The New Localism

Finding local solutions when the nation cannot, or will not. This book cites many positive examples of how cities across the US have taken the lead in dealing creatively with their local problems - even while the national government too often was gripped in partisan gridlock. The authors call for a twenty-first century localism, one attuned to the needs of all citizens. "Power now belongs to the problem solvers" With the rise of the politics of rejectionism in the United States and much of Europe, how can communities solve the serious social, economic, and environmental challenges they face? The answer, according to urban experts Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak, lies within those cities and urban areas that have been on the cutting edge already, solving the problems of modern postindustrial societies by working to create new vehicles “to get things done.” The authors define this power to make change the “New Localism.” Power has moved downward, from the national and state government to the city and metropolitan area. It has also moved horizontally, from the public sector to networks of public, private, and civic actors, and globally along circuits of capital, trade, and innovation. While the United States has struggled unsuccessfully, as a nation, with such systemic problems as rotting infrastructure and rising income inequality, cities in both “red” and “blue” states have found their own innovative solutions. Solving problems at the local level is not only more practical than wishing for national solutions, it can produce better results through a more democratic process. And public resources can be marshaled more efficiently when they are aligned with local market demands. The New Localism tells the stories of how Pittsburgh and Indianapolis in the American heartland and Copenhagen in Europe have taken the lead in dealing creatively with local problems. Chattanooga, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, and St. Louis are profiled as well, providing examples of successful innovation and entrepreneurship. The authors call for a twenty-first-century localism as demonstrated by these cities—one attuned to the needs of all citizens, including those in rural America. Out of these stories emerge new norms of growth, governance, and finance, and a path toward a more prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive society. The New Localism provides a roadmap for change that starts in the communities where most people live and work.In their new book, The New Localism, urban experts Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak reveal where the real power to create change lies and how it can be used to address our most serious social, economic, and environmental challenges.Power is shifting in the world: downward from national governments and states to cities and metropolitan communities; horizontally from the public sector to networks of public, private and civic actors; and globally along circuits of capital, trade, and innovation.This new locus of power—this new localism—is emerging by necessity to solve the grand challenges characteristic of modern societies: economic competitiveness, social inclusion and opportunity; a renewed public life; the challenge of diversity; and the imperative of environmental sustainability. Where rising populism on the right and the left exploits the grievances of those left behind in the global economy, new localism has developed as a mechanism to address them head on.New localism is not a replacement for the vital roles federal governments play; it is the ideal complement to an effective federal government, and, currently, an urgently needed remedy for national dysfunction.In The New Localism, Katz and Nowak tell the stories of the cities that are on the vanguard of problem solving. Pittsburgh is catalyzing inclusive growth by inventing and deploying new industries and technologies. Indianapolis is governing its city and metropolis through a network of public, private and civic leaders. Copenhagen is using publicly owned assets like their waterfront to spur large scale redevelopment and finance infrastructure from land sales.Out of these stories emerge new norms of growth, governance, and finance and a path toward a more prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive society. Katz and Nowak imagine a world in which urban institutions finance the future through smart investments in innovation, infrastructure and children and urban intermediaries take solutions created in one city and adapt and tailor them to other cities with speed and precision.As Katz and Nowak show us in The New Localism, “Power now belongs to the problem solvers.”