Join us tomorrow at 1 p.m. Eastern for the first of two Vanguard Chicago info sessions. Hear from Next City staff, board members and alumni about the application process and what to expect from the 2026 Vanguard Conference. nextcity.org/events/detai...

Podcast: A creative collective has lessons on embedding artists inside government agencies to spark our civic imagination. nextcity.org/podcast/meet...

Op-ed: Aggressive construction targets dominate the national housing agenda. But without seriously confronting land speculation, building housing won’t deliver affordability. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: Government staffers are trained to manage complex dollars, build coalitions and move big systems. Those same skills can help nonprofits of any size unlock new funding and policy wins. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Heirs’ property issues can block disaster survivors from accessing FEMA assistance. In eastern Kentucky, free legal clinics are helping families clear titles and protect inherited land. nextcity.org/features/unt...

Chicago mayor under fire over TIF use, rural counties want cities to take responsibility for “buy and dry” land deals, and more. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Investor-owned utilities have been slow to ditch oil and gas. The city of Ann Arbor plans to boost access to renewables through a new dual-service model. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: Congress is weighing a ban on institutional investors buying houses. But we can address the bigger problem by giving communities priority access to distressed government-backed housing assets. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

A coalition of immigrant rights organizations is showing up to keep their communities safe. nextcity.org/features/mem...

Credit unions serving low-income populations are increasingly letting their CDFI certification lapse. But they’re not retreating from their mission. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: Government staffers are trained to manage complex dollars, build coalitions and move big systems. Those same skills can help nonprofits of any size unlock new funding and policy wins. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: Today, the prison island immortalizes a man who sold Black New Yorkers into slavery. Once the prison is shut down, the city should instead honor the man who fought to stop it. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

The environmental costs of strikes on Iran, San Diego County sues over blocked inspection at ICE detention center, and more. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

In Philly’s Germantown, residents are learning practical preparedness skills — from water storage to power outage planning — while building the neighborhood networks that help communities survive disasters. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

After 10 years and just $16.7 million in repairs — a sliver of what’s needed to fix Detroit’s aging homes — a city-backed home repair loan program is shut down for an overhaul. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Expanding access to home finance did not eliminate the structural barriers Detroiters faced as they tried to repair their homes, Nicholas L. Caverly writes in his new book. Nor did demolitions. nextcity.org/features/loa...

Podcast: Black Soil KY is changing the economics of food access in Lexington. nextcity.org/podcast/brid...

Whistles have become a fixture in neighborhoods where residents are seeking ways to warn one another in real time. In some neighborhoods, providing free whistle kits has even helped drive traffic to local businesses. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: The built environment shapes how communities mourn, remember and heal. Urban planning can suppress that process – or make space for it. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: The Cedar Avenue and Hamline Park filter blockades showed how neighbors protect neighbors, using the only tool available — control of public space — to create safety when no institution will provide it. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: Sports events, conventions and festivals produce massive food surpluses. Local policies can redirect that food to people in need while advancing climate goals. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

California has funded immigrant legal defense against deportation for a decade. Now, more cities and counties are kicking in money, too. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Seattle navigates power pole gridlock, trans Kansas drivers face confusion, and more. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Applications are now open for Next City’s 2026 Vanguard Conference in Chicago. APPLY TODAY: nextcity.org/vanguard/apply Vanguard brings together 40 rising urban who are working to improve cities across sectors. Conference: Sept. 15–18, 2026 Early bird deadline: April 7 Final deadline: May 14

As budgets tighten, nonprofits and cities alike are launching centralized help desks to help residents navigate scarce homelessness resources. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: New Jersey’s new law effectively banning e-bikes misses the mark on the challenges of electric micromobility. It’s also bad for the entire country. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Immigrant-serving nonprofit newsrooms are helping communities navigate federal immigration policy and daily life. Join us March 11 at 1 p.m. ET to hear how leaders from Documented, Conecta Arizona, El Tímpano and Sahan Journal are meeting the moment. Register: nextcity.org/events/detai...

Sponsored podcast: The program sends legal aid to help families secure the homes they've inherited before speculators can swoop in. nextcity.org/podcast/how-...

After two decades of neighborhood walks with residents, Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani’s new book, “The Cities We Need,” shows the vital everyday labor between people and places that makes community possible. nextcity.org/features/tak...

The proliferation of bubble tea shops displacing Chinatown’s legacy businesses might not “look” like gentrification. That makes it even more insidious, some say. nextcity.org/features/the...

Lexington used a $1 million public contract to wipe out millions in hospital bills. In rural Paducah, organizers are crowdfunding — hoping to clear a fraction of that total without city hall. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Next City is thrilled to announce that its 2026 Vanguard conference will be hosted in Chicago on Sept. 15-18, 2026. Applications are now open. The early-bird deadline, which comes with a discount on the application fee, is April 7. Applications close on May 14. nextcity.org/press/entry/...

A joyful, ebullient performance on ice provides a reason to look back at a landmark community investment program that no longer exists. nextcity.org/features/oak...

The number of artists living in the city has dropped 4% in the past seven years, a new report found. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: As the Trump administration eyes changes to the regulations around the National Historic Preservation Act, the U.S. risks gutting the very framework that protects old places — just as the U.K. is proving their economic value. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Supply declines, drought risk and population growth push cities to seek new water sources. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

A Philadelphia mother’s fight to reunite with her children offers a grim window into the problems of the American cities’ child welfare systems – and how they can be improved. nextcity.org/features/the...

With Sanctuary, at New York City’s Fridman Gallery, artists examine sanctuaries as physical and emotional safe spaces. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Minnesota begins economic recovery after ICE retreat, EPA scraps climate change finding, and more. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: Our technological inertia has frozen construction in the past. Solving our housing and climate crises will require high-tech partnerships between builders and bureaucrats. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

From West Oakland to Birmingham, historic commercial districts in Black neighborhoods are using cultural preservation to drive community investment. nextcity.org/features/bla...

Facing a growing waitlist and rising costs, Vaasa is building energy-efficient student housing in months, not years — cutting emissions and keeping rents in reach. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: Despite the increased pressure, there are a few real reasons for cautious optimism in 2026. But they will depend upon action and staying power. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

The Denver Regional Council of Governments has received $200 million in federal funds to grow heat pump adoption across the Denver area. It's a rare example of a Biden-era climate grant moving forward under Trump. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Op-ed: As elected officials from U.S. host cities, we know that local governments are the last line of defense against human rights abuses during the FIFA World Cup. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other cities are creating more and more women-only spaces to allow free, safe spaces for women’s leisure. But are these segregated enclaves merely reinforcing the problem? nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Tomorrow, join Reimagining the Civic Commons to learn how public spaces can advance community resilience — and how you can bring these powerful strategies into your practice. nextcity.org/events/detai...

Join Reimagining the Civic Commons to learn how public spaces can advance community resilience — and how you can bring these powerful strategies into your practice. nextcity.org/events/detai...

Council Member Sandy Nurse says the fight for the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act is not over. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

In "The Invention of the Future," Bruno Carvalho traces the utopian transportation visions that once shaped urban imagination — visions later eclipsed by the rise of car-centric urbanism. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...