City Futures Panel on Democratic Governance

2010 Leadership

The purpose of NLC’s work on Democratic Governance is to help local officials respond to governance challenges. Drawing on case studies of successful projects, the Panel has explored ways to educate, involve, and mobilize citizens in a variety of events and initiatives. The Panel’s research and written materials describe how communities have used democratic governance approaches to address key issues such as:

• Planning and development;
• Race, diversity, and equity;
• Crime and public safety;
• Education and school improvement; and
• Public finance.

Recent activities and products:

• "Change.Gov That Matters" by Neil Peirce in Nation's Cities Weekly, 1/26/2009.
• Publication of The Rise of Democratic Governance: How Local Leaders are Reshaping Politics for the 21st Century, an introductory guide to Democratic Governance.
• Publication of Changing the Way We Govern: Building Democratic Governance in Your Community, a detailed guidebook on democratic governance practices, including examples from cities around the country.
• Conducting workshops and seminars that assist city and town officials at NLC conferences and as part of NLC’s Leadership Training Institute Program.

Activities and Agenda

• Hold workshops and seminars for local officials at the 2010 Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, DC. 
• Encourage and enable city officials to enhance democratic governance by articulating and delivering a strong, compelling message, using a variety of venues.
• Work with state municipal leagues and other networks to reach out to a broader array of local officials.
• Work with the Deliberative Democracy Consortium (DDC) on the Democracy Helpline and other key services for local leaders.

Next Meeting of the Panel

March 13-17 - 2010 Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, DC

2010 Panel Members