The latest edition of the model city charter continues the National Civic League’s tradition of promoting ethical, efficient governance, but also includes some changes intended to sharpen its focus on public engagement and social equity.
When it comes to community engagement, the most effective solutions are local in nature, even if the underlying problem is widespread. Regardless of where a community member may fall on the political spectrum, there is a shared belief that we have an obligation to address housing affordability and housing insecurity.
To many local leaders concerned with neighborhood change, “developer” is a bad word. Yet, working with community-oriented developers is one way local leaders can thoughtfully navigate the growth of historically disadvantaged neighborhoods and encourage thoughtful investment and equitable development.
Public housing agencies and affordable housing organizations can serve as focal points and catalysts to bring together public, corporate and community-level stakeholders to promote early school success and equitable learning recovery using a system of 24/7/365 wraparound services and supports and a multigenerational approach.
During the late twentieth century, interest in local civic affairs began to wane in favor of following national political ideologies and personalities associated with them. But in Rye New Hampshire, a group of residents has re-activated a tradition, a nonpartisan civic league to promote a better understanding of and greater levels of participation in local affairs.
A conflict involving the local farmers’ market convinced civic leaders in this Indiana community to take a holistic approach to the issue that assessed the city’s ability to work proactively to mitigate other possible sources of division and unrest.
Business as usual during the COVID pandemic isn’t an option. Even the most basic of city services and activities have had to be reimagined—everything from graduations and church services to public meetings and trials had to be rethought. Communities that quickly and willingly pivoted to new solutions, have been the most successful in keeping people both safe and socially connected.
Democratic decision-making in the face of wicked problems, hyperpolarization, and the proliferation of conflict entrepreneurs is exceedingly difficult. In this environment, those of us attempting to serve as principled impartial resources for our communities face immense challenges and vocal opposition, often from multiple sides.
Common Ground for Action online forums are small group deliberations, rooted in non-partisan issue guides and facilitated by trained moderators. To deliberate, people type their thoughts in the live group chat, which creates an ongoing record of what the group is discussing and how they are grappling with the choices presented in the issue guide.
