Cover Story
How States and Cities Reinforce Racial Segregation in America
BY Daniel C. Vock
The black-white divide is still a major problem. Government policies are partially to blame.
FEATURES
Education
Still Separate After All These Years: How Schools Fuel White Flight
Segregated schools aren’t just the products of segregated neighborhoods. In many cases, predominantly white schools are driving the racial divide.
BY J. Brian Charles, Daniel C. Vock, Mike Maciag
Urban
Distressed Cities Find Hope in Federal 'Opportunity Zones'
A new program may be a boon to struggling cities -- if it targets the right ones.
BY J. Brian Charles
Management & Labor
How Nurses Prove the Power of Unions
In an anti-union era, nurses may have found a model for effectively organizing labor.
BY Graham Vyse
OBSERVER
Politics & Elections
Hmong Americans Gain Political Representation
The number of Hmong legislators, who came from Southeast Asia as refugees, tripled in the Minnesota state House this year.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Urban
Amazon's Curse of an Exploding Job Market
Voters aren’t satisfied with how Seattle is managing its growth, which has largely been driven by Amazon's presence.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Urban
With New Judges, Houston Could Flip the Script on Evictions
After Democrats swept judicial elections last year, Harris County is set to become much less landlord-friendly.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Politics & Elections
How Lawmakers Can Raise Their Own Pay in a Less Controversial Way
There are lessons to be learned from New York and Pennsylvania.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Assessments
How Will Driverless Cars Really Change Cities? Who Knows.
There are plenty of theories about how they will reshape urban areas. But it’s anybody’s guess.
BY Alan Ehrenhalt
Washington Watch
Why Rebuilding 'Bigger and Better' After Disasters Is a Mistake
Communities destroyed by natural disaster all want to start over. Somebody has to pay for it.
BY Donald F. Kettl
Urban Notebook
The Rent Is Too Damn Low
America's housing crisis is about more than high prices.
BY Pete Saunders
Public Safety & Justice
Where Have All the Black Men Gone?
There's a gender imbalance in many African-American neighborhoods. Mass incarceration is largely to blame.
BY Mike Maciag
THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT
Smart Management
Government Watchdogs Face New Obstacles
It’s getting harder for the people who check up on government to do their jobs.
BY Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
On Leadership
How Governments Can Keep Their Employees Happy
As a Tennessee agency has shown, employee engagement isn't unattainable.
BY Mark Funkhouser
Public Money
The Fairest Tax During a Recession May Be the Least Popular
What's "fair" changes along with the economy.
BY Justin Marlowe
Transportation & Infrastructure
Why ‘Density’ Is a Bad Word
It’s often used to describe how people live in urban spaces. But it shouldn't be.
BY Alex Marshall
Health & Human Services
To Fund Mental Health Care, States and Cities Raise Taxes
Denver may be the first major city where voters approved a tax increase for mental health services. Others have since followed.
BY Mattie Quinn
Infrastructure & Environment
California’s New Air Pollution Solution
In an unprecedented move that will cut costs for low-income households and cut emissions for everyone, the state is paying for some homes to install energy-efficient appliances.
BY Elizabeth Daigneau
Infrastructure & Environment
The Rest Stop That Inspired a Book on Highways in America
Photos and musing from our photographer.
BY David Kidd
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