Tag: Jeremy Nowak

As commuter traffic has intensified over the past several years, it’s become increasingly dangerous to walk along Main Street. Our mayor is liberal. Here at the local level, our interests intertwine: They are practical, achievable, even apolitical. Instead of always or only seeking to fix municipal issues through national policy, localism suggests that communities can and should find solutions to their own particular problems, within their own particular contexts. If we’re to find hope and unity for our politics in this fractured era, localism may be the perfect place to start. As the Brookings Institution fellows Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak write in their new book “The New Localism,” this approach empowers postindustrial cities and dying towns to fix their problems from within, without federal bureaucracy or funds. “At the state or local level, the stakes are not nearly as high because the numbers are smaller, the ability to change is easier, and policies can be customized to specific geopolitical contexts.” The same principles apply to urban planning, as Chuck Marohn, the president of Strong Towns, has learned. After decades working as a professional engineer and urban planner, Mr. Marohn decided our current planning system hurts towns and cities far more than it helps them. “When I go talk at the local level, when people come in at the start, they bring their left-right paradigm with them,” Mr. Marohn said. People no longer use left and right talking points.” Localism often manifests itself in local-scale economic measures or laws.