As the gears of federal government have ground to a halt, a new energy has been rocking the foundations of our urban centers. From Atlanta to Seattle and points in between, cities have begun seizing the initiative, transforming themselves into laboratories for progressive innovation. Income inequality, affordable housing, climate change, sustainable development, public health, participatory government—cities are tackling them all, bringing new urgency to some of the most vital questions of the day. Welcome to the age of big city progressivism! Cities Rising is The Nation’s contribution to the conversation.
It Will Take Tenacity and Guts to Shutter One of the Country’s Most Notorious Jails It Will Take Tenacity and Guts to Shutter One of the Country’s Most Notorious Jails
Is New York Mayor Bill de Blasio up to the challenge of closing Rikers Island?
Jul 5, 2017 / Jarrett Murphy
These Cities Might Just Save the Country These Cities Might Just Save the Country
Dispatches from the Urban Resistance, from Atlantic City to Miami Beach.
Jun 30, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
Even Republican Mayors Are Rejecting Trump’s Energy Policies Even Republican Mayors Are Rejecting Trump’s Energy Policies
From Aspen to Abita Springs, cities are committing to running on 100 percent renewable energy.
Jun 12, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
It’s Time for Cities to Take the Lead in the Struggle Against Climate Change It’s Time for Cities to Take the Lead in the Struggle Against Climate Change
Now that the US has abdicated its role in the fight against climate catastrophe, cities must join together to save the planet.
Jun 5, 2017 / Benjamin Barber
These Cities Aren’t Waiting for Trump to Self-Destruct. They’re Fighting Back Now. These Cities Aren’t Waiting for Trump to Self-Destruct. They’re Fighting Back Now.
Dispatches from the Urban Resistance, from Los Angeles to El Paso.
May 31, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
This City Helped Pioneer the Fight for $15. Can It Revolutionize Housing Rights? This City Helped Pioneer the Fight for $15. Can It Revolutionize Housing Rights?
Seattle renters are mad as hell—and they’re not going to take it anymore.
May 30, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
What if People Owned the Banks, Instead of Wall Street? What if People Owned the Banks, Instead of Wall Street?
From Seattle to Santa Fe, cities are at the center of a movement to create publicly owned banks.
May 22, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
How Closing a Jail Could Make New York City Stronger How Closing a Jail Could Make New York City Stronger
The plans for shuttering the infamous Rikers Island complex could be a boon for communities across the city.
May 17, 2017 / Michelle Chen
New York’s Mayor Vowed to Help the Homeless. Why Is the Crisis Growing? New York’s Mayor Vowed to Help the Homeless. Why Is the Crisis Growing?
Bill de Blasio understands homelessness better than the mayors before him, but that hasn’t been enough to stem the crisis.
May 9, 2017 / Jarrett Murphy
Jackson, Mississippi, Just Nominated Radical Activist Chokwe Antar Lumumba to Be the Next Mayor Jackson, Mississippi, Just Nominated Radical Activist Chokwe Antar Lumumba to Be the Next Mayor
A fresh model for economic and social-justice politics is emerging in the South.
May 3, 2017 / John Nichols