Accelerator for America February Newsletter
Measuring Inclusive Growth in Your City
We've helped over 58 cities across the country create Investment Prospectuses to communicate their competitive advantages, trigger local partnerships and identify inclusive projects that are ready for public, private and civic capital.
Now, we are excited to announce that we have integrated the Mastercard Inclusive Growth Map into our updated Investment Prospectus Guide. Our partners at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth developed this tool to give policymakers and investors data-driven insights to measure and track inclusive growth. We are sharing this new tool with cities we've previously worked with, and we are excited to provide it to the new cities with whom we'll work in the future. Explore the Mastercard Inclusive Growth Map here.
U.S. Conference of Mayors 88th Winter Meeting
Accelerator for America Co-Founder Mayor Eric Garcetti introduced our vision for a policy
shift toward "Community Wealth" during his address at last week's 88th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Rather than a focus on subsidized housing as the answer to poverty, Community Wealth focuses on giving people the tools and economic security necessary to break generational cycles for those historically left out of the American Dream.
We are excited to continue identifying ways to build Community Wealth across the country in 2020 — work that is only possible thanks to our partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. Watch Mayor Garcetti's full speech below.
"But there’s another model emerging — a model of community wealth that focuses not on subsidized housing, but on people… and taps into a mix of public, private, civic & community capital." — Mayor Eric Garcetti
Infrastructure Policy
As Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Infrastructure Task Force, Mayor Garcetti also helped lead the development of the Mayors' 2020 Vision for America: A Call to Action focused on investment in energy, transportation and water infrastructure.
Rob Slimp, CEO of HNTB and a member of our Advisory Council, also gave a presentation on the growing trend of infrastructure and transit-focused ballot measures across the country, including how the Accelerator and our partners are helping to advance them. We are grateful to the leadership at the U.S. Conference of Mayors for their consistent determination to put cities first.
"The Year of Advancing Community Wealth"
Accelerator for America Partner Bruce Katz's newest analysis details how we can build a strong urban infrastructure of institutions and intermediaries within our cities to create five separate but related elements of Community Wealth — creating business demand, nurturing entrepreneurs, upgrading the skills of workers, spurring inclusive development and capitalizing all of the above.
He also details two critical actions that need to happen to make 2020 "The Year of Advancing Community Wealth." Read more here.
Welcome, Controller Rhynhart!
We are delighted to have Rebecca Rhynhart, City Controller for the City of Philadelphia, join our Advisory Council. Controller Rhynhart made history in 2018 as the first woman ever elected City Controller for the City of Philadelphia, and her experience in the public and private sectors, in addition to her personal passion for improving people’s lives, will be a powerful asset to our work.
Prior to being elected Controller, Rebecca served under previous Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter as City Treasurer and Budget Director, and most recently as the Chief Administrative Officer under Mayor Jim Kenney where she oversaw 11 City departments. She has also served as an executive specializing in public finance with Fitch Ratings and Bear Stearns & Co.
Welcome, Controller Rhynhart — we are excited to have you on the team!
Looking Ahead
Intermountain Impact and Opportunity Zone Working Group
February 4, Salt Lake City, UT
Moving America Forward
A Presidential Candidate Forum on Infrastructure, Jobs, and Building a Better America
February 16, Las Vegas, NV
Louisville Advisory Council Meeting
April 2-3, Louisville, KY
Michigan Investor Summit with MML and Urban Core Mayors
April 15, Detroit, MI
In the News
Governing: The Economic Reality That’s Splitting the Country Apart
The Philadelphia Citizen: Can Big Money Rescue the Climate?
American City & County: Getting in the Zone
