Brookings: Experts - Mark Muro

Fiscal Challenges Facing Cities: Implications for Recovery

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The current economic crisis is not only a national crisis; it is also a metropolitan crisis; and it will soon become a local government fiscal crisis. In this framing report, Mark Muro and Christopher Hoene assert the importance of local government fiscal conditions to national economic performance, survey current and projected fiscal conditions, review implications for economic recovery, and offer a menu of federal policy options to help minimize city layoffs and service cuts that could harm the economy.

Local Governments to Face Large-Scale Cuts

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:12:00 GMT

Despite reports that the economy is recovering from the recession, there will likely be large-scale city government layoffs, deep cuts to local government services and halted or delayed capital projects in the next year or two. Mark Muro, policy director of the Metropolitan Policy program, explains economic cycles and their impact on city and local governments.

Innovation’s Conference Committee Hurdle

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

America continues to grope toward the development of an effective innovation strategy as part of a credible push toward economic reinvention. Mark Muro and Andrew Reamer urge Congress to implement and test an important new strategy - a regional industry clusters program. This program would play a critical role in the nation’s economic recovery and longer-term revitalization at the metropolitan and rural levels ultimately stimulating innovation and job-creation.

Cap-and-Trade Costs: Place Matters

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Much is in question today as Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chairman Barbara Boxer tries to push ahead with work on climate-change legislation, with Republicans threatening a boycott of the markup. Mark Muro and Jonathan Rothwell examine the costs of cap-and-trade regulations for the U.S. economy and families.

Metropolitans in the Middle

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Some say there’s little that can be done to promote metro areas’ status in U.S. federalism but actually there’s a ton that can and should be done. Mark Muro outlines remedies for the absence of middle-tier (metro or regional) government in the context of the U.S. federalism debate.

Metropolitan Las Vegas: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Vision

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In speeches delivered at the Las Vegas roll-out of the Brookings Mountain West Initiative Mark Muro and nonresident senior fellow Robert Lang argue that Las Vegas presents an exaggerated version of America’s economic quandary. Muro declares that Las Vegas presents, in extreme form, some of the fundamental questions facing the whole country as it faces a major economic “reset” while Lang contends it can still emerge as America’s next true world city.

Bay Area’s Economic Recovery Workplan: Guiding State Stimulus Spending

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A Bay Area economic development nonprofit selected among hundreds of proposals to craft a single ARRA implementation strategy that creates jobs in the short-term and lays the foundation for economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term.

Bay Area’s High Speed Rail Plans: Advancing 21st Century Regional Transportation

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To accelerate the arrival of regional high speed rail, a collaboration of Bay Area leaders proposes to use ARRA funds on the track and station upgrades that are both necessary for high speed rail but also enhance the safety, capacity, and performance of existing train operations. Brookings experts examine the proposals.

California’s Green Jobs Corps: Building Green Workforce Region-wide

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

California is piloting a regionally-based, public-private partnership-driven, green jobs training program for at-risk youth that leverages ARRA funds with local resources to bring together new collaborations of employers, community colleges, and workforce organizations.

Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts Modernize with New Broadband Infrastructure: Advancing Regional Connectivity

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To modernize the communications infrastructure in Southeastern Massachusetts, a regional public-private partnership is pursuing ARRA funds to install hundreds of miles of fiber optic cable and create a shared, multi-purpose regional data center.

A Chicago-Area Retrofit Strategy: Coordinating Energy Efficiency Region-Wide

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A regional nonprofit plans on using ARRA funds to boost its current retrofit and weatherization activities in the short-term while promoting greater regional cooperation and expanded services in the long-term.

Chicago’s Multi-Family Energy Retrofit Program: Expanding Retrofits With Private Financing

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The city of Chicago is using ARRA funds to introduce a new program for retrofit delivery that relies on private sector financing and energy service companies to target property owners of lower-income multi-family homes.

Implementing ARRA: Innovations in Design in Metro America

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this framing paper, Mark Muro, Sarah Rahman and Amy Liu highlight the work of some of the most creative recovery act implementers in metropolitan America, noting that their efforts to innovate come against the grain of federal “business-as-usual.”

