Emerging Issues

As part of NLC's work in tracking and analyzing the issues and challenges facing cities, Nation's Cities Weekly publishes a monthly "Emerging Issues" column written by NLC staff member Bill Barnes. The columns focus on issues and topics --- beyond or beneath the day-to-day news --- that affect municipal governments and regions and the people who live in them.

The system of local government in the United States is among the most complex in the world. In this era of challenges to the very idea of government itself, people concerned about cities need to have access to and make good use of current, understandable and relevant information about municipal government and city life.

Many municipal leaders are now figuring out how to do less with less. It’s not a short-term holding action; this promises to be a long slog. No time like the present, then, to imagine what other surprises may be slouching toward us even now and to stress test local and regional systems for capacity to weather probable scenarios.

We can all agree with NY Times columnist David Brooks that it’s difficult for government and planning to accomplish big, complicated things. But he’s very wrong about both his excessive cautions against “the limits of social policy” and also about the small-bore way he urges us to think about what governments and planning can do about the economic and financial mess we’re in. It matters how he, his readers, and we frame this whole challenge.

Immigrant integration is happening “steadily,” albeit “unevenly,” in the United States, according to a new report. This is a big deal, not only because some progress is occurring but also because this news contrasts with what you get from your regular encounters with the news media and national leaders. It’s a neglected story and, when it’s told --- by local leaders and others --- it could contribute to re-shaping constructively the nation’s rather dismal national discourse on immigration.

University presidents describe their schools as increasingly “engaged” and ready to undertake “anchor institution” roles in their communities and regions. This emerging attitude presents both a great opportunity for positive partnerships in cities and a challenge for everyone to avoid the negatives of some past university/community relationships.

Boundary crossing for regional governance is on its way to becoming normal. We should put aside the false choice twixt doing nothing or engineering jurisdictional consolidation and instead shift to a focus on regional governance as capacity and process.