Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

Community trust is a firefighter’s greatest asset

Firefighters are society’s first line of defense against natural disasters. When catastrophes...

Traverse City’s broadband project is a cautionary tale for other communities

As a former telecommunications executive who created business plans for fiber networks, I’ve...

Getting started: What any municipality can do now about EPA’s PFAS ruling for water systems

There is help for municipalities and community water providers overwhelmed by the April 2024...

Commentary

WIFIA funding helps communities address the impacts of climate change

Changes in climate can have significant negative impacts on water infrastructure and utilities. To address the impacts of climate change, communities across the country are incorporating strategies supporting climate resiliency and mitigation into their water systems. Climate resiliency is a water system’s ability to maintain services despite climate-related stress and to be better prepared for […]

Commentary

How one city is proactively managing AI use—and what local governments can learn from it

AI (artificial intelligence) had a big year last year. A topic once reserved for tech circles, it became a frequent news headline and a regular dinner table conversation piece. Governments across the world began shaping policies for AI. In the U.S., President Joe Biden enacted his executive order in October, which created several initiatives to […]

Commentary

What is going on with Vision Zero

In 2019, the Dallas County Council gave the green light to incorporate Vision Zero strategies into all future traffic planning in an effort to curb vehicle fatalities while increasing safe and healthy mobility for all. When a local TV station conducted a progress report in late 2023, however, investigators found that traffic crashes had killed […]

Article

Anatomy of a high-functioning strategic plan for city success

As cities adapt to meet the needs of increasingly diverse populations and to reflect the ever-changing dynamics of our economy and political environment, the demand for well-structured, forward thinking strategic planning is more pronounced than ever. A high-functioning strategic plan is a framework that transcends routine operations and charts a course towards transformation and positive […]

Article

How public-private partnerships are fueling growth in Orlando

The city of Orlando is the center of a growing, thriving metropolis that is home to more than two million residents. While theme parks and resorts attract tourists from across the globe and help fuel the economy, another growth engine in the form of public-private partnerships is strengthening economic development opportunities and improving the quality […]

Article

How coastal cities can prioritize and invest in climate resilience

The city of Virginia Beach, Va., has faced numerous climate challenges from hurricanes to sunny day flooding, and most recently the April 30, 2023 tornado impacting residents in the Great Neck neighborhood located in the northern part of the city. Anticipating a sea level rise between one and three feet in the not-so-distant future, Virginia […]

Article

Dam engineering on a deadline: When Leominster, Mass. was inundated by an epic rainfall event

Engineers who design, inspect, and plan repairs and upgrades of the more than 80,000 dams across the United States usually are thinking in timeframes of years—how long it will take to design and permit and complete projects? And of the decades or even centuries dams need to be counted on to last. Every once in […]

Article

How governments can help older adults age in place during a housing crisis

As a shortage of 6.5 million homes confronts the nation, the population of the U.S. skews increasingly older. The lack of affordable housing, compounded with the growing population of Americans over age 65, means that older adults who desire to age in place are finding it much more difficult to stay in their communities. The […]

Article

Adding resilience to roads without reconstruction

In Vermont this summer, torrential rains caused flooding of historic proportions, washing out roads or covering them in feet of mud. And in some coastal areas, sea level rise is making ‘sunny-day’ flooding a twice-monthly occurrence when the moon’s cycles pull tides higher. Often, the hardest hit areas during such extreme weather events are communities’ […]

Commentary

How state governments can help revitalize workforce development

Siloed and disjointed workforce development ecosystems can’t keep up with the dynamic needs of today’s economy. Isolated departments across government, business, nonprofits and academia are sometimes too slow to adapt to new workforce needs or to adjust to new technologies—resulting in significant skills gaps and talent shortages. To keep pace, state agencies across the country […]

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Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

Community trust is a firefighter’s greatest asset

Traverse City’s broadband project is a cautionary tale for other communities

Getting started: What any municipality can do now about EPA’s PFAS ruling for water systems

Commentary

WIFIA funding helps communities address the impacts of climate change

Commentary

How one city is proactively managing AI use—and what local governments can learn from it

Commentary

What is going on with Vision Zero

Article

Anatomy of a high-functioning strategic plan for city success

Article

How public-private partnerships are fueling growth in Orlando

Article

How coastal cities can prioritize and invest in climate resilience

Article

Dam engineering on a deadline: When Leominster, Mass. was inundated by an epic rainfall event

Article

How governments can help older adults age in place during a housing crisis

Article

Adding resilience to roads without reconstruction

Commentary

How state governments can help revitalize workforce development

WHITE PAPERS

Industrial AMR infographic

Mechanize the Mop White Paper

3 Ways to Reduce Time-to-Hire in the Public Sector

Webinars

Navigating POTS Replacement: Public Sector Considerations

Overcoming Challenges & Creating Opportunities in Government Grant Management

How to Successfully Implement LED Streetlights in Your Hometown with Federal Funds

Podcast

Podcast: Disaster Management Symposium preview

Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

GALLERIES

A new dashboard tracks early voting for the 2024 election. These 10 counties have cast the most votes so far

Here are the 10 most competitive rental markets in the U.S.

Cycling, recycling and green space: these are the top 10 most sustainable cities in the U.S.