Chicago’s Southern Suburbs Focus on ARRA: Coordinating Inter-Suburban Recovery

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A group of 40 struggling Chicago-area suburbs are utilizing a pre-existing multi-jurisdictional neighborhood stabilization strategy as a framework for linking multiple ARRA funding flows to support community development, energy efficiency and infrastructure upgrades.

Greater Flagstaff’s Integrated ARRA Initiatives: Linking Green Recovery Goals

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Flagstaff and Coconino County, AZ are working together on ways to reduce the communities’ high utility costs by using ARRA money to jump-start a drive to retrofit targeted households’ homes while drawing on newly trained local workers.

Kansas City’s Green Impact Zone: Targeting ARRA for Neighborhood Uplift

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This comprehensive plan to address a struggling 150-block urban zone in Kansas City utilizes multiple ARRA funds and other resources to train and employ the jobless to perform various energy-efficient and green infrastructure projects in the area.

Memphis Blueprint for a City of Choice: Advancing Joint City-County Recovery

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The city of Memphis and Shelby County, TN along with local business leaders have developed a blueprint to transform the core city into a choice place for living and working by investing ARRA dollars and other funding sources into human capital, government efficiency and economic growth.

New York State’s New Green Jobs Program: Linking Financing and Job Training Statewide

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A new state program would draw on potential stimulus funds to establish a statewide revolving loan fund to accelerate mass-scale building energy efficiency audits and retrofits, and collaboratively expand opportunities for green workforce development and job placement.

Metro Philadelphia’s Energy Efficiency Strategy: Promoting Regionalism to Advance Recovery

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A new regional entity is coordinating five counties in a joint application for competitive Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants that calls for new retrofit loan financing, a technology deployment fund, technical assistance to local governments around energy efficiency plans, and energy performance measurement of public buildings.

Energy Efficiency: Better Lightbulbs and Beyond

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Moving beyond President Obama administration’s new lightbulb standards, Mark Muro and Jonathan Rothwell of the Metropolitan Policy Program note the need for broader policy interventions to shrink the carbon footprint of the built environment.

Puget Sound’s ARRA Coordination: Facilitating Regional Stimulus Applications

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Seeking to bring together potential regional partners and coordinate requests for ARRA funding, the Puget Sound Regional Council has launched an online clearinghouse, message board and blog, as well as bi-weekly meetings, to inform area leaders about ARRA programs and process and opportunities for collaboration.

Puget Sound New Energy Solutions: Scaling Up for Regional Sustainability

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Using ARRA funds in the short-term to seed a long-term initiative, a consortium of cities, counties, and local utilities in the Puget Sound area have banded together to advance innovative sustainability solutions in that region.

Next on Climate: Improve Waxman-Markey Innovation Provisions in Senate

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Following a narrow House vote on Friday to pass climate change legislation, President Obama called on the Senate this weekend to follow suit. Mark Muro urges an even greater investment in energy innovation to catalyze a radically cleaner future.

Seattle’s Green Building Capital Initiative: Partnering for Citywide Retrofits

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment will put ARRA funds to work providing home energy efficiency audits and retrofit financing, in partnership with regional utilities and area nonprofits.

Washington D.C. Suburbs Join Together for NSP2: Combining Regional Scale and Local Flexibility

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Six suburban jurisdictions around Washington DC came together under the leadership of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to submit a joint NSP2 application that combines a region-scale loan fund with local-level flexibility in delivering homebuyer assistance and redeveloping select foreclosed properties for affordable rental housing.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Carefully Prioritizes Stimulus: Strategically Selecting ARRA Transit Projects

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To select the most high-impact, ready-to-go projects for stimulus funding, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority conducted a new, agency-wide structured process that will also serve as the framework for future capital needs decisions.

Youngstown Region Collaborates on NSP2: Taking a Multi-jurisdictional Approach to Recovery Priorities

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Nine cites have submitted one joint application for the second round of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program that draws on at least 20 different regional institutions to take a multi-pronged approach to addressing the area’s problems with foreclosed, abandoned, and vacant properties.

Waxman-Markey: What About Innovation?

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The climate change bill now winding its way through the House of Representatives has significant components dedicated to energy innovation and clean energy technology development and deployment. However, Mark Muro argues, funding the Department of Energy’s budget request for innovation would more immediately establish American alternative energy leadership.

