Features

Overview

Features

Article Features By John Lorinc

People want to have kids and live downtown. Can they?

For decades, planners focused on attracting young singles to dense urban cores. That dynamic has shifted, in part because those young singles didn’t want to move to the suburbs to have kids. But many cities still don’t have enough affordable, family-sized housing or services.

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

‘Who are our cities for,’ asks Brian Goldstone, ‘if millions of Americans are homeless?’

“The painful truth is that it’s less of a contradiction than just the system functioning the way it’s been designed. That sounds bleak, but in fact, it points to the possibility of different choices: If systems are designed, they can be redesigned.”

Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

It’s 10 p.m. and a crisis has hit your city. Can you communicate with your residents effectively?

In recent years, cities across California have faced unprecedented challenges — wildfires, flooding, mass shootings, hazardous spills, and more. But the benefits of a good crisis communication plan go beyond emergencies.

Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

Your city is about to lose millions in federal funding. Now what?

In recent months, the federal government has slashed funding to cities and states, warning that almost every federal funding stream is under review. While cities can’t stop these cuts completely, they can take steps to mitigate them.

Article Features By Arthur Goncalves

Being a mayor was like conducting ‘a symphony of voices,’ says Asm. Diane Papan

“As mayor, you can call on certain voices to lower the temperature on a particular issue,” says Asm. Diane Papan. “Everyone gets an opportunity to speak, but it’s about what order you have them speak. The order of things can affect the outcome of a decision.”

Article Features By John Lorinc

Does transit-oriented development lead to gentrification? It’s complicated

“Displacement can happen across any income group,” says planner Karen Chapple, “and it can happen with benefits or with losses. The policy issue is, is the diversity of the neighborhood that you had before as sustained as the new transit improvement comes in?”

People socializing outside neighborhood cottages
Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

‘We’re using 20th century tools to respond to 21st century problems,’ argues urbanist Daniel Parolek

Most neighborhoods used to have a mix of single-family homes and houses with multiple units. But today, many cities struggle to provide that same level of choice. Daniel Parolek says that’s because the systems needed to deliver those choices have disappeared.

Article Features by Jackie Krentzman

Housing in God’s backyard picks up as cities seek new ways to close the affordable housing gap

As congregations continue to dwindle, many churches and other houses of worship have found themselves with empty swaths of parking lots and land. Some are building affordable housing on the roughly 47,000 acres of potentially developable land. 

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

Want to end homelessness, recover faster from a disaster, or upskill workers? Call your library

According to State Librarian Greg Lucas, no other government-paid-for entity is as nimble or flexible as libraries. That makes them pillars of their community and well-positioned to tackle some of our biggest challenges — if they have the funding.  

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

These cities shifted gears to make big roadway changes

Elk Grove, Burbank, and San Pablo were some of the winners of the 2025 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Awards. Elk Grove dramatically improved its streets thanks to a systemic, fix-it-first maintenance approach. Burbank and San Pablo both overhauled major traffic corridors. 

Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

How three cities are turning last night’s pizza boxes into tomorrow’s compost and electricity

California is in the middle of an ambitious effort to overhaul its waste systems — chief among them organic waste. But reducing the million tons of organic waste thrown away each year has proven challenging. Here’s how three cities are successfully meeting the mandate.

Article Features By Betsy Montiel

Should your city embrace GenAI? It’s complicated

Many cities have long used artificial intelligence for routine tasks. Some are seizing on advances in AI to further automate everyday tasks. But as with any new tool or policy, there are benefits and costs to using AI. Experts say it’s crucial for cities to have guardrails over anything AI produces.

A 5-over-1 residential building with ground-floor commercial space.
Article Features By Robert J. Landeros

Housing affordability has become a public service issue, with potentially devastating impacts

The high cost of housing has had repercussions on all aspects of life, including employee recruitment and retention. And while staffing shortages are impacting nearly every public service sector, they are potentially life-threatening for public safety.

Article Features By Barbara Halliday and Jan Perkins

The golden rules for new council members

Being a council member is harder than it looks from the outside. Councils that get the most done have a clear vision, shared goals, and a collaborative relationship with the manager and staff based on respect, trust, communication, and accountability. 

Article Features By Ioli Filmeridis

New study sheds light on which local elected officials are likely to get harassed and why

Incivility has become normalized at the local level. But these incidents don’t affect everyone equally. A study of local elected officials in San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties gives us a clearer picture of who gets harassed in Southern California and why. 

Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

What happens when reporters leave your town

California has lost one-third of its newspapers since 2005. One county has no local news outlets, while 18 have just one. City officials say the decline in reliable, local news coverage has hampered their mission, damaged community trust, and fueled misinformation.

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

How cities can respond to and heal from mass shootings

Even with the nation’s most effective gun laws, Californians experienced a mass shooting every six days in 2023. “It is a sad state of affairs for our country and our community that we’ve had so many mass shootings that a set of best practices have emerged,” said one expert.

Article Features By Bernard Molloy II

How your city can help secure residents the best possible fire insurance rates

Californians are struggling with skyrocketing fire insurance premiums and canceled policies. And it’s not clear if regulatory efforts to lower prices will have their intended effect. Fire departments can play a key role in lowering rates both now and in the future.

Article Features By Sasha D’Amico

How city officials can prevent and respond to workplace violence

More city officials — particularly women — are facing threats and harassment. Although every city has unique and varied safety concerns, there are some common practices your city can adopt to safeguard elected officials and staff before misfortune strikes. 

Article Features Doug Levy, with David Oro, Brian Baker, and Alexa Davis

Harnessing AI’s power for cities while combating misinformation

Generative artificial intelligence can both enhance city services and cause great harm. This is where policies matter. You need to know exactly what data your AI tool uses and carefully review AI-generated content before publishing it.