Author: Farver, Michah and Mcfarland, Christiana K.

Publication Year: 2015

Media Type: Report

Summary:

The National League of Cities (NLC) is publishing this yearly benchmarking report, State of the Cities, which provides an analysis of trends in cities and the response of local governments based on annual state of the city addresses from mayors across the country. With the growing centrality of cities, our mayoral voices provide a unique window into contemporary conditions and the future direction of our country.

Abstract:

For the first time in human history, the majority of the world’s population (54%) lives in urban areas, including 80 percent of Americans. This number is expected to grow to 66 percent of the world’s population by 2050.

Increasing population growth in cities not only leads to greater citizen demand on local government but also creates an entire new ecosystem in which local governments must respond and adapt. In a world where the only constant is change, a mayoral focus on future opportunities and challenges is imperative. City leaders need to grapple with and understand how decisions today can help create socially cohesive places years into the future where the benefits of growth enhance quality of life for all residents.

For this reason, the National League of Cities (NLC) is publishing this yearly benchmarking report, State of the Cities, which provides an analysis of trends in cities and the response of local governments based on annual state of the city addresses from mayors across the country. With the growing centrality of cities, our mayoral voices provide a unique window into contemporary conditions and the future direction of our country.

While research has been done on the president’s State of the Union address and on governors’ state of the state speeches, very little analysis has been undertaken of mayoral state of the city speeches. NLC’s State of the Cities 2014 report is the first in a new endeavor to examine a broad cross-section of these speeches from cities across the country. This year’s baseline report will provide the foundation for annual benchmarking for years to come and offer a valuable tool for assessing trends and strategies.

Key findings from this year’s report:

• Topline issues for the nation’s mayors are jobs and the economy, budget and finance, and public safety.
• Jobs, education and housing are common topics in the speeches of larger city mayors, whereas public safety is the leading priority issue in cities with population below 50,000.
• Transportation issues receive extensive attention from mayors in the West and South, environmental issues from mayors in the West, education from mayors in the Northeast, and housing from mayors in the West and Midwest.

For this report, we conducted a content analysis of 100 state of the city mayoral speeches from cities refl ecting a diverse cross-section of population sizes and geographic regions. [Introduction, p. 2]

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Local Arts Agencies, Community Development