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.
Is This Small City the Future of Democratic Engagement in America? Is This Small City the Future of Democratic Engagement in America?
Activists in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have embarked on a nonstop campaign to resurrect the practice of progressive politics in the heart of Trump country.
May 2, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
From Austin to Missoula, This Is What the Fight Against Trumpism Looks Like From Austin to Missoula, This Is What the Fight Against Trumpism Looks Like
Dispatches from the Urban Resistance, April edition.
Apr 28, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
Meet the Radical Workers’ Cooperative Growing in the Heart of the Deep South Meet the Radical Workers’ Cooperative Growing in the Heart of the Deep South
Cooperation Jackson is trying to build an alternative economy for the city’s majority-black residents.
Apr 24, 2017 / P.E. Moskowitz
New York City’s Mayor Proposes Free Universal Preschool for 3-Year-Olds New York City’s Mayor Proposes Free Universal Preschool for 3-Year-Olds
With “3-K for All in NYC,” Bill de Blasio is ramping up the fight against educational inequality.
Apr 24, 2017 / StudentNation / Jarrett Murphy
Trans Rights Weren’t the Only Target of North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Bill’ Trans Rights Weren’t the Only Target of North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Bill’
HB2 is part of a sweeping attack on local progressive power by Republican state legislatures.
Mar 31, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
These Cities Are Pulling Billions From the Banks That Support the Dakota Access Pipeline These Cities Are Pulling Billions From the Banks That Support the Dakota Access Pipeline
From Seattle to San Francisco, Albuquerque to Raleigh, cities are joining the fight to defund the controversial pipeline.
Mar 20, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias
Bill de Blasio Dodges Campaign Finance Charges—but Not Ethics Questions Bill de Blasio Dodges Campaign Finance Charges—but Not Ethics Questions
New York City’s mayor may have behaved like plenty of other politicians, but progressives have an obligation to do better.
Mar 17, 2017 / Jarrett Murphy
Can New York’s Mayor Do More to Protect Immigrants From ICE? Can New York’s Mayor Do More to Protect Immigrants From ICE?
Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to protect immigrants from Trump’s deportation machine, but some of his own policies might get in the way.
Mar 14, 2017 / Jarrett Murphy
Betsy DeVos’s Education Agenda Can Be Overturned. This City Shows How. Betsy DeVos’s Education Agenda Can Be Overturned. This City Shows How.
What Philadelphia’s fight against market-driven school “reform” can teach us about resisting attacks on public education.
Mar 7, 2017 / StudentNation / Helen Gym
Can a Champion of Black Lives Matter Become Mayor of St. Louis? Can a Champion of Black Lives Matter Become Mayor of St. Louis?
Tishaura Jones is running to “uproot racism” just a few miles from the streets where Michael Brown was murdered.
Mar 3, 2017 / Jimmy Tobias