Mayors are becoming more active -- and more visible -- beyond their jurisdictions. This article looks at how the role of the mayor is changing.
"Being mayor of an American city has traditionally had its rewards (some of them ill-gotten), but until recently it was a dead-end job. Only three presidents ever ran cities, none among the ten biggest of their day; the last ex-mayor to become president was Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s, and he was also an ex-governor. Indeed, the bigger the city, the more abbreviated the subsequent career. The last year a mayor of New York was elected state governor was 1869."
"These days mayors seldom tackle an issue of national significance without pointing out how incompetent the federal response has been. Climate change is an especially fashionable stick with which to beat Washington. Two years ago, as the Kyoto protocol went into effect without America, Seattle's mayor called on other cities to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 7%-the same cut that would have been required of the nation. More than 500 have since signed the 'cool mayors' agreement. Mr Bloomberg, for his part, has signed up more than 200 mayors for his gun-control alliance."
"Ironically, mayors' reputations have also been helped by the dearth of federal cash that they complain about. Before revenue-sharing ceased in the 1980s they had a richly deserved reputation as beggars. Since then the shrewder mayors have turned themselves into salesmen. They lobby for corporate headquarters and sports teams and try to lure visitors to spruced-up city centres."
FULL STORY: Leading by example

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service