A new book offers the remarkable history of America’s most enduring local volunteer institution, the chamber of commerce.
Lesson Four: The Art of the Compromise
Compromises are ways of opening the door to change by reducing the objections of interest groups. They are at the heart of decision making in city halls and are the closest thing in politics to an art form. Here’s what reporters should know about how compromises come about . . . and why.
Lesson Two: The Switching Yard of Change
City hall isn’t so much a public policy factory as a switching yard, where ideas come in from the outside and are acted on. So where do big public policy ideas originate in your city? And what happens to them as they move along the tracks? This could be a rich source for your reporting, and an eye-opening series of stories for your readers.
What’s New in Cities . . . and What’s Truly New
Some of the changes we see in cities just make old processes more efficient. But some will have a much deeper impact, and places that apply old ways of thinking to completely new challenges will be making a big mistake.
The Realistic But Hopeful Place
When things you’ve counted on don’t work anymore, advice will fly in from all sides. How do you make good choices for a city or an organization when the alternatives are so different? Take a deep breath, and set about answering three simple but important questions.