Stories

ANKARA
NEWS: Two Turkish Cities Are Finalists for 'European Capital of Democracy'
Ankara and Denizli Join Brussels and Tirana on Short List
ADDIS ABABA
NEWSLETTER: The Planetocracy Is Coming, So Wear Your White Hats
Also: Impact Investing Against Democracy; Sub-Saharan Local Covenant; Cat-Mayor-Martyr
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
Public domain, by Matthew Brady, U.S. Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons
California
COLUMN: This Dead Senator Can Stop Trump
John Conness was an Irish immigrant who stood up for citizenship and human rights. His words still matter.