Cities took a stand on climate issues, and spurred change for transit, housing, and more Thanks to a new occupant in the White House, cities are being asked to do more, be more, and help more people than they ever have before.
Cities are now leading the nation in addressing issues of environmental justice, economic accessibility, and racial inequality. The different ways that city leaders shoulder those new responsibilities, and in the process, push new ideas and innovations, is one of the reasons 2017 has been so exciting, and promises to make 2018 even more so. We?re asking, even demanding, that our cities make us better citizens.
In many respects, serious crises still grip our urban centers, from transportation and gridlock to growing inequality, a lack of inclusivity, and shrinking affordable housing stock. Cities, however, are getting to work, and their efforts so far have provided many reasons to feel optimistic after a very tumultuous year.
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Cities led the fight against climate change
For environmentalists, 2017 has been a year of exceptional extreme weather events, from devastating hurricanes to the wildfires in California. While the new administration has either looked the other way or blatantly disregarded any notion that the fight against climate change is urgent?backing out of the Paris Accord, rolling back regulations, even challenging the Clean Power Plan?cities have taken the opposite approach.
Right after Trump bac...