In a new report, NLC finds that states limit city power through preemption in a number of policy areas, ranging from labor protections to taxing authority.

State legislatures have gotten more aggressive in their…

WASHINGTON — February 22, 2017 — Today, National League of Cities (NLC) in partnership with the state municipal leagues released a new report entitled, “City Rights in an Era of Preemption.” The report examines the prevalence of state preemption…

City leaders have the power to help local entrepreneurs start, scale, and retain their businesses – but each stage of development calls for different tactics.

This is a guest post by Penny Lewandowski, a NLC…

Both cities and the federal government want great schools because they help create a strong workforce, boosting the economy at a local and national level – but the legal and fiscal powers of both levels of government are…

"When cities are given the directive and the resources, projects just get done faster, more efficiently and with better end results."

Every week leading up to the 2017 Congressional City Conference we'll feature…

In this updated 2018 edition of City Rights in an Era of Preemption we are continuing to observe aggressive moves by state legislatures nationwide to usurp local authority.

Preemption is the use of state law to…

How did a small community of less than ten thousand residents begin to increase public engagement in a way that is helpful to both local officials and constituents?

This is a guest post by Nick Mastronardi and…

Giving proper support to the people who care for young children is really a matter of infrastructure in any city – and city leaders should treat it with that level of importance. Here are five key takeaways from the…

What does it take to ensure cities are healthier places to live, learn, work and play? A strategy that engages the right stakeholders.

This post was co-authored by Kevin Barnett, Colby Dailey and Sue Pechilio…

Cities across the country are thinking of new ways to use resources and community assets to strengthen their response to numerous challenges presented by the on-going impacts of climate change and sea-level rise.