A Competitive Vision For Cities

What makes a city competitive? The people of Louisville and Jefferson County are asking that question as they prepare for the nation's largest consolidation in more than 20 years.

1 minute read

August 18, 2002, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Consolidation is impossible today in U.S. cities of any significant size. At least, that was the conventional wisdom until last year when the people of Louisville, Kentucky and the surrounding Jefferson County voted to merge their governments. It was a surprising end to the third attempt at consolidation there.To prepare for new regional government, Mark Muro and his colleagues at the Brookings Institution's Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy have just published a report called, "Beyond Merger: A Competitive Vision for the Regional City of Louisville."Mark Muro will talk about his findings and how they define a broader agenda for cities throughout the nation. Mark is a senior policy analyst with the Center. Before joining Brookings, Mark was with the Morrison Institute at Arizona State University working on similar public policy issues. Listen live Sundays at 9 a.m. central on the WKNO FM Stations, NPR for the Mid-South. And hear Smart City again Tuesdays at 9 a.m. Or listen to archived shows online anytime.

Thanks to Sheila Edmundson

Saturday, August 17, 2002 in Smart Growth America

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2 - SD News

Sleeping in Public

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts

Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

May 2 - KSL

Conductor walks down platform next to Amtrak train at station in San Jose, California.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.

May 2 - Streetsblog USA

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO