I don't think we need to worry about "political fragmentation" too much

Given the debate now underway in NSW (let alone almost over in WA) on reducing the number of local governments, it is startling to see the picture in the USA. Richard Florida - always insightful on such matters - offers an interesting set of numbers:

"Urban planners and good government types have long been concerned with what they see as the growth and proliferation of local agencies across counties and metro areas. They even coined a word for it — "political fragmentation" — which they argue generates duplication and inefficiency in the delivery of local services. The ultimate consequences include higher tax burdens, increased fiscal stress on local governments, and reduced levels of economic growth.

Some advocate consolidating government agencies across cities, counties, and metro areas — a phenomenon sometimes referred to as "metropolitan government." Metro government has already been instituted in a number of metro areas including Indianapolis, Nashville, Kansas City, Louisville, and Jacksonville. Calls for government consolidation have only risen in light of the increasing budget woes and fiscal stress that have followed the economic crisis.

But what areas of the country suffer from the highest levels of governmental fragmentation?

The map above by Zara Matheson of the Martin Prosperity Institute charts the picture, based on detailed figures from the  2012 Census of Governments on the number of local governments by state.

There is a broad belt of states with relatively large numbers of local governments stretching from the Great Lakes states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) through the Plains (North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska) through Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado down to Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The number of local governments tracks population to some extent. Illinois has the largest number of local governments, 6,968. Pennsylvania is next (4,905), followed by Texas (4,856), and California (4,530). But Kansas and Missouri, much smaller states, are next with 3,806 and 3,752 respectively."

Toronto's persistence prevails....

Toronto played a key role in providing inspiration for many cities over the last twenty years. It is great to hear that this was based on real substance, with 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2012:

In 2007, Toronto adopted Canada's Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas emission reduction targets as its own. The city would strive to reach a 6% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1990 levels by 2012. A recent progress report from city staff shows that the city met the target with flying colours.

In fact, Toronto is already halfway to the 2020 target of 30% below 1990 levels.

Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions have dropped 15% from 1990 levels and per capita emissions have fallen by 26%. Meanwhile, the city has grown and expanded, demonstrating that greenhouse gas emissions can shrink while a city grows.

Toronto’s success so far has largely come on the coattails of the largest climate change initiative in North America; the province of Ontario is shutting down all of its coal-fired power plants by the end of 2014. As the coal plants have been mothballed one by one, the electricity used in Toronto has gotten cleaner.  The phase out wouldn't have been possible without the conservation measures that have caused per capita electricity use to drop 10% in the last 20 years, but new renewable energy and gas-fired power plants have also come online to fill in as the coal plants have been turned off. Natural gas is still a greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuel though, and the progress report warns that natural gas is set to become “the new coal” unless something changes.  

Waste management was the other major player in Toronto's success, especially methane capture from landfills. Greenhouse gas emission from waste are down 52% largely due to better capture of methane at landfill sites.

Bondholders looking over their shoulders...

This news (reported via the Huffington Post) could have large long-term consequences to financing local governments in the USA:

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 1 (Reuters) - The city of Stockton, California, is eligible for bankruptcy protection, a federal judge ruled on Monday, turning aside creditors' arguments that the city was not truly insolvent when it sought protection and had improperly failed to seek concessions.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher Klein's ruling permits Stockton to proceed with its Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection filing from last June in a case with precedent-setting potential for other cash-strapped U.S. cities.
In a lengthy preamble to his ruling, Klein said Stockton's bondholders had failed to negotiate in good faith with the city prior to its filing for protection. He added the city was "by any measure insolvent" prior to its filing.
Stockton is the largest U.S. city to have ever filed for bankruptcy. Its case is being closely watched in the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market as it is likely to have key implications for other struggling municipal and county governments, their employees and their bondholders.
The city's capital market creditors had argued the city could have done more to cut costs and raise revenues.
Since at least the 1930s, bondholders in most major municipal bankruptcies consistently have been repaid their entire principal. But Stockton is expected - along with Jefferson County in Alabama and San Bernardino in California - to break with that tradition.
Bond insurers Assured Guaranty Corp, Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp and National Public Finance Guarantee Corp were joined by Wells Fargo Bank, the Franklin California High Yield Municipal Fund and Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund in contesting Stockton's bid for bankruptcy eligibility.

The renewed focus on neighbours

There is a new focus on neighbours and neighbourliness, perhaps driven by the twin forces of globalisation and technology. I like this approach by Seth Stevenson at Slate on Nextdoor:

Tech entrepreneur Nirav Tolia noticed that we increasingly seem to prefer rubbing elbows online—instead of in real places where real elbows might really rub—and saw a business opportunity. In late 2010, he created a service called Nextdoor. It's a social network that attempts to webify the original social network: the neighborhood. There are now Nextdoor sites in more than 6,500 communities in 49 states (not clear what's up with those anti-communitarian South Dakotans). All of them were launched by regular folks who sought a way to connect with their neighbors, but didn't want to ring doorbells or make small talk in the elevator.

With bikes, strong leadership helps...

The Globe and Mail recently interviewed the Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and talked (among other things) bike lanes:

Given that you might go down in history as the Bike Lane Mayor, do you find the public’s fixation on bike lanes frustrating?Yeah, it’s exaggerated on every front. But that’s the way it goes with iconic changes to a city’s fabric. It’s such a small percentage of the overall road space activity in the city. Within Vancouver, bike lanes are enormously popular. My entire team got re-elected. Most of the criticism comes from outside the city proper, people who don’t pay taxes or vote in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, however, your hope for public bike rentals has been clouded by the helmet issue. Are we ever going to see such a system?We are on track to see a public bike system by the middle of 2013, and a helmet solution will be part of it. But there’s ongoing work to arrive at the best solution. I don’t think there’s any question people will embrace the availability of bikes on our streets. But the helmet piece is part of why we’ve taken longer than other cities in getting going.

Local climate action in China enters a new stage

The current Doha talks are offering interesting points of view - from China Daily:

China has set a national target to cut carbon intensity emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent between 2005 and 2020. Determining how to achieve this target is to be decided by local governments... A few western provinces maintained a double-digit economic growth rate, despite the national economic slowdown. Some regions have seen an influx of investment in recent years. Industries such as mines, electricity generation and coal chemical have risked the vulnerable environment in western areas. "Reasonable growth rates are important for China, but it has entered into a stage where efficiency and quality of economic development matters more," said He."Without shifting to a low-carbon path, it's difficult for China to build its international competitiveness in the long run," he said.

I just built my first QR code...

This one takes you to the ICLEI Oceania front end

Richard Florida - great speech at Thriving Neighbourhoods 2012

Martin Brennan just before Richard Florida is to speak

Winsome and Wayne battle it out at Thriving Neighbourhoods

The Lord Mayor Robert Doyle talks liveability

On the tram, even a dog needs a bag to be carried in

One chicken is laying in an unusual style

Who is that man with the funny hat?

A colourful bike hire scheme in Jakarta outside the national museum

City of Melbourne staff ponder the future of bikes in Melbourne