Partisanship shifting power to cities, says Rice speaker

Rice University
Office of Public Affairs / News & Media Relations

NEWS RELEASE

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Amy McCaig
713-348-6777
amym@rice.edu

Partisanship shifting power to cities, says Rice speaker
Kinder Institute guest to discuss how pragmatic local leaders are taking charge

HOUSTON – (Nov. 28, 2018) – Although the recent midterm elections suggest Americans are more politically divided than ever, Bruce Katz, co-founder of New Localism Advisors, suggests the country is in the midst of a shift to more pragmatic policymaking based in cities and communities rather than federal and state governments.

With a focus on Houston, Katz will share how local governance can drive policy and create solutions at a Dec. 5 talk hosted by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The event will take place at 7 p.m. at the Brown Auditorium Theater at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Katz will discuss where he believes the real power to create change lies and how it can be used to address today’s most serious social, economic and environmental challenges.

WHAT: Kinder Institute Forum event featuring Bruce Katz.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5.

WHERE: Brown Auditorium Theater at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet St.

“Power is shifting in the world: downward from national governments and states to cities and metropolitan communities, where policy is less partisan and more pragmatic,” Katz said. “This new locus of power is emerging by necessity to solve the grand challenges characteristic of modern societies: economic competitiveness, social inclusion and opportunity; a renewed public life; the challenge of diversity; and the imperative of environmental sustainability.”

Katz was the Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution, where he focused on the challenges and opportunities of global urbanization. He was vice president and co-director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, which he founded in 1996. He is the co-author of “The Metropolitan Revolution” and “The New Localism.”

The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested. For more information or to reserve a seat, visit https://bit.ly/2QIlMHM.

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Related materials:

Kinder Institute website: https://kinder.rice.edu/

Photo link: https://news.rice.edu/files/2018/11/Bruce-Katz-2nqyjnf.gif

Photo courtesy of Bruce Katz.

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