The Big Picture

Exploring the trends shaping our modern cities through a curated collection of articles and op-eds

Unlocking Prosperity Through Charter Cities

Sep 25, 2018

China’s lifting of 800 million people out of poverty is the greatest humanitarian miracle of the post-war era. A combination of urbanization and special economic zones was responsible for China’s success. Shenzhen, for example, was a fishing village with 30,000 residents in 1980 when it was declared one of the country’s first special economic zones.…

Five Suggestions to Avoid Being a Ghost City

Sep 25, 2018

Starting from the 1990s, over 100 new city projects have been launched around the world. This number does not include China, which has hundreds of its own state-driven new city projects underway. While some new cities have attracted tens of thousands of residents, others join the growing herd of white elephant projects that are stalled…

Ghost Towns or Boomtowns? What New Cities Really Become

Sep 25, 2018

This article was originally posted by Forbes. Thirty years ago hardly anybody other than a Shanghai local would have found any reason to mutter the word “Pudong.” At that time, the place where the vibrant financial center that we know today now sits — the iconic skyline of the city — simply didn’t exist. To…

Affordable Housing

Sep 13, 2018

NewCities has partnered with Citi, the largest affordable housing lender in the United States, to present key perspectives on securing affordable housing in cities worldwide. Presented by:

Ensuring Accessibility in Cities

Juil 16, 2018

Experts provide insights on shaping an urban environment that is more inclusive to people with disabilities. Presented by: Cover photo © SDOT Photos

Making the Case for Investment in Resilient Infrastructure

Juil 05, 2018

The American Society of Civil Engineers publishes a report every four years that assesses the state of infrastructure in America. In 2017, American infrastructure scored a D+. This reflects both an ever-growing backlog of deferred maintenance and the inability to invest in much needed improvements. In terms of the financial impact, this amounts to nearly…

Secondary Cities: New Urban Champions?

Juil 03, 2018

Small- and mid-sized cities have become the engine of our world’s fast-paced urbanization. Understanding secondary cities is key in getting our urban future right. Are these cities the new urban champions of the future? From Curitiba to Melbourne, six experts dive into the challenges and opportunities facing the world’s secondary cities. Presented by: Featured photo…

Financing Urban Infrastructure

Juin 13, 2018

From public-private partnerships to CEPAC bonds, three experts explore innovative methods to finance urban infrastructure in U.S. cities.   Featured photo by Red Morley Hewitt on Unsplash

It’s #TimetoBuild. Here’s How Cities Should.

Juin 12, 2018

Many say U.S. infrastructure is “crumbling.” Yet infrastructure’s durability creates challenges too. Unlike much of the modern machinery in our personal lives – which we can replace one-for-one on a regular basis – the opportunity for cities to replace a building or power plant with something new might only happen once in a generation, or…

International Lessons on Tools for Infrastructure and Affordable Housing Finance in U.S. Cities

Juin 12, 2018

In his state-of-the-union speech on January 30, 2018, President Trump called for a massive $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan to fix aging U.S. infrastructure. Underlying this federal initiative is a critical assumption: 80 percent of the funding will come from local and state governments, along with significant private sector participation. Yet with federal and state transfers…

The Role of Government Finance Professionals in the Coming Transportation Revolution

Juin 12, 2018

I’m a transportation geek – and I don’t mean I’m really into cars. In fact, while I have a passion for taking and writing about road trips, I hate driving. Correction, I hate commuting. So it goes without saying that I’m super excited about driverless cars, ridesharing, and other mobility options that will reduce dependence…