

New City Accelerator initiative looks to drive inclusive economic opportunity through procurement.

The Perils of Procurement

Why things are not so simple in the world of government purchasing

The Transformation from Convict to Councilwoman

The story of Demetrus Coonrod reinforces the efforts of Baltimore to engage citizens returning from incarceration.

Civic Engagement Success

We revisit Atlanta’s efforts to include its low-income residents in a major capitol redevelopment project.

Innovation Stands the Test of Time

A look back at the three cities that started it all reveals ideas worth stealing and replicating.

Moving Forward Without the Feds

The infrastructure finance cohort convening in Washington, D.C., proved that local ingenuity combined with the right partners can push projects ahead.

How Roanoke Rocks Civic Engagement

The city proves that a “one-man show” mixed with a little creativity and innovation is sometimes all it takes to connect with the public.

Leveraging the Buying Power of Cities

In the City Accelerator's new Cohort IV, cities will use innovation to increase procurement and economic opportunity.

Pittsburgh Steps Up

How the city turned adversity into advantage to help tackle a unique infrastructure challenge

Equity: Trending but Not Trendy

Equity is not a new word to public policy discussion but its recent popularity reflects a change in perspective

Improving Water Quality Doesn’t Have to Wash Away Budgets

Saint Paul’s “shared and stacked” approach ensures its stormwater management projects reap multiple benefits for the community.

Bringing It Home

Even communities far away can face familiar challenges and offer replicable solutions.

Living in an Age of ‘What Ifs’

Cities in the infrastructure cohort get ready to reconvene to find innovative answers to pressing questions

Educate, Embed, Empower: Turning Small Interventions into Ongoing Improvement

How the City of Philadelphia is using the City Accelerator to apply proven techniques and operate more efficiently and effectively.

What It Means to Get Engaged: A Roadmap for Cities

New resources available for cities that aim to develop and kick-start a robust public engagement strategy.

Accelerate This: Helping Citizens Successfully Re-enter Their Communities After Prison

How They Did It: Baltimore

Accelerate This: Making Healthcare More Accessible to Underserved Communities

How They Did It: New Orleans

Accelerate This: Utilizing a People-Centered Approach to Engagement

How They Did It: Seattle

Accelerate This: Ensuring All Residents Can Be Entrepreneurs

How They Did It: Albuquerque

Accelerate This: Including Residents’ Voices in Redevelopment Efforts

How They Did It: Atlanta

A Conversation with Cities: Mayors on Catalyzing Collaboration & Engaging Citizens

How cities are tapping into their strongest natural resource -- their citizens.

What Does President Trump Mean for Our Nation's Infrastructure?

The infamous Wollman Rink project might provide a clue.

Making Changes in Flight: Creating New Models for Infrastructure in Land Development

The private sector doesn't have to pay a price to be green.

Public Engagement, the Seattle Way

The cohort 2 city is sharpening tools and building trust.

Moving from Process to Results: Growing a Culture of Innovation in City Government

What the Evaluators Saw: What the Cities Did, How They Did It, and Why It Matters

Bureaucracy Gives Way to Innovation: The Nashville Model

How Nashville Metro pivoted toward the future

Lessons From the Field for and by Civic Innovation Teams

The experience of Louisville, Nashville, and Philadelphia can inform the work of innovation teams in your city.

Accelerate This: Getting the Assistance Seniors Deserve

How They Did It: Philadelphia

Accelerate This: City Hall meets Shark Tank

How They Did It: Nashville

Accelerate This: Building a Pipeline of Innovations

How They Did It: Louisville

Podcast: Inspiring, Enabling, and Teaching Teams to Become Public Entrepreneurs

A pop-up podcast recorded with a live audience that captures key learnings from the cities that learned them - detailed here with a full transcript.

Podcast: Building a New Urban Practice, City by City

A pop-up podcast recorded with a live audience that captures key learnings from the cities that learned them - detailed here with a full transcript.

