Last week, three transatlantic policy labs – the Progressive Policy Institute, located in the United States, and Das Progressive Zentrum, and the Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft, both located in Germany – concluded a three-city tour of American metro cities, where they met with local policy makers and leaders to discover innovative initiatives that could be applied in cities across the United States, Europe and beyond. The group traveled to Chicago, Denver, and Austin over a two week period.
The project, “New Urban Progress: Transatlantic Dialogue on the Future of Work, Democracy, and Well-being,” was launched in Fall 2019. Twenty American and German project fellows traveled to 10 cities (in both countries) total, with the goal of reimagining transatlantic relations and working collaboratively to cross-fertilize ideas for local innovation and enact policies that will positively impact cities on both sides of the Atlantic.
“While cities around the world face some of the most consequential challenges in decades, this group of young leaders inspires hope for the future of cities and democracy,” said Neel Brown, Managing Director for the Progressive Policy Institute.
“City governments are able to meet people where they are at and provide tangible solutions to everything from the climate to the housing crisis; progressive urban public policy is how we strengthen trust in democracy while delivering justice” said Diego Rivas, Project Manager for Das Progressive Zentrum.
The Fellows met with a variety of local leaders and private businesses working to enact progressive change at the local and state levels, including: Mayor Steve Adler of Austin, Texas; Samir Mayekar, