University of Wisconsin–Madison
Progressive Local Government
For the 21st Century

ProGov21 Policy Library

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Year
Parks: The Hidden Economic Engine of Cities
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2024
Level City or Town
State(s) All States, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Housing
A significant number of people, including children, lack access to a park within a 10-minute walk from their homes. Investment in parks is linked to economic vitality, job growth, and development rates. Cities should invest in public green spaces to provide accessible parks for all...
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Minority and Women Entrepreneurs: Building Capital, Networks, and Skills
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2015
Level County
State(s) All States, Wyoming
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Community Development, Public Spaces, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Education
The United States has an enviable entrepreneurial culture and a track record of building new companies. Yet new and small business owners often face particular challenges, including lack of access to capital, insufficient business networks for peer support, investment, and business...
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Paying for Water Systems
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Finance & Procurement
Water systems across the nation need major infrastructure updates, but financing these projects by raising rates for residential users shifts costs onto those least able to bear them. This policy memo provides strategies for local officials to fund water infrastructure equitably....
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Actionable Solutions for Public Water Systems
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level City or Town, County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Health, Finance & Procurement, Data & Technology
Cities face a host of challenges in maintaining their water systems and supplying their communities with clean drinking water, and protecting environmental and human health through effective wastewater and stormwater management. This report is is a comprehensive guide outlining best...
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Regional Food Hub Resource Guide
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2012
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Food, Health, Children & Families
This guide focuses on the role that regional food hubs play in addressing the distribution challenges faced by producers and increasing access to larger markets. The guide addresses frequently asked questions about regional food hubs, including their definition, impacts, barriers...
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Resources on Improving Equity and Reducing Disparities in Policing
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level City or Town, County, State
State(s) California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Tennessee, Wisconsin
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Civil Rights, Public Safety
Our communities face the ongoing legacy of racism through police violence and bias, which has led to the tragic deaths of people of color and individuals experiencing mental health crises. This brief offers strategies for local policymakers and police departments to reduce racial...
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Comfort K9 Program Overview
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2024
Level City or Town
State(s) Illinois
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Community Development, Public Safety
Innovative community engagement can build positive relationships between law enforcement and the people they serve. This fact sheet describes the Comfort K9 program developed in Sterling, IL, and how Brinkley and Millie became beloved figures in the community....
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Raising Wage & Benefit Standards
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice
This guide differentiates between the various types of paid leave (i.e. sick, medical, family, and parental leave) and highlights their respective benefits. It discusses options cities can take to enact local paid leave legislation, such as enacting ordinances that expand coverage...
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Harnessing the Economic Power of Anchor Institutions
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2014
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Education, Health, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families
This report examines the economic power of anchor institutions in addressing economic disparities and creating opportunities for low-income residents. Anchor institutions are influential organizations, such as universities and hospitals, deeply embedded in local communities. The report...
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Community Advocates in Wilkinsburg, PA, Ensure Every Baby Reaches Their Full Potential
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level County
State(s) Pennsylvania
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Community Development, Health, Food
Babies in Wilkinsburg, PA suffer from elevated blood lead levels and high mortality rates. In response, the Best Babies Zone (BBZ) Initiative has undergone multiple strategies in Wilkinsburg to improve access to quality health care and transform their educational, economic, and community...
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Paying For Water Systems
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Finance & Procurement
Many public water utilities struggle to pay for repairs and upgrades necessary to improve energy efficiency, reduce leaks, and prevent infiltration. This brief outlines existing mechanisms to raise these funds as well as promising new methods for public officials to consider. Some...
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Creating a Healthy Food Zone Around Schools
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2009
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Food, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Education, Community Development, Public Spaces, Transportation & Mobility
Many schools are surrounded by fast food restaurants, which provide students with easy access to unhealthy foods and undermine schools' efforts to offer nutritious meals. Prohibiting fast food restaurants from locating near schools is one strategy to help reduce childhood obesity...