Podcast: A People-Centric Approach to Producing Impact for Low-Income Residents

A pop-up podcast recorded with a live audience that captures key learnings from the cities that learned them - detailed here with a full transcript.

The Iron Cage and the Ivory Tower

It's time for government and universities to effectively partner.

When Art and Infrastructure Finance Collide

I asked a poet to write a poem about city government. The result took my breath away.

New Ways of Thinking in Nashville

A special (but simple) bus pass helps homeless population get to shelter in extreme weather.

Building a Platform Instead of a Wall

Albuquerque is harnessing the strength of immigrant entrepreneurs to improve its local economy.

Reading Beyond the Headline: Why Seattle’s Ideas Are Worth Stealing

Mayor Murray ups the ante on inclusive citizen engagement -- and helps pave the way for the rest of us.

Getting the Results You Want by Investing in Frontline Workers

Denver's Peak Academy demonstrates how investing in people pays off.

Broadband Equity Defines the Future of Communities

High-speed connectivity is no longer negotiable.

A Conversation With Mayors on Making Innovation Stick

Mayors from the City Accelerator's first cohort reflect on the changes underway in their cities.

Is Keeping Innovation Going the Real Challenge?

The City Accelerator's Cohort I cities are meeting this week to discuss their progress, challenges and how they can sustain their momentum.

A Primer on Financing Infrastructure: Obtaining the Tools to Get the Job Done

Most city leaders are grappling with an important question: How do we pay for critical infrastructure improvements?

Infrastructure: A Problem That Must Be Solved

Lessons on taking the long view from former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The Buck Starts Here

The capital project development process needs early consideration of revenue and finance.

Surviving the Transition: How to Sustain an Initiative beyond a Mayor’s Exit

What to do when an initiative's funding ends and the original champion moves on.

Why Time Doesn’t Always Heal

A critical issue 25 years ago, our nation’s infrastructure remains in the same deteriorating state today.

The Road Ahead Is in Need of Repair

The future of our nation's infrastructure requires an innovation intervention.

Introducing the City Accelerator's Third Cohort

Four municipalities will focus on innovative ways to finance infrastructure.

Mapping the Story of Government Transparency

The City Accelerator's Cohort III is using the power of data visualization and mapping to help cities tell their stories and create understanding around their challenges.

6 Questions About Financing Infrastructure, Answered

Jennifer Mayer, leader of the City Accelerator’s cohort on financing municipal infrastructure, talks about her favorite projects, the Flint water crisis and more.

Let's Build Something Together: An Aspirational Infrastructure Tour of 5 Cities

Financing public improvements isn't easy -- but nothing is more important for cities to prosper.

Cities Build Up Innovation to Tackle Breakdown in Urban Infrastructure

In the City Accelerator's new Cohort III, cities will disrupt old ways of planning, prioritizing and budgeting for infrastructure projects.

In New Orleans, a Health Plan for the Poor Comes Together

Hurricane Katrina destroyed “Big Charity,” but the Big Easy has something better.

Change in Local Government: Moving Beyond Good Intentions

Programs to help the poor mean nothing if they don't work.

Rewriting the Rules of Public Engagement

Public meetings can be like purgatory. Cities are showing us there’s a better way.

A Philanthropic Nudge for Civic Innovation

Cities are doing it for themselves but not by themselves.

What Can Product Managers Do for Your City?

Chances are you already have people in your department playing this role, if only informally.

Human-Centered Design for Government

This approach inspires innovation and helps build tools that people actually enjoy using.

Beyond Shovelware: Finding the Right Tools for Engagement

City governments face increased demand to “do engagement,” without the corresponding investment in capacity.

Crisis Meets Opportunity in Baltimore

Looking to curb violence, city leaders are charting a path for incarcerated people to successfully re-enter society.

Improving Public Engagement: 5 Cities Get to Work

The communities of Cohort II of the City Accelerator convene in Baltimore to share updates of their respective initiatives.

