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.
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April 6, 2015
Meet Rahm Emanuel’s Other Election Day Challenger
Whether Emanuel wins or loses his fight for mayor, the savvy coalition leading the charge against him may already have changed Chicago politics for the better.
Micah Uetricht
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March 31, 2015
Is the Former Capital of the Confederacy Finally Ready to Confront Its Poverty—and Its Past?
Richmond, Virginia, is the eleventh-most-unequal big city in the country; its leaders finally want to change that.
Sasha Abramsky
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March 4, 2015
How the Movement to Unseat Rahm Emanuel Is Challenging ‘1 Percent’ Urbanism
As Chuy Garcia gains momentum, another city seems possible.
John Nichols
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January 21, 2015
Can a Progressive Mayor Govern New York City?
Bill de Blasio was elected to unite a divided city, but some rifts are hard to mend.
Sarah Jaffe
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January 7, 2015
Bill de Blasio Is Just Getting Started
The former activist and New York public advocate discusses his first year as mayor.
Eric Alterman
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The Nation is reader supported.
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December 10, 2014
Meet the Group of Feisty Urban Progressives Who Want to Transform the Country One City at a Time
At a Local Progress gathering in New York City, “pothole progressives” shared strategies for a grassroots, social justice revival.
Steve Early
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November 21, 2014
What Does it Take for One Small City to Vanquish an Oil Giant?
Progressives in Richmond, California, trounced Chevron on Election Day, but the company remains a powerful local force.
Harriet Blair Rowan and Jimmy Tobias
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November 12, 2014
How One California City Began Bringing Its Murder Rate Down—Without Cops
While other cities have embraced heavy-handed policing tactics, Richmond, California, has offered mentoring and money to its most at-risk young men.
Heather Tirado Gilligan
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October 23, 2014
Can a ‘Homeless Bill of Rights’ End the Criminalization of LA’s Most Vulnerable Residents?
After years of harassment by the police, homeless Angelenos and their allies fight back.
John Thomason
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October 15, 2014
What Happens When A City Decides to Offer Addicts Services, Not Prison Sentences?
Inspired by Seattle, Santa Fe adopts the LEAD program to divert people arrested for drug possession away from the criminal justice system and into treatment.
Aaron Cantú