Governing: State and local government news and analysis
There are plenty of strategies that have proven effective at dramatically reducing crime. Sending soldiers into the streets of our cities isn’t one of them.
Akron, Ohio, reopened a major downtown park after a $17 million renovation last year, part of a strategy to promote downtown growth by investing in public spaces.
By tying payments for services to results, a successful program in Anchorage demonstrates the impact of a data-driven focus on accountability.
SEPTA is cutting service and hiking fares amid a budget stalemate in the Pennsylvania legislature. The fight is highlighting regional fault lines.
Los Angeles County’s voters have demonstrated what a powerful tool these local constitutions are for self-governance. Home rule fosters experimentation — and a feisty and irreplaceable resilience.
Floods are frequent, unpredictable and expensive. Fremont, Calif., is one of the first cities to secure flood insurance designed using AI.
Trump’s vow to get rid of mail voting may be aimed at blue states, but it’s been gaining popularity among GOP voters. And it would almost certainly be unconstitutional.
State and local governments depend on federal data for everything from community planning to disaster response. What happens if it goes away?
One of the hurricane's most important lessons isn’t about storm preparations — it’s about injustice. Communities should build disaster resilience across the entire population, focusing aid where people need it the most.
Cities and states scrambled to house homeless people in hotels and motels during the emergency phase of the pandemic. Many communities still find it’s a good model.
From serious discussions about crime and transit to acting silly with kids, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther spent a day doing outreach and learning.
The Trump administration is planning a drastic rewrite of environmental policy. Will that happen?
Are vehicles like private equity, crypto and real estate a good fit for 401(k)-style public retirement plans — or too risky for savers? Marketers will soon be pitching these “alternative investments” to public employers. Prudence dictates caution.
Federal lawmakers are expected to return to the idea, despite cutting it from the budget reconciliation bill.
Small colleges in small towns are up against stiff odds. But some are finding ways to thrive.
Cuts in funding don’t change counties’ obligations to their residents. They will have to figure out how to raise new revenue, cut services or both. But success in navigating this new landscape won’t come from austerity alone.
There was a time when mid-decade redistricting was common. Such efforts often backfired, which is why the practice remains rare.
Water system experts say current treatment methods are effective at getting PFAS out of drinking water — but that the price of installing and maintaining treatment-equipped systems can be steep.
It undermines the effort to see what’s really working in government and what’s not.
It’s happening more and more. But while the initiative process could use some reforms, it's a legitimate element of the democratic process.
State policymakers must ask: Is our system creating real value for students? A growing number of states are pointing the way.
A wave of downtown streetcars took to the streets in recent years to spur economic development. Many are struggling to prove their usefulness.
Despite their obvious differences, legislators are able to work across the aisle on issues of shared concern such as transportation and housing, says the head of NCSL.
Local government jobs weren’t a focus for career technical education at a Central Texas school district until a new human resources director came to Cedar Park.
There’s much to applaud in the ways Columbia now celebrates its Black heritage. But too much of that celebration is limited to Black residents.
A dozen years after bankruptcy, Detroit is in better shape than almost anyone could have imagined. But too much of the city remains poor, says Mary Sheffield, the probable next mayor.
We could save billions by transforming these shuttered monuments to mass incarceration into something far more useful, humane and fiscally responsible. What the military did decades ago offers a proven blueprint.
A month after she was sworn in, Cara Spencer had to deal with a devastating tornado.
Washington wants to prune federal regulations. The feds should pay attention to what the Old Dominion is doing. And AI can help.
The city’s movement toward free care for kids up to age 2 could be a gamechanger with national implications. And it’s a sign of the growing political strength of working parents.
