Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

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The future of carbon emissions and cities lies in green buildings

When you envision the future, what do you see? For me, it’s a place where people of all...

With an historic investment in public spaces, Philadelphia’s Rebuild program is committed to equity in the process

Jobs in the construction industry are family-sustaining careers that have proven to lift...

Article

Why equitable community engagement matters—and how to practice it

Overseeing a new construction or redevelopment project in your city is never a simple task. Every phase—from due diligence about the developer, to planning, permits and zoning—takes time and a specialized skill set. One phase that requires just as much expertise, but that is sometimes overlooked, is community engagement. When a municipality does it right, […]

Commentary

Navigating through the “new normal” of travel and infrastructure as cities reopen

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted local, regional and global travel patterns in unprecedented ways. By April, vehicle miles traveled plummeted across the globe. In the United States, drivers covered 70 percent fewer miles than before the pandemic. Public transit systems too saw massive declines, as workers either stopped commuting entirely or turned to […]

Article

Looking for money in local budgets: IT asset management in a post-pandemic world

State and local governments have been hit hard over the last 18 months. Since those jurisdictions often require balanced budgets, emergency spending during the pandemic must be offset by either budget cuts or tax increases. In fact, a Washington Post analysis shows that in 2020, the majority of states saw their tax revenues shrink with […]

Article

Accelerating the transition to digital citizen services

When the pandemic first took hold in the United States, the traditional means of providing local government services to citizens was disrupted and, in some cases, grounded to a halt. This accelerated the call for governments to deliver digital services to citizens, with constituents seeking a similar seamless online experience when accessing government services as […]

Article

How public electric utilities can leverage federal broadband grants

In a recent article for American City and County, “How local governments can prepare for the new federal broadband grants,” I mentioned that in my experience, publicly owned utilities have made excellent partners in broadband deployments. This article expounds on that thesis and makes the argument that more public electric utilities should examine how they […]

Article

The art of the public art installation: Building a vision with communities

Some of us view public art installations simply as points of interest when we tour unfamiliar neighborhoods. But there’s nothing simple about these installations. For municipalities, they can foster a sense of community and belonging, or they can backfire and become a source of controversy. It’s critical, therefore, that municipalities choose public art with care […]

Article

Digital supply chain challenge to cities and counties—another cyber minefield to navigate

As cities and counties have steadfastly turned to managed service providers for enhanced improvements and security for their networks, a new type of cyberthreat has emerged to greatly undermine trust. The irony here is that many turned to managed service providers who promised greater cyber security and hardened system protections. Perhaps managed services sounded too […]

Article

Three ways cities can support a modern workforce

The U.S. workforce is changing. In 2020, millions of American workers were thrust into an unprecedented working environment that resulted in working from home and new, forcibly accrued skills. One and a half years later, the experiment isn’t ending. For most of the country, the test run is looking more like the long run. As […]

Article

5 ways counties can mitigate remote access security risks

Cyberattacks against the nation’s counties are on the rise. Since 2017, attacks rose an average of almost 50 percent—although this metric is likely to be a fraction of the true number, as these attacks often go unreported. With last year’s shift to more work from home and virtual learning, counties are finding themselves more exposed. […]

News

Remembering 9/11: The impact, then and now

Sometimes, an event marks history with such ferocity that innumerable mundane occurrences taking place simultaneously are indelibly stamped in the memory of every person living at the time—each unique to the individual. These instances define a generation and change a nation’s trajectory in the broader scheme of human civilization: Pearl Harbor; the moon landing; the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Two decades on from that infamous day, when four commercial flights were hijacked by terrorists and nearly 3,000 people perished in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Penn., Americans are still haunted by the images of dust-covered victims stumbling from the wreckage—they’re still […]

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Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

test

The future of carbon emissions and cities lies in green buildings

With an historic investment in public spaces, Philadelphia’s Rebuild program is committed to equity in the process

Article

Why equitable community engagement matters—and how to practice it

Commentary

Navigating through the “new normal” of travel and infrastructure as cities reopen

Article

Looking for money in local budgets: IT asset management in a post-pandemic world

Article

Accelerating the transition to digital citizen services

Article

How public electric utilities can leverage federal broadband grants

Article

The art of the public art installation: Building a vision with communities

Article

Digital supply chain challenge to cities and counties—another cyber minefield to navigate

Article

Three ways cities can support a modern workforce

Article

5 ways counties can mitigate remote access security risks

News

Remembering 9/11: The impact, then and now

WHITE PAPERS

Supercharge your ERP: How ERPs and Purpose-Built Solutions Work Together to Future-Proof Your Digital Strategy

Five Best Practices for Modern Digital Permitting and Licensing

Mechanizing the Mop: How modernized floor cleaning technologies are delivering powerful competitive advantages

Webinars

Digital Property Tax Collection: Tales from the Trenches of Modernization

Mind the Development Gaps: Keep Growth on Track by Aligning Planning, Zoning, Permitting, Licensing, and Enterprise Asset Management

Reporting and Compliance for Grant Funding

Podcast

Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

GALLERIES

Gallery: 10 of America’s most affordable cities

Gallery: Top 10 American cities most friendly to EVs

Gallery: America’s top 10 bicycle-friendly cities

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