Introduction
The National League of Cities, a non-profit organization which aims to be a voice for local policy leaders, has released the 2024 edition of the State of the Cities report. This annual report draws on mayoral addresses, surveys from city mayors, and insights from locals to define the top priorities of local leaders to improve the well-being of their constituents.
State of the Cities mayoral addresses were collected from official government websites and analyzed by selecting words related to actionable priority categories and quantifying these as a ratio of the entire speech. Mayors across the United States were asked to be surveyed for this study, and respondents were representative of cities of all population sizes and regions. There was, however, less representation of cities with a population of 300,000+ or in the Northeast region. Public engagement by locals was measured by the posting and sharing of tweets related to actionable priority categories.
Main Content:
The 2024 State of the Cities report has found that mayoral and resident priorities for municipal policies are closely aligned. Mayoral speeches have highlighted economic development, infrastructure, housing, and public safety as key issues, whereas social media posts from residents to their local leaders have focused on infrastructure, energy, and education. Together, these data reveal that economic development, infrastructure, and housing are the top shared priorities between local leaders and their community.
Mayors believe that building a competitive and stable local economy is critical for the success of their cities. While the majority of mayors rate their city’s economic situation as acceptable to excellent, they are concerned about attracting businesses, a lack of federal investment, and poverty among their residents. They aim to overcome these challenges by finding avenues to attract businesses, developing their workforce, and investing in technology and innovation.
Age and extreme weather pose great threats for the integrity of local infrastructure. Systems such as roads, rails, water, and electric grids are degrading after decades of use, and the increasing incidence of natural disasters due to climate change exacerbates these effects. Mayors have identified increasing funding, increasing external support, and implementing new technologies as primary strategies to improve infrastructure.
In contrast to economic development and infrastructure, housing is a new top priority for mayors. Most mayors rate the state of housing in their cities as less than satisfactory, attributing high costs and low supply as major barriers to providing adequate housing to their residents. They aim to target costs and supply directly to address this crisis.
Although not a shared top priority with residents, mayors have expressed concern for the health and safety of their communities. They aim to tackle issues like substance abuse, mental health, violence, and police mistrust by developing a public workforce that is more diverse and community-oriented.
Conclusion:
The 2024 State of the Cities report demonstrates the dedication of local leaders to identify and address the most pressing issues for the residents of their communities. This sentiment also applies to local science policy initiatives. Ensuring these initiatives are informed, equitable, and community-centered will allow for the best service to our communities. For more information, find the complete report at https://www.nlc.org/resource/state-of-the-cities-2024/.
