Local Issue Deep Dives
Extreme Heat and Cities: Heat Plans, Shade, Cool Roofs and Equity
How cities plan for extreme heat: heat action plans, chief heat officers, cooling centers, tree canopy and cool roofs, what works and who benefits.
Series
Local Issue Deep Dives
Balanced analysis of the issues that dominate council agendas: housing, transit, policing, heat, short-term rentals.
Local Issue Deep Dives
Civilian Police Oversight Boards: Models, Powers and Evidence
How civilian police oversight works: review boards, auditors and investigative agencies, city examples, the powers that matter, and arguments on both sides.
Local Issue Deep Dives
Public Transit Funding: Fares, Sales Taxes and the Fiscal Cliff
How local transit is funded, why agencies face a post-pandemic fiscal cliff, what recent ballot measures and state rescues did, and the service tradeoffs.
Local Issue Deep Dives
Short-Term Rentals: How Cities Regulate Airbnb and Vrbo
How cities regulate short-term rentals: registration, caps and bans, what NYC's Local Law 18 changed, effects on housing and tourism, and both sides.
Local Issue Deep Dives
Zoning Reform and Housing Affordability: What the Evidence Shows
A balanced look at zoning reform and housing affordability: single-family zoning, ADUs, parking minimums, real city results, and how to weigh in locally.