Stimulating Discourse

Re-Imagining the Civic Commons Municipal Art Society Releases New Analysis on the Future of Shared Urban Spaces & Places – At a global convening at Manhattan's Civic Hall, the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) released Re-Imagining the Civic Commons, a first-of-its-kind analysis on the state of the "civic commons" - the constellation of shared assets like parks, libraries, post offices, public pools, and churches, that have historically served as the backbone of urban life. Read more

Big City, Big Ideas: Data Innovation and City Governance: How London (UK) and Toronto are responding to the opportunities & challenges of digital technologies – Mark Kleinman, Visiting Scholar at IMFG, Munk School of Global Affairs, looked at how these two cities with strong "knowledge economy" characteristics were using large-scale data sets to create new economic activities and jobs and deliver city services. Read more

Big Ideas Webinar: New York City’s Blueprints for Immigrant Integration Success – Serving immigrants is about smart policy-making, innovative responses to community needs, and cross-agency programming that better support immigrant New Yorkers. Watch the webinar

Big City, Big Ideas: The Rise and Decline of Urban Economies: Los Angeles and San Francisco since 1970 – Michael Storper, Professor of Regional and International Development and Director of Global Public Affairs, Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA shed light on the deep causes of economic development while challenging many notions about development in general and urban regions around the world. Watch the presentation

IMFG@10: The Past, Present, and Future of City Finance and Governance – On the 10th anniversary of the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance, panelists gave their progress reports on what, if anything, cities learned about municipal finance and governance. Watch the discussion

Big Ideas: Chicago’s New Americans Plan: Building a Thriving and Welcoming City – Adolfo Hernandez, Director, Chicago’s Office of New Americans was in conversation with Suzette Brooks Masters, J.M. Kaplan Fund of New York, about making Chicago “the most immigrant-friendly city” in the U.S. Watch the webinar

Edward L. Glaeser: Triumph of the City – Read why the Harvard professor says the city is humanity’s greatest invention and our best hope for the future in his latest book. Read the article

US cities race to attract immigrants –David Lubell, the executive director of Welcoming America, a U.S. nonprofit, on why so many elected officials in American cities are recognizing the economic imperative of welcoming and inclusive policies. Read the article

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