Cover Story
How Trump Became Counties' Best Friend and Biggest Ally
BY Alan Greenblatt
The administration is focusing on a level of government that past presidents have often neglected.
FEATURES
Urban
Should a Private Tech Giant Be Designing Cities?
Google’s sister company wants to build the city of the future on Toronto’s waterfront, raising concerns over privacy and the role of government.
BY John Buntin
Education
Many Students Are in Crisis. So Is America's School Counseling System.
Counselors say budget cuts have left them unable to respond to students’ mental health needs.
BY Mattie Quinn
Urban
Will Up-Zoning Make Housing More Affordable?
Making neighborhoods denser is an idea with growing appeal. The question is whether it works.
BY J. Brian Charles
Finance
How State Procurement Offices Are Learning to Buy Better
Cautiously and slowly, governments are taking more risks and modernizing the way they purchase goods and services.
BY Liz Farmer
OBSERVER
Public Safety & Justice
The Parking Enforcement Method Ruled Unconstitutional
Cities are chucking the chalk.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Politics & Elections
From 42 Agencies to 15: How Arkansas Overhauled State Government Without Laying Anyone Off
Gov. Asa Hutchinson spearheaded the streamlining.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Health & Human Services
Welfare's Once-Popular Cap on Kids Loses Favor in States
The policy was intended to discourage government dependence. It didn’t seem to work.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Politics & Elections
Oops! Secretary of State's Clerical Error Sets Back Iowa Ballot Measures
Supporters of the initiatives will have to wait at least two years before they go before voters.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Assessments
The Fables of Gentrification
A lot of what we think we know about it turns out to be wrong.
BY Alan Ehrenhalt
Washington Watch
America's Demographic Destiny Can't Be Ignored
The birth rate is at an all-time low. That’s going to have a major impact on public services.
BY Peter Harkness
Urban Notebook
In Defense of Foreign Investment in U.S. Housing
Absentee property owners from abroad take much of the blame for rising housing prices in America. But they’re really a net win for cities.
BY Scott Beyer
Education
White Communities, Black Students: Counties With the Biggest School Race Gap
White enrollment in private schools creates stark disparities in many districts.
BY Mike Maciag
THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT
Smart Management
Why's It So Hard to Ax Bad Government Programs?
Performance data hasn’t worked out the way it was intended.
BY Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
On Leadership
The GovLove Generation: How Millennials Are Redefining Public Service
They're beginning to reshape local government in a big way.
BY Mark Funkhouser
Public Money
Anti-Fluoride Activism Is Bad, and Not Just for Public Health
Cities must resist this vocal minority using pseudoscience. Their budgets are at stake.
BY Anne Kim
Transportation & Infrastructure
Homeownership’s Hidden Debt
First-time buyers aren’t just acquiring property. They’re taking on a jurisdiction’s financial liabilities.
BY Nicole Gelinas
Health & Human Services
One State's Big Leap to Reduce Medicare and Medicaid's Out-of-Pocket Costs
Washington state is going further than any other to cover aging Americans' medical bills.
BY Mattie Quinn
Infrastructure & Environment
Cities Confront the 'Forever Chemicals' Contaminating Drinking Water
As the EPA and Congress debate PFAS regulations, local governments are taking action to protect people from toxic chemicals used in the production of practically everything.
BY Daniel C. Vock
Infrastructure & Environment
America’s Oldest -- and Probably Wettest -- State Park
Photos and musings from our photographer.
BY David Kidd