Budget 2010: A New Embrace of Regional Innovation

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The in-depth versions of President Obama’s first budget released in early May detail a number of significant direct and indirect investments in the innovation capacity of U.S. metropolitan areas. Several of these proposals reflect ideas generated by Metropolitan Policy Program experts.

To Make Clean Energy Cheaper, U.S. Needs Bold Research Push

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Teryn Norris urge policy-makers to move innovation and commercialization to the fore of America’s outdated energy policy. They advocate creating regional energy partnerships—or e-DIIs—to accelerate the development of reasonably priced alternative energy technologies and bring them to the marketplace.

Pikes Peak as “Megapolitan” Space: A Federal Agenda for Prosperity in the Colorado Springs Metro Area

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This year's State of the Rockies Symposium at Colorado College focuses on megapolitan areas—combinations of two or more regions into a single economic, social, and urban system. Amy Liu and Mark Muro of the Metro Program, and Robert Lang of Virginia Tech, delivered keynote addresses on how the Pike’s Peak region can leverage the federal role to help it better connect to Denver and the rest of the Front Range “mega" and boost its prosperity.

ARRA on the Ground

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Jennifer Bradley argue that America’s national economic crisis is primarily a metropolitan crisis. How can we stimulate the economy when there’s no single U.S. economy, nor even 50 state economies? Instead we should concentrate on the loosely linked network of 363 metropolitan economies for the good of the nation.

Metro Potential in ARRA: An Early Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

America’s national economic crisis is also a metropolitan crisis, because metropolitan areas are the true engines of the national economy. So it matters intensely how well the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) empowers metropolitan leaders to boost prosperity. This paper finds that although ARRA is limited in its support for creative metropolitan-area implementation, it delivers critical investments in what matters to metros and holds out significant opportunity for metropolitan empowerment and problem-solving.

Miracle Mets: How U.S. Metros Propel America's Economy and Might Drive Its Recovery

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

U.S. metropolitan areas are the under-recognized engines of America’s economy, and the nation must adjust its federal system—and American federalism—to support them so they can lead us back to prosperity, write Bruce Katz, Mark Muro, and Jennifer Bradley in a major framing essay for Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.

Federal Energy R&D: Do It All - But Differently

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Some say America needs to deploy existing green technology quickly while others say the nation needs to stress new scientific breakthroughs. Mark Muro says both camps are right, and that MPP’s proposal for the federal government to create a series of energy discovery-innovation institutes (e-DIIs) suggests a way to make progress on both counts.

Commercial Innovation Gets Nod in Obama’s Budget

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro explains how President Obama’s first budget makes important gestures toward putting commercial innovation at the center of national economic concern.

What Happens in Vegas … Stimulates the Economy

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Obama might not have intended to knock Las Vegas when he admonished travel on the taxpayer’s dime, but Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman sure took it that way when he branded the comment “outrageous.” Mark Muro and Robert Lang write that we shouldn’t push austerity so hard that it is ultimately self-defeating. Sometimes junkets provide the truest form of economic stimulus.

Can Metropolitan Leaders Make the Stimulus Package Work?

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Obama’s economic recovery package will succeed to the extent it juices metropolitan areas, the true engines of the U.S. economy. Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman argue that, for all the business-as-usual in Washington, the disconnected funding flows of the stimulus will strengthen the cause of regionalism in America.

Delivering Metropolitan Stimulus

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A historic fiscal experiment in this country will evolve in the weeks, months and years ahead as a $790 billion stimulus package is spent to revive America’s economy. Metropolitan Policy Program experts suggest how this money might be strategically deployed to invigorate our nation’s metropolitan areas, the sources of national prosperity.

Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes and the American Economy

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:53:06 GMT

Describing a proposed national network of regionally based Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes, Mark Muro highlights how these institutes would be aimed at creating jobs of the future and at transforming our metropolitan economies.

Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes: A Step toward America's Energy Sustainability

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

America’s economic revitalization and future energy security compel the transformation of U.S. energy policy. To push innovation to the center of national reform, this Blueprint for American Prosperity report argues that the federal government should establish a national network of regionally-based energy discovery-innovation institutes (e-DIIs) to serve as the hubs of a decentralized, commercialization-oriented research network.