Cities Marked by Devastation Rise Again

New Orleans and Detroit have little in common -- except their ability to persevere.

Economic Equality: A Nobel-Worthy Idea But a Long Way to Go

Angus Deaton's Nobel prize-winning work is inspiring, but will it solve poverty?

Being Local in an Interdependent World

Regional planning shows communities can be better, together.

Haunted by the Eternal Digital Record

The court of public opinion is ever-more swift and damning.

Taking the Long View

Civic innovation and investment will undoubtedly bring challenges and criticisms, but leaders are wise to stay the course.

And Divided We Fall

To prosper, cities must address their neighborhoods of neglect -- where poverty, unemployment and failing education is the status quo.

Seattle Has Always Had Pizzazz: What Gives?

Seattle has a history of being a magnet for both entrepreneurial success and creative thinkers. What can we learn from it?

3 Things Cities Should Do to Be Competitive

Urban areas must strategize to vie for future economic growth.

Albuquerque’s Driver for Economic Growth: Untapped Citizen Potential

New Mexico’s biggest city is supporting immigrant and indigenous populations in their business endeavors.

10 Years After Katrina, New Orleans’ Spirit Inspires

The disaster permanently altered lives, but the city continues to find innovative ways to rebuild.

A Year in the Life of the City Accelerator

It's time for a recap and review of this philanthropic, collaborative startup that has put down roots in eight cities so far.

The Electrifying Rhetoric of Election Season -- Or, the Trump Effect

Politics is a messy business, but fierce competition can fuel innovation.

Mayors Come and Go, But Good Ideas Should Stick

Upcoming elections will test the sustainability of mayors’ innovation initiatives.

The City of No-Frills Innovation

Ten years after Katrina, New Orleans is solving municipal challenges and improving lives.

Finding Answers to Housing Affordability Over Coffee

We have energetic citizens who want to help solve problems -- we just have to listen.

311: A New Use for a Not-So-New Tool

Sometimes engaging citizens is as simple as solving their problems.

If Civic Engagement Is Boring, You're Probably Doing It Wrong

History can provide some lessons in making it actually engaging.

4 Important Lessons From 40 Years of Civic Engagement

It doesn't have to be a hellish public process.

Can Cities Learn a Civic Engagement Lesson From the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’?

Passionate public participation -- combined with technology -- can be powerful

Bringing Back ‘Baltimore is Best!'

No stranger to hard times, Baltimore looks to new ideas to rise from the ashes.

Seattle's Next Experiment in Urban Planning: Inclusive Engagement

Seattle is tapping technology to reach previously unheard from -- and often culturally diverse -- citizens.

From Popsicles to Pop Music: Albuquerque Bets on Small-Scale Entrepreneurs

Supporting diverse businesses is the cornerstone of the city’s plan to spark economic mobility.

A Laboratory for Social Change

After being devastated by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is creating a more effective, equitable health system and reinvigorating all segments of its community.

Building on a Proud History of City Planning and Civic Engagement

Atlanta faces the dynamics of development head on as one of the cities chosen in City Accelerator’s Cohort 2.

From Civic Engagement to Meaningful Engagement

City Accelerator’s Cohort 2 cities embark on their journeys to improve their citizens' quality of life.

The Role of Whimsy and the Rise of the Metro Data Geek in Nashville's Innovation Practices

Nashville's co-chief innovation officer on the city's key takeaways from the City Accelerator.

A Spotlight on Nashville's Serendipity Practice

City leaders spark innovation in creative ways in this country music community.

Understanding the Timing and Rhythm of Innovation

As a city with a big history, Louisville is building on its achievements to diminish the debilitating remnants of poverty in its community.

Want to Help People in Poverty? Meet Them Where They Are

To be successful in reaching the poor, common-sense communication often prevails.

Why Trauma-Informed Housing Is Key to Solving Homelessness

“Housing First” initiatives can fall short if other resources aren't in place for individuals suffering from complex problems.