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Model Resolution Declaring a City's Commitment to Not Invest in Fossil Fuels
Type Ordinance or Resolution
Year 2014
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Energy
This resolution applies to cities that do not currently invest in fossil fuel stock. It declares the intent of a city without fossil fuel investments to refrain from investing in fossil fuel companies in the future....
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Ensuring Racial Equity in Public Contracting
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2013
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Community Development, Public Spaces, Democracy & Governance
Businesses owned by people of color create jobs and build wealth in communities of color. Yet despite rapid growth of entrepreneurship among people of color - and women of color in particular - these businesses face significant barriers to growth and success. Government spending on...
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Leading With Transit: How City Leadership on Transit Can Create More Equitable, Sustainable, and Economically Vibrant Cities
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2018
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Transportation & Mobility
This brief focuses on what cities can do to create equitable and efficient transit that benefits everyone. An equitable transit system must be safe, convenient, affordable, and accessible; responsive to community needs; and integrated with other policy areas. Moreover, it outlines...
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The Power of Sustainable Purchasing
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2018
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources, Energy
Companies, governments, and institutions of all kinds purchase goods and services for their own use. But what they buy - and how they buy it - has a significant impact on local communities, the environment, and the economy - and in some unexpected ways, on the success of the business...
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Reporting and Responding to Political Violence
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2023
Level City or Town
State(s) California, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Public Safety
Leaders from historically marginalized backgrounds face more serious threats to their safety than their white, cisgender, heterosexual male counterparts. This brief provides methods for keeping elected officials safe and defending democracy. Best practices include creating policies...
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Best Practices for Pop-up Shops
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2023
Level City or Town
State(s) California, Colorado
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape for small local businesses, leaving many communities with vacant storefronts. Local officials can support economic recovery by supporting pop-up shop programs to support small businesses, provide free or subsidized retail space, and offer...
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Building Resiliency: The Role of Anchor Institutions in Sustaining Community Economic Development
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2013
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Education, Health, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families
Chester, Pennsylvania, a small, formerly industrial city located on the Delaware River, not far from Philadelphia, exemplifies the problems and possibilities faced by older manufacturing cities across the United States, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. Chester's problems of...
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Model Ordinance: Divestment from Fossil Fuel Companies
Type Ordinance or Resolution
Year 2014
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Energy
This act requires that a municipal public fund create a list of fossil fuel companies that match specific criteria, divest all holdings from the companies on this list over a 3-year period, and reinvest funds in socially responsible investments that satisfy prudent person standards....
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A Divest & Invest Guide for Local Governments
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources
It is up to local governments to lead the nation’s fight against climate change. Cities reduce emissions, make infrastructure less vulnerable, and coordinate with other local governments to amplify their impact. This report presents a toolbox of measures that cities can take to combat...
Setting the Agenda: A Mayor's Guide to Water Affordability
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level City or Town, County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources
This brief provides a roadmap to consider water affordability programs as a means to address aging and failing water infrastructure and diminishing access to clean and affordable water. The brief describes best practices and innovative solutions so that utilities can address the aging...
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Basic Water Utility Management: A Guide for Local Leaders
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources
Part of a mayor’s job is to understand vital operations of a city, including water utilities and infrastructure. This report presents tools to help mayors understand their water systems and utilities better. In particular, it summarizes the elements of a successful water system, including...
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The Road to Responsible Contracting: Lessons from States and Cities for Ensuring That Federal Contracting Delivers Good Jobs and Quality Services
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2009
Level City or Town, State
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement
This report outlines the failures of the current federal contracting system, and highlights state and city governments that are implementing responsible contracting reforms. Reform recommendations include conducting rigorous responsibility reviews and background checks on potential...
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Creating an Affordable Housing Ecosystem
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2024
Level City or Town, National
State(s) California, Vermont
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Community Development, Housing
Access to affordable housing in urban areas is limited, leading to economic disparities and concentrations of poverty. Communities can enhance economic development and sustainability by distributing affordable housing and job opportunities more equitably. This presentation by The...
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