ProGov21 Policy Library

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, National, Other, Other Boards and Agencies, School Board, School District, State

State(s) All States

Source Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development

To combat structural inequities, policymakers must examine how policy decisions impact historically disadvantaged populations. This guide contains strategies for identifying potential impacts on structural inequality, including items such as identifying the groups affected by decisions...

City Justice Policy Advisors Network

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Public Safety

The City Justice Policy Advisors Network (CJPAN) offers a peer learning platform to support local leaders in reducing jail use, addressing racial disparities, and embedding equity in community institutions. By fostering collaboration, sharing expertise, and promoting equity-driven...

Creating an Affordable Housing Ecosystem

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) All States, Tennessee

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Community Development, Housing

The housing burden, exacerbated by the expiration of pandemic-era relief measures and rising inflation, has made it difficult for local governments to keep people housed despite rapid new housing developments. Access to affordable housing in urban areas is limited, leading to economic...

Playing with Public Money in Milwaukee

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town

State(s) Wisconsin

Source COWS, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice

Public subsidies for sports stadiums, like Milwaukee's proposed Iron District, are often justified by promises of economic development, but decades of research show they rarely deliver significant local benefits. The report highlights how developers capitalize on public resources...

A Short Guide to Setting Up a City-Scale Retrofit Program

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level City or Town

State(s) California, New York, Washington

Source Green For All and Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS)

Policy Areas Community Development, Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

Municipalities can implement city-scale retrofit programs to improve energy efficiency in buildings, create jobs, and reduce energy costs, particularly targeting low-income communities. These programs should include financial mechanisms to make retrofits accessible for most residents,...

Racial Equity in Public Policy Message Guide

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, National, School Board, School District

State(s) All States

Source Voices for Healthy Kids

Policy Areas -

Conversations about race and racism are often treated with difficulty, discomfort and even fear or avoidance from allies and critics alike, especially when those conversations are with powerful decisionmakers. This guide offers communications strategies that advocates can use with...

Parking Requirements and Housing Development: Regulation and Reform in Los Angeles

Type Article

Year 2014

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source ACCESS Magazine, Spring 2014, Number 44

Policy Areas Community Development, Housing, Transportation & Mobility

The cost of parking is being shifted to housing costs due to minimum parking requirements, which reduces the amount and variety of housing available. The city should remove parking requirements to encourage more and varied housing development. This policy change is related to urban...

Stopping Violence, Saving Lives

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) Massachusetts, Missouri, Tennessee

Source Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction

Policy Areas Public Safety

Community gun violence, the leading cause of death for youth, underscores systemic inequities and a lack of coordinated prevention efforts. Cities must adopt evidence-based strategies and comprehensive plans led by mayors, emphasizing both enforcement and non-enforcement approaches...

TO TRACK OR NOT TO TRACK? Towards privacy-friendly and sustainable online advertising

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Panoptykon Foundation

Policy Areas Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance

Unethical practices in online advertising like real-time bidding and surveillance-driven models put people at risk and violates their privacy. Localities should create incentives for privacy-friendly advertising in the ePrivacy regulation, limit platform power through the Digital...

Party Time: Creating a New Party

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 1990

Level State

State(s) New York

Source Daniel Cantor & Joel Rogers

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

The current U.S. political system is dominated by business interests, leading to low voter participation, significant income inequality, and inefficient government policies. This brief argues for building a 'New Party' (NP) within the existing Democratic Party, which would cross-endorse...

Cities Should Charge the Right Prices for Curb Parking

Type Article

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) California, New York

Source ACCESS Magazine, Number 38, Spring 2011

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Transportation & Mobility

Street parking is underpriced and overcrowded, leading to significant traffic congestion and negative environmental impacts from drivers cruising for parking spaces. Localities should implement performance pricing for curb parking, adjusting prices based on occupancy rates to ensure...

The City's Role in Private Sector Job Quality

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Democracy & Governance

Outdated labor laws and inadequate job quality undermine the health and well-being of workers and communities. Local municipal policies and strategic community partnerships can help improve labor rights, economic development, and public health. Community leaders should advocate for...

Saving Lives: Ten Essential Actions Cities Can Take to Reduce Violence Now

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Council on Criminal Justice

Policy Areas Public Safety

This report argues that city leaders should aim for a 10% annual reduction in homicides and non-fatal shootings by identifying key individuals and locations driving violence and creating comprehensive citywide engagement plans. Solutions must include place-based policing, investments...