The Fast and Fleeting Nature of the Digital Economy

When your city invests in technology, make the most of it -- and quickly. Today's new idea is tomorrow's old hat.

From the Big (and Small) Screen to Real Life

New Orleans, Los Angeles and Albuquerque are writing their own stories to improve citizens' lives.

Historic Cities Rally to Become Centers of Innovation

Watch and review cities’ plans to inspire citizen participation.

How Minneapolis and Seattle Hope to Be Places of Opportunity for All

Watch and review both cities' plans to increase citizen involvement and decrease income inequality through the City Accelerator.

Reinvigorating Local Democracy

The City Accelerator is helping cities engage residents for better results.

Civic Engagement Expected to Shine in Round 2 of City Accelerator

The initiative's leader shares his aspirations as the next round kicks off this week.

Innovation in 140 Characters or Less

The Governing Summit in Louisville, Ky., provided unique ways for participants to share ideas.

Evaluating Policy Takes Too Long: Here's What You Can Do About It

Governments can use this approach from the world of design to help them effectively and quickly evaluate new policies.

Making City Hall Leaner

How can government build tools that people like?

Removing Blight, One Block at a Time

A nonprofit founded by mayors is helping seven cities finance and organize community service projects to revitalize low-income urban neighborhoods.

The Challenge of Making Sure Innovation 'Sticks'

The original champions of change might move on, but their ideas don't have to leave with them.

Urban Innovation for All, by All: A Mayor’s Perspective

Innovation is our opportunity to bring our heads, hearts and hands to bear on the challenges and opportunities of our time.

An Interactive Gathering for City Leaders

The convening focuses on solving urban problems through synergy and innovation.

What the VW Beetle Can Teach Us About Housing

Is it time to “think small” to be more innovative and sustainable in our urban developments?

Innovation Guide Promotes New Culture of Civic Exploration

The guide's action-oriented framework supports a spirit of adventure and change in urban communities.

Small City, Big Innovations, Huge Progress

The community in Fitchburg, Mass., came together to solve youth crime and budget challenges.

Breaking Through Barriers to Innovation in Local Government

Through the City Accelerator, Louisville, Ky., Nashville, Tenn., and Philadelphia are adapting how they do business in order to produce materially different results.

New Implementation Guide for Local Government Innovation

A new City Accelerator guide addresses some of the key barriers to innovation in local government and provides a path forward for cities to follow.

VIDEO: Democracy and Stitching Together a New Public

Innovation is needed to make democracy work.

True Resilience Means Cities Must Plan for Poverty-Stricken Citizens

Weather-related events are often catastrophic for urban poor.

One Maine City's Stand against Cutting Funding at Homeless Shelters

Portland, Maine, is ignoring state instructions that could discourage people from seeking shelter beds.

Low-Income Citizens Can Benefit When Cities and Private Sector Partner

"Bank On" programs and other innovative initiatives reduce the victimization of poor individuals.

Doubling Down on the Innovation-Team Model

Another 14 cities are about to build their own "i-teams." No longer an experimental approach, it's a proven route to cross-cutting accomplishments.

Hunger, Homelessness Continue to Rise in U.S. Cities

An annual report shows Washington, D.C., led the nation this year in increases in emergency food assistance requests and homelessness. See how your city compares.

Want to Innovate? Determine Your City's Greatest Need and Get to Work

Governments must ask themselves critical questions before change can happen.

Where's Your Pothole?

Additional innovation is needed for infrastructure issues that aggravate the public.

A Two-Generation Approach to Poverty

A new report advocates more programs that address the needs of parents and children simultaneously.

Changes to Obamacare Could Bring Opportunity for Innovation

Low-income individuals can benefit from incremental improvements to the health care law.

California and Alabama the Worst in Child Homelessness

The sheer number of kids in California who have nowhere to call home and the failure of the state's leaders to address the growing crisis place it 48th among the 50 states for dealing with children's homelessness -- ranking it just above Mississippi and Alabama.