Dive Brief
- Economic development was the predominant theme in 50 mayoral “state of the cities” speeches given from January through March 2024, according to the National League of Cities’ eleventh State of the Cities 2024 report, released Wednesday.
- Economic development was followed by infrastructure and then housing. For the first time in the report’s history, housing was one of the top three themes in mayoral addresses, which NLC says indicates local leaders’ increasing attention to the housing crisis.
- “Economic and workforce development tend to be one of the two top priorities every year, basically, for mayors, and rightly so, because it's so intertwined with every other area of public policy that everyone cares about,” Farhad Omeyr, report co-author and program director of the NLC’s Center for Research and Data, said on a Wednesday webinar.
Dive Insight:
The NLC’s annual State of the Cities report offers “a nuanced understanding” of local leaders’ priorities, obstacles and strategies for addressing challenges, the organization’s CEO and executive director, Clarence Anthony, said in a statement.
Wednesday’s report includes data on public sentiment, which the NLC says indicates that residents are concerned about the same issues as mayors. “Our research shows that the concerns of residents and local elected leaders are synced, indicating a high level of responsiveness that helps explain why local government is the most trusted level of government,” Anthony said.
The report’s survey of about 200 mayors showed that the most common strategy they are using to address economic development challenges is attracting businesses, followed by revitalizing downtowns and developing workforces. “Just like everyone else, our downtown has struggled post-pandemic,” Kim Norton, mayor of Rochester, Minnesota, said on the webinar, pointing to a downtown task force the city created to understand the impact on businesses and get their feedback on how to change as a city.
Economic development may look different in smaller communities. Lisa Gilbert, mayor of Elaine, Arkansas, described on the webinar how her community is working to leverage nearby natural resources to revitalize its downtown. Gilbert specifically pointed to a new bike trail that she hopes will attract tourism and cyclists. “It’s starting to understand what we don't have, but focusing on what we could have and what is available to us and the natural resources that we have here currently,” she said.
An increasing interest in infrastructure among mayors is another trend highlighted in the report, Omeyr said. “Over the past five years, infrastructure has become more and more important in the list of priorities for mayors, mainly after the passage of [the] bipartisan infrastructure law, which was a historic moment for the nation,” he said.
