A peer learning network for mayors and city leaders.
Posted on August 18, 2026 By Mary Carr Lee and Katya Spear, Mayors Innovation Project At this year’s Summer Meeting in Madison, mayors from across the country demonstrated what modern local leadership looks like: bold, collaborative, and deeply rooted in the everyday realities of their communities. During our Innovation Showcase, they didn’t just present programs …
Posted on August 18, 2026 By Quincy Midthun, Mayors Innovation Project Buildings are the largest source of carbon emissions and one of the greatest opportunities cities have to reduce their carbon footprints. The benefits of energy efficiency improvements and decarbonization extend beyond just bringing down carbon emissions; they can save residents and taxpayers money on …
By Quincy Midthun & Katya Spear, Mayors Innovation Project Violence and harassment against local public officials in the United States is on the rise. In 2024, the Bridging Divides Initiative saw a 14% increase in threats and harassment against local elected officials from 2023 and a 74% increase from 2022. Our own data, shared and …
By Katya Spear, Mayors Innovation Project In an era defined by a “collision of crises”—aging infrastructure, climate volatility, and the disappearance of federal safety nets—city leaders are facing a stark financial reality. The old playbook of incremental budgeting and relying on federal bailouts is no longer sufficient. MIP’s 2026 Winter Meeting hosted a panel focused …
By Quincy Midthun and Katya Spear, Mayors Innovation Project The Mayors Innovation Project Innovation Showcase is a lightning round session where mayors get just three minutes to share an innovative policy, program, or practice that they have implemented or are working to implement. The Winter 2026 Showcase offered many great ideas for mayors to take …
By Mary Carr Lee Census data shows that between 2010 and 2020, the population of people 65 and older in the US grew more than five times faster than the total US population. By 2030, older adults are expected to comprise 18% of the total US population. This demographic shift is playing out in cities …
By Quincy Midthun Childcare is the invisible backbone of a thriving city. When high-quality care is affordable and accessible, parents can go to work, businesses can grow, and children can thrive. But for so many Americans, this is not the reality. The lack of available care for infants and toddlers costs an estimated $122 billion …
By Mary Carr Lee, Mayors Innovation Project At the Mayors Innovation Project summer meeting, mayors and experts from cities across the country dug into the issue of homelessness, highlighting the urgent need for a shift away from crisis management to sustainable solutions that demonstrate measurable results. Featuring leaders from Takoma Park, MD; Albuquerque, NM; Newark, …
By Mary Carr Lee • Mayors Innovation Project Across the country, cities are navigating a complex reality defined by two factors: the increasingly high needs of our most vulnerable residents and the persistent uncertainty of federal funding and municipal budgets. Simply put, the gap between what residents need and what public services can provide is …
Since January, cities across the nation have been working to interpret a new, uncertain, and often overwhelming federal policy landscape. At the Summer 2025 Meeting, city leaders came together to discuss how they’re protecting the health and safety of their communities in the face of reduced federal support and rapidly changing federal guidance that often …
