Bloomberg Cities

Cities can’t deliver bold results without the freedom to try bold ideas. When we help mayors think big, test cheap, and learn fast, good ideas will flourish, the best among them will spread, and more local blueprints can become global breakthroughs: making millions of lives better and showing what a mayor, when adequately equipped to innovate, can do. Aparna Ramanan, who leads our Mayors Challenge program, explains why we must ensure that local governments can experiment, in her recent piece for Governing: https://lnkd.in/e2yaBwi2

Good News from the COP30 Local Leaders Forum: Bloomberg Philanthropies CEO Patti Harris announced an expansion of the Youth Climate Action Fund — from 100 to 300 cities worldwide — supporting young people (ages 15–24) to design and deliver climate solutions in their communities. It’s got a powerful triple bottom line: Good for youth: investing in their creativity and leadership. Good for climate: engaging many more hands in local action. Good for governance: rebuilding trust by inviting residents — in this case, youth — to co-create solutions with support from city halls. Mayors issue open calls. Young people come up with ideas. Local panels pick the best ideas. And youth groups get between $1000-$5000 USD to bring their ideas to life. Round One results? 2,900 funded projects. 100,000+ youth involved. 20% increase in youth participants saying they trust local leadership to act on important issues. The Fund is more than microgrants. It’s a model for how cities can solve problems with residents, not just for them. It's about getting on the same team. This expansion is powered by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, and C40 Cities — partners who share our belief in the power of local leadership and public innovation to drive progress, at home and beyond. Cities can now apply to join Round Two. Spread the word — and if you work in local government, join the movement here: https://lnkd.in/ed3ZRKtQ

In a world where parties, prime ministers, and presidents have long dominated the global stage, the spotlight is increasingly turning to a new group of leaders: mayors. As mayors continue to stand on the frontlines of our biggest challenges, we need to make sure they have the right tools and resources to succeed: http://bit.ly/3Ja4Lqr

The Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative mayors spent the week with the continent’s fiercest public innovation minds — from Mariana Mazzucato to Sir Geoff Mulgan to David Halpern to our extraordinary partners at LSE Cities and Hertie School, with special shout outs to Ricky Burdett, Savvas Verdis, and Philipp Rode. Now, these local leaders head back to their city halls to put these lessons to work for their residents. We can't wait to see what they do. Here's more on the week with Carlota Rebelo in The Monacle's The Urbanist: https://lnkd.in/evX9A8JW

We need local governments to be more than they are. That means seizing ideas and harnessing energy from across cities and towns. And it means placing residents at the heart of problem-solving and policymaking. Great to speak with Charles Marohn at Strong Towns about our work at Bloomberg Philanthropies to build local government innovation inside city halls, and hear about all his organization is doing to drive progress in America’s localities—from the bottom-up: https://lnkd.in/eM4ACE3F