Most mayors say housing is the biggest challenge in U.S. cities, survey finds
After a tumultuous year in the housing market amid inflation and soaring interest rates, local governments of major U.S. cities are facing a slew of economic challenges. According to the Boston University Initiative on Cities’ 2022 Menino Survey of Mayors, which polled 118 mayors from U.S. cities with more than 75,000 residents, housing costs are at the forefront of those challenges, with 81% of mayors indicating that the issue is among their cities’ top economic priorities.
Report: Concern among mayors over housing costs dwarfs other issues
Soaring housing costs and rising inflation are driving up the cost of living in communities across the United States. Mayors are very concerned. More than 80 percent of mayors interviewed in the latest report from the Boston University Initiative on Cities’ annual 2022 Menino Survey of Mayors—which is based on interviews conducted last summer with 118 sitting mayors leading cities with populations greater than 75,000 people, representing 38 states—ranked housing costs as their top concern. The latest report covers economic, health and safety challenges faced by American city leaders.
US Mayors Cite Housing Costs as Most Pressing Economic Concern in New Survey by BU Researchers
Four out of five US mayors identified increasing housing costs as a top economic challenge facing their cities—far ahead of other concerns including rising living costs, poverty, and wage stagnation—though they see themselves with a limited toolset to change local housing markets. Regarding public safety, three of four mayors agree that civilians should be banned from acquiring assault rifles under any circumstances—a view that includes support from 40 percent of Republican city leaders. And mayors report feeling more accountable to their constituents on a range of public safety and health issues, from gun violence to mental health concerns, than they did when researchers posed the same questions four years ago.
US Mayors Take on Climate Change
The 2022 Menino Survey of Mayors examined how 118 mayors across the United States think about climate action. Mayors were asked about their opinions on climate change and the changes they are willing to make using regulatory powers or other local actions. Nearly all mayors surveyed worried about local impacts of climate change, including drought, extreme heat, flooding, and air pollution. Most mayors (73%) agreed that cities should use their resources and funds to address climate change locally, with mayors expressing greater interest in investing in new green technology than imposing restrictions on their citizens. The most popular motivation for local climate action was “desire to do our part” (79% chose it as their top two), followed by concern about the impacts on their city (38%) and long-term money-saving potential (29%).
In national survey, mayors say real climate change progress may fall on their residents
Mayors on both sides of the political aisle have a range of worries on climate change, and found common ground regarding potential solutions in a recent poll by the Boston University Initiative on Cities. While the majority of top city leaders want investment in environmentally friendly municipal vehicles, they also believe that if meaningful climate change progress is to happen, the onus is on “residents to make real sacrifices.”
Few Mayors Connect the Dots Between Zoning and Homelessness
Last January the Boston University Initiative on Cities, drawing on data from the 2021 Menino Survey of Mayors, reported that only 1 in 5 mayors felt they had more than “moderate” control over homelessness in their cities. Six in 10 pointed to limited funding as the biggest barrier, and close to 7 in 10 had the view that zoning was a barrier of little or no consequence, despite the impact of zoning codes on housing development.
Most U.S. mayors don’t want to ban gas stoves, leaf blowers over climate change impact, survey finds
Mayors of American cities are overwhelmingly concerned about climate change and how it will affect their city, but they are much more divided on whether to restrict the use of fossil fuels in home appliances and lawn tools such as gas stoves and leaf blowers, according to a survey of mayors conducted by the Boston University Initiative on Cities that was released last week.
A new road map for 100% clean electricity by 2035
A new report by two major environmental groups offers the Biden administration a road map for accelerating clean energy deployment and keeping emission reduction goals within reach.
Survey: Mayors Concerned About Direct Impacts of Climate Change
A new report from the Boston University Initiative on Cities indicates that most U.S. mayors are concerned about the impacts of climate change on their communities. As Michael Brady writes in Smart Cities Dive, 97 percent of mayors surveyed said climate change was a concern, while over half worry about drought, extreme heat, flooding, and air pollution. Notably, “There was no partisan gap among mayors.”
US Mayors Address the Climate Crisis in New Report from BU’s Initiative on Cities
Nearly all US mayors are worried about the impacts of climate change on their cities, with the effects of drought, extreme heat, flooding, and air pollution topping their list of concerns. And more than half of them believe that “real progress on climate issues” will mean their residents will have to make “real sacrifices” in their lifestyles. Additionally, while mayors are enthusiastic about investing in new green technologies like electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them, they are less likely to support restrictions on the use of fossil fuels in new private construction.