Aligning Local, State and Federal Policies
We created The American City Agenda — a policy framework focused on aligning local, state and federal policies and the roles of the public, private and philanthropic sectors for urban transformation. The Agenda seeks to overcome a “squeaky wheel” approach to change—moving from one critical issue to another but never addressing the whole, such as linking housing, jobs, transportation and climate change.
Working with both a city and a state government is a critical part of The American City Agenda. In May 2008, Living Cities, along with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson, announced a partnership focused on aligning policy and implementing an integrative strategy in both Cleveland and the state of Ohio. Since then, state and local officials, key community groups, local philanthropies and representatives from Living Cities have charted an ambitious path that cuts across traditional policy categories, spans the full range of government agencies and harnesses the collective power of the public, private and philanthropic sectors.