Democracy Local

Image by Joe Mathews using Google Gemini
TEXAS CITY, CALIFORNIA
COLUMN Chuck Norris Is Dead. 'Breaker! Breaker!' Will Live Forever
Why a Low-Budget 1977 Film About Trucking, Local Government, and Revolt Keeps Getting Better
Aspen, Colorado, city hall. Photo by Joe Mathews
NAIROBI
NEWSLETTER: Facts Won't Save Democracy; Nor Will Voting; City Twin on Fire
Also: 'Allocracy," Ukraine Farming, Municipal Mandates Exceed Borders
Via Wikimedia CC BY-SA 2.0
The United Kingdom
NOEMA: Trespassing for the Common Good
In England, a movement for democracy and mobility encourages trespassing on private land.
This is republished from the National Civic League. Photo via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0
USA
NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE: We've Gotta Stop Meeting Like This
A Colorado city pilots a new way of gathering.
Photo credit: Todd Gloria on Instagram
COLUMN
Why Legislators Don't Make Great Mayors
The trouble with leaders in LA, San Diego, and elsewhere
Photo by Arsenie Coseac, via Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0
Global
FUTURE OF WHERE: Will People Move Away From Risky Areas? Should We Help?
A new approach to the question of leaving, or staying, post-disaster
Photo by Joe Mathews
Global
LA TIMES: Can Fire Cities Govern Together?
Mutual aid is great. Joint work on new strategies and tools for preventing fires would be better.
Illustration from Asia Democracy Chronicles
India
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES: Meet the Solar Sisters
Women light up villages and irrigate fields with solar gadgets they make and sell.
Photo by Tanka Dhakal
Nepal
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES: Local Government Cleans Everest's Excrement
How the world's highest rural municipality solves a poopy problem
Photo source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Creative Commons License 2.0
USA
COLUMN: This Little Fish Speaks Volumes About Governance
The California Delta smelt is being scapegoated by Trump and farmers. Here's what the nearly extinct fish...
A Florida Fish and Wildlife officer helps to evacuate a flooded Florida neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024. Florida Fish and Wildlife photo from their Flickr account. Image has been cropped and brightened. Used under a Creative Commons license.
Mexico
ZÓCALO: Letters from Local Disasters
Reflecting on the lessons of emergencies in Mexico City, Islamabad, and Hendersonville
Photo from Public Domain: https://itoldya420.getarchive.net/amp/media/gavin-newsom-speaks-with-a-cal-fire-representative-during-the-kincade-fire-28def9
CALMATTERS: After Disaster, Rescale Local Government
A Way to Rethink LA—And Your Community