Hardships in America

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2001

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education, Health, Housing, Children & Families

Many working families in the United States are living in poverty despite working full-time. A stronger social safety net, including universal programs for health care, child care, and housing, is necessary to support single parents, young workers, people from historically marginalized...

Parking Reform Made Easy

Type Article

Year 2013

Level City or Town, State

State(s) California

Source Richard Willson

Policy Areas Community Development, Transportation & Mobility

Excessive and inefficient parking requirements in zoning ordinances have led to the overbuilding and underutilization of parking spaces, contributing to sprawling developments and wasted land. Localities should reform parking requirements by examining local planning characteristics,...

Opportunities and Challenges for TODs in Southern California

Type Article

Year 2013

Level County

State(s) California

Source Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Urban Planning in UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs

Policy Areas Community Development, Environment & Natural Resources, Housing, Transportation & Mobility

The slow implementation of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is hindered by poor planning, lack of coordination among agencies, community resistance, and high costs. TOD can address urban issues like housing affordability, sprawl, and transit accessibility by promoting sustainable...

Climate Empowerment Summer 2024 Policy Meeting

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources

The key to closing equity gaps and resolving climate vulnerability is direct participation by impacted communities in the development and implementation of solutions and policy decisions that directly impact them. This guide provides stages of engagement that can be utilized to strengthen...

Parking Charity

Type Article

Year 2014

Level City or Town

State(s) California, Colorado, Washington

Source ACCESS Almanac

Policy Areas Community Development, Transportation & Mobility

A shortage of curb parking during the peak holiday shopping season is created by free parking policies, leading to increased traffic congestion and pollution. The city should donate all parking meter revenue in December to support the homeless population, rather than offering free...

Reimagining a Legacy Transit System: Lessons from Wilmington, Delaware

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town, State

State(s) Delaware

Source State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI)

Policy Areas Transportation & Mobility

Bus congestion and inefficiency create barriers to community development and environmental sustainability. Local elected officials should implement both immediate solutions and long-term strategic planning to improve air quality, support economic development, and enhance quality of...

The State of Prison Food in New England

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level State

State(s) Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

Source Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Food, Health

The poor quality of prison food in New England is the result systemic forces such as exacerbating health disparities and socioeconomic inequalities within incarcerated populations. Existing policies often prioritize cost-cutting over nutritional adequacy, leading to widespread diet-related...

Replicating Successful Projects: Leveraging the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Healthy Babies Initiative

Policy Areas Children & Families, Environment & Natural Resources, Health

Exposure to neurotoxins is damaging to children's brain development and particularly affects youth in urban areas. Localities should replicate successful projects that reduce air pollution, lead, or other neurotoxic exposures, leveraging bipartisan infrastructure law funds when possible....

State of the Cities 2024

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Community Development, Environment & Natural Resources, Health, Housing, Public Safety

Mayors are responsible for continuing improvement in their cities and aligning the priority of their policy issues with their constituents. This report provides guidance on the focus of city leaders in 2024 compared to the public's sentiment on policy. The report found a lack of convergence...

How to Rethink the Policing Function

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, National, State

State(s) All States

Source The Policing Project at NYU Law

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Public Safety

Policing in its current form often fails to address social issues effectively, leading to stratified over-criminalization along socioeconomic lines. This report advocates for reimagining the policing function by establishing formal processes to evaluate community needs, reallocating...

Effectiveness of Colorado Community Wildfire Protection Plans: A Plan Quality Review

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) Colorado

Source University of Wisconsin

Policy Areas Community Development, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Safety

The increasing severity and cost of wildfires require the implementation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) that mitigate these fires through fuel reduction and structural ignitability treatments. Wildfire mitigation strategies should be integrated with local land use...

Beyond Inclusion: Equity in Public Engagement

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County, Other, Other Boards and Agencies, School Board, School District, State

State(s) All States

Source Simon Fraser University Wosk Centre for Dialogue

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

This guide is designed for individuals sponsoring or planning public engagement initiatives that will inform decision-making in governments, organizations or institutions across sectors. It is designed to public engagement practitioners move beyond inclusion and towards a practice...

ProGov21 Policy Library

Remove Entry

There was an error communicating with the server.

There was an error while saving your data.

Error

Update Page Content

You are leaving the page