Governing: State and local government news and analysis
A new book by Yale law professor David Schleicher explores the benefits and drawbacks of various responses to state and local debt crises. It’s a trilemma that leaders will face again and again, Schleicher says.
While electric vehicles are becoming much more commonplace, transit agencies have had mixed experiences with electric buses. Many are still exploring how best to reduce fleet emissions.
A 90-year-old train station will anchor a $10 billion investment in urban development that could result in as much as 18 million square feet of new commercial and residential space over the next several decades.
A shortage of accountants and auditors has left dozens of municipalities without credit ratings, and new financial reporting requirements are likely to make things worse. There are ways to tackle this skill set supply chain problem.
GOP state lawmakers are exerting pressure on local election officials in left-leaning areas.
Thirty-nine state governments are now “trifectas.” It’s not the kind of government the Constitution's framers wanted.
Houses of worship are experiencing a great emptying, becoming disconnected from their communities as congregations shrink. Jane Jacobs had some ideas that could help churches and their cities thrive.
Perhaps best remembered for the dam and institute named for him, the 31st president was known as a great humanitarian but had a low view of the role of government in improving people's lives.
Does your local government need a stance on generative AI? Boston encourages staff’s “responsible experimentation,” Seattle’s interim policy outlines cautions, and King County considers what responsible generative AI use might be.
Policymakers and scholars have recently made a push to prioritize the hours when cities are supposedly asleep. Smart technology can help municipalities govern the night.
A new report sheds light on mistakes, data gaps and dysfunctional organizational cultures that contributed to America suffering more loss of life than any other country in the world.
The state's new transportation bill, backed by Democratic-Farmer-Labor leaders who control the state Legislature and governor's office, will require agencies to pursue projects that reduce carbon emissions.
It takes hours to drive into the center in many developing nations' cities. Can the problem be solved? Not easily.
A recent poll found that Biden's approval rating among Black adults has dropped to 58 percent. Meanwhile election tool ERIC is under serious attack and the annals of non-cooperation.
Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party won full control of the state Legislature and governor’s office, and is using the opportunity to make big investments in transportation.
A state can try to compel its cities to build more, but the results are at best modest. As Gov. Jared Polis learned, even getting zoning reforms enacted can be an insurmountable challenge.
The business community is rallying around civic education. It’s partly a matter of civic duty and partly a matter of survival — and maybe economic prosperity.
An Indiana law establishing a middle school civic education requirement is the latest step in a multisector partnership that aims to help students get a better idea of what democracy is all about.
Disjointed data systems are failing to identify and address disparities along the pre-K-to-work continuum. Two states are leading the way in building effective systems, and a new resource can help governments use data to inform student success strategies.
Newport News, one of the nation's oldest cities, has one of its youngest mayors.
Millions of households still get their drinking water from lead service lines. Federal money is available to replace the pipes, but in allocating the funds, it’s important for states to prioritize marginalized communities.
Designed to be the crown jewel of the Hudson Yards development, a 150-foot-tall collection of 154 interconnected staircases known as the Vessel remains off limits.
The hands of the Doomsday Clock now stand at 90 seconds to midnight — the closest to global nuclear catastrophe it has ever been. Against that backdrop, the United States still struggles with its own nuclear history.
From claims about an "Agenda 21" to attacks on 15-minute cities, a range of conspiracy theories have taken aim at progressive ideas around urban mobility and city design.
They want to hold the major oil companies responsible for the costs of responding to disasters that scientists are increasingly able to attribute to climate disruption and tie back to the fossil fuel industry.
Data exchange between states, hospitals and the CDC increased temporarily during the pandemic. The public health community wants this to mark the turning point in achieving a permanent national system.
Governments have more than a million job vacancies. Many of those positions need the kind of problem-solving that tech workers are likely to embrace and excel at.
A debt-ceiling breach would cost states in terms of revenue, pension investment losses and increased borrowing costs. Even a fix at this point will likely lead to cuts in federal grants.
In a legislative first, the Land of Enchantment has committed to an earth-bound scent.
The more than 1.6 million preventable deaths of Black Americans documented in a new study reflect racism and discrimination in housing, education, employment and health care. We have the money and the means to do something about it.
