A peer learning network for mayors and city leaders.
At the 2024 Summer Meeting, eight mayors from across the country participated in the Innovation Showcase and shared innovative ideas that they’re using to improve their cities. From tracking snow plows with GPS to implementing AI designed to identify fires and notify EMS - we heard about many exciting ideas happening at the city level. Read to learn more about the great ideas shared!
Hot days are becoming hotter and more frequent. Some cities are working to combat heat island effects in innovative ways. From Phoenix’s cool pavement to Cleveland’s Community Forestry Corps Program, read below to learn how cities are taking action to beat the heat and create cooler, safer, more sustainable cities.
“Last weekend, Mayor Quentin Hart was one of two mayors invited to speak on affordable housing at a national panel in Tennessee. The Mayors Innovation Project Summer 2024 Meeting’s panel explored ways cities are using data, restructuring incentives and leveraging partnerships to drive creative solutions to address the housing crisis.”
“According to the Mayors Innovation Project, threats against local officials are also threats “to democracy, [by] threatening to deter individuals from campaigning, serving in office, and seeking subsequent terms… [they are] threatening to deter progress in increasing representation across race, gender, and sexual orientation in elected office.””
By: Gabriel Kahan, Julia Wright, Holly West, and Quincy Midthun • ProGov21 Recent legislation under the Biden administration to hasten a green transition and revitalize American infrastructure is ambitious in scale. Billions are now available for local officials to retrofit buildings, improve transportation, and expand community services for climate-related resilience. Yet it is important to …
By Zach Lax • Founder, Bidmark The truest reflection of a government’s values and priorities is what it spends money on. Legislation can be toothless, policies can be underenforced, and strategic plans can collect dust. Procurement, in contrast, is a contractual commitment to a real agenda. As the leaders setting that agenda, high-road mayors must …
“While the multi-million dollar highway project might sound impressive, it is the small-scale infrastructure projects—bike lanes, raised crossings, and the like—that are most visible and tangible to people’s lives,” write Chris McCahill and Katya Spear in a piece published by the Mayors Innovation Project.
By Chris McCahill and Katya Spear This blog post is a collaboration between the State Smart Transportation Initiative and the Mayors Innovation Project, both programs of the High Road Strategy Center at the University of Wisconsin. Road safety is an urgent issue at all levels of government, especially for people walking and biking. Cyclist and …
Recently the Mayors Innovation Project announced a new group of local leaders for the second annual Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety which included Mayor John Vieau. The program includes a partnership with AARP Livable Communities and Smart Growth America who select 10 mayors from a national competitive application pool of candidates.
Other efforts to raise awareness of roadway safety include Mayor Tuerk’s involvement in Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety, as well as an ongoing pedestrian safety billboard campaign, featuring Allentown residents and employees, launched in October 2022 in partnership with Adams Outdoor, as a result of the death of a pedestrian in front of Dieruff High …
