Metropolitics

Race and Progressive Politics in Chicago

John J. Betancur & Leonor Vanik — 2019-01-09T06:00:00Z

The progressive movement in Chicago may not be as broad-minded as depicted in the academic literature. Racial polarization based on plantation politics are part of a strategy the Democratic machine used to drive a wedge in mayoral campaigns, yet additional factors are contributing toward a multifaceted fragmentation of progressives as a movement as outlined in mainstream literature.
---- Series: Progressive Mayors and Urban Social Movements This article examines progressive politics in

- From the Field / Chicago, United States, progressive urban politics, race, local politics, mayors, progressive mayors

Organizing Against Projet Gentrification: Housing Activism in a White-Supremacist Landscape in Montreal

Pierce Nettling — 2018-11-27T06:00:00Z

Housing activists in Montreal and Quebec have successfully sought to secure tenant rights and social housing for over 50 years at neighborhood, city and provincial level. Here, Pierce Nettling discusses how the continued reliance of left-wing parties on a white francophone political base mirrors the long-standing and systemic problems of racism in the province.
---- Series: Progressive Mayors and Urban Social Movements Montreal's left-based housing movements are rather unique in North

- Essays / gentrification, housing, racism, social housing, Montreal, public housing, Canada, affordable housing, progressive urban politics, race, mayors, progressive mayors, Quebec

Backpedaling in Birmingham

William Grady Holt — 2018-11-20T06:00:00Z

Despite the 2017 election of progressive, black mayors in major southern US cities, citizens who supported these candidates quickly learned that the new mayoral agendas looked very similar to the old ones. In Birmingham, Alabama, the election of Randall Woodfin resulted in city funds being utilized for business interests, such as helping a tech company lure talent to the city. When Woodfin backed a proposal for a $2.5 million four-block bike trail while local potholes were being filled with red

- From the Field / United States, neighborhood, progressive urban politics, civil rights, mayors, progressive mayors, Birmingham (Alabama)

When Progressive Mayors Aren't Enough: Homes for All and Trans-Local Social Movements

H. Jacob Carlson & Marnie Brady & Gianpaolo Baiocchi — 2018-11-13T06:00:00Z

Progressive governments are often pulled away from their campaign promises by local growth-coalition interests or for other reasons. Social movements serve as necessary progressive counterweights. H. Jacob Carlson, Marnie Brady and Gianpaolo Baiocchi show how the growing Homes for All campaign uses trans-local organizing to connect organizers across distant places to build both local and national momentum for progressive housing demands.
---- Series: Progressive Mayors and Urban Social

- From the Field / housing, urban policy, social movement, United States, networks, affordable housing, progressive urban politics, policymaking, mayors, progressive mayors, trans-local, housing justice

The Making of a Progressive Mayor: James Kenney of Philadelphia

Richardson Dilworth — 2018-10-17T05:00:00Z

Philadelphia's voters elected James Kenney Mayor in 2015 after he had served more than two decades as an at‑large member of the city council. Given Kenney's roots in relatively conservative South Philadelphia, there was little to suggest that he would become a progressive mayor. Yet his personal proclivities—and need for votes as an at‑large councilmember—ultimately led him to construct an electoral coalition that combined Black, White working-class, and liberal groups.
---- Series :

- Essays / United States, progressive urban politics, Philadelphia, local politics, politics, mayors, progressive mayors

Inclusive Place-Based Leadership: Lesson-Drawing from Urban Governance Innovations in Bristol, UK

Robin Hambleton — 2018-10-09T05:00:00Z

Across the world, progressive city leaders are working to limit the damaging impact of decisions made by “placeless” leaders, meaning powerful interests that are unconcerned about the consequences of their decisions for particular places and communities. Robin Hambleton outlines a new way of thinking about place-based leadership and reports on the steps being taken by Mayor Marvin Rees and other civic leaders in Bristol, UK, to test this model in practice.
---- Series: Progressive Mayors and

- From the Field / local government, governance, local governance, United Kingdom, progressive urban politics, civic innovation, progressive mayors, city leadership, power of place, collaborative governance, inclusion, Bristol, England

The Leaderless Urban Social Movement as Problem and Solution

Caio Teixeira — 2018-09-25T05:00:00Z

Today, with urban uprisings driven by leaderless social movements, the future of the would-be progressive agenda has been called into question. Inspired by Brazil's “June Journeys”, Caio Teixeira explores how we might situate leaderless social movements and their forward-looking agenda within the context of the leftist political spectrum.
---- Series: Progressive Mayors and Urban Social Movements The literature on urban politics has shown the enduring role of progressive social movements in

- From the Field / public transportation, local government, São Paulo, social movement, transport, state, mass transit, progressive urban politics, Brazil, fares, political power, policymaking, mayors, progressive mayors, horizontality, leaderless social movements

Local Leadership and Global Goals: How City Sustainability Networks are Changing Progressive Policymaking

Emma French & Supraja Sudharsan & Jennifer Clark — 2018-09-18T09:47:41Z

While national governments often struggle to address global climate change, cities are in a better position to innovate, especially through peer networks that publicly value sustainability. However, challenges remain, notably in translating intention into action and building internal capacity. Here, we show how mayors have influenced policymaking in four southeastern US cities.
---- Series: Progressive Mayors and Urban Social Movements The global nature of environmental crises has

- Essays / urban policy, New Orleans, environment, United States, energy, networks, resilience, progressive urban politics, climate change, climate action plans, Atlanta, urban sustainability, capacity building, policymaking, Houston, Orlando, mayors, progressive mayors