Arizona Needs to get in the Federal Game

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Robert Lang in a recent Arizona Republic column discuss the major change of management in Washington, and urge “megapolitan” areas of the Intermountain West to better organize their energies and consider how to amplify their voice in national affairs as federal policy responses are renegotiated.

Western Perspective: Mountain Megas

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Robert Lang in a recent Headwaters News column bring to attention the “New American Heartland” — the Intermountain West, noting that the region's signature issues increasingly reflect the nation's, whether it be road and rail infrastructure, job quality, immigration, or energy.

Painting the Mountain States Blue

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Democrats plant their blue flag in America's newest, most geographically expansive "swing" region - the fast-growing, increasingly diverse, no-longer-reliably-Republican Intermountain West.

New Urban Centers in the American West

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:42:26 GMT

A new Metropolitan Policy Program report states that parts of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado are becoming new urban centers with bright futures. But, they also face many challenges. Mark Muro, policy director for the Metropolitan Policy Program, says presidential contenders should take note of the issue.

Mountain Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this report, the authors describe and assess the new supersized reality of the Intermountain West and proposes a more helpful role for the federal government in empowering regional leaders’ efforts to build a uniquely Western brand of prosperity that is at once more sustainable, productive, and inclusive than past eras of boom and bust.

Look to Governors Races for Signs of Change

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

What are this year's midterm elections about? Even in the most closely fought face-offs, it's not always clear. Is Iraq the deciding issue? Or will the vote be a broader verdict on the Bush presidency or incumbency in general?

Distinctive, Equitable, Competitive (Louisville)

Sun, 23 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

It's time to get on to the real work, now that Louisville has accomplished the most significant city-county merger in 30 years.

Good Side of Health Costs

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Doom and gloom enshrouds the nations runaway health spending, but one bright spot remains the jobs it generates in cities--especially for low-income workers.

One Year Later Change Is Happening in Pennsylvania

Sun, 19 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Pennsylvanians dont do reform, was the conventional wisdom when Brookings began working on its report Back to Prosperity. Two years later, and one after the reports publication, it seems they do do reform.

Details Will Determine If Mergers Help

Sun, 12 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT

City-county consolidations hold out exciting potential to knit regions together--but the devil lies in the details.

One Year Later Scranton Epitomizes Change

Sun, 12 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT

One year after the release of the Brookings report Back to Prosperity metropolitan Scranton / Wilkes-Barre seems well on its way.

Missouri Candidates Should Get Real

Tue, 19 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMT

The Missouri gubernatorial race will likely turn on ""character"" but that's too bad; Missourians need to hear about some other things this fall.

Investing in a Better Future: A Review of the Fiscal and Competitive Advantages of Smarter Growth Development Patterns

Mon, 16 Aug 2004 00:00:00 GMT

This presentation by Robert Puentes argues that more compact development patterns and investments that strengthen urban centers, should save taxpayers' money and improve the economic performance of metropolitan regions.

Selling the Rust Belt Short

Sun, 08 Aug 2004 00:00:00 GMT

The presidential candidates should talk much more than they have about how boosting the education levels and quality-of-life of the Midwest's cities and metropolitan areas can renew the region's economy, write Bruce Katz and Mark Muro.

Investing in a Better Future: A Review of the Fiscal and Competitive Advantages of Smarter Growth Development Patterns

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 GMT

This paper concludes, using a review of the best academic evidence, that more compact development patterns and reinvestment in urban centers can save taxpayers money and improve regional economies.

The Smart Money Is On Smart Growth

Sun, 08 Jun 2003 00:00:00 GMT

This Opinion by Bruce Katz and Mark Muro in the Hartford Courant argues that the fiscal benefits of curbing sprawl deserve consideration as Connecticut and other states contend with serious budget deficits.

Smart Growth Saves Money

Sun, 13 Apr 2003 00:00:00 GMT

This commentary by Bruce Katz and Mark Muro in the Detroit News contends that fostering more compact development in Michigan and elsewhere makes even more sense in hard times, since reform can save taxpayers money.