The new mayors of 6 major U.S. urban centers are all trying to find new ways to keep their cities innovative, while creating more equitable societies for all their citizens. Here's a look at their challenges and opportunities.
From New York City to Detroit and Los Angeles to Pittsburgh, an unusually large new cohort1 of mayors from major U.S. cities took office at the start of 2014.
Many (though not all) take the reins in an era of healthy economic growth and innovation. Yet in a time of unprecedented wealth inequality in America, they face significant issues trying to ensure that huge swaths of their constituents are not left behind.
Each city’s challenges are unique. But looking at the new mayors together, there are clearly common issues they must tackle, such as a dearth of living wage jobs; the difficulties of gentrification, rising costs of living, and the pressures of over-development; and expanding and improving basic city services at a time of tight overall budgets.2
- 1. source: http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-2014-new-mayors.html
- 2. This is the start of a series that will be looking at these mayors and more from the class of 2014 throughout this year and beyond, to see how they can shape our cities for the better, and what lessons other cities--and the world--can learn from how they do it