Shedding Light on the $3.7 Trillion Municipal Bond Market

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is working toward new levels of transparency in the municipal bond market.

1 minute read

March 20, 2016, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"At $3.7 trillion, the U.S. municipal bond market is so massive it is incomprehensible to many citizens," according to an article on the blog of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. "And as the source of financing for two thirds of schools, roads, hospitals, and other infrastructure, it is critical to the quality of life of states, cities and towns of all sizes."

The post provides insight into a recent presentation by Lynnette Kelly, executive director of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, on new practices in making the municipal bond market more transparent, including new regulations announced in February "to address so-called “pay-to-play” arrangements."

The presentation, including a conversation with Lincoln Institute Fellow Lourdes Germán, is available online. The event was the latest installment in the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's series devoted to municipal fiscal health.

Thursday, March 10, 2016 in At Lincoln House

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

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

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.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Passengers exiting the back door of a blue public bus.

Opinion: Make Buses More Like Sidewalks

Sidewalks are an intuitive, low-cost, and easily accessible mobility tool. Can local buses function in the same way?

30 minutes ago - Fast Company

Protest

How Cities Can Support Climate Adaptation

In the face of federal cuts to climate resilience funding, a panel at ULI’s Resilience Summit offered suggestions for maintaining managed retreat and other climate adaptation programs.

1 hour ago - Smart Cities Dive

Screenshot of University Transportation Centers website

Transportation Research Centers Lose Key Federal Funding

The federal University Transportation Center program funds critical transportation research and innovation at 35 consortia of colleges and universities.

2 hours ago - 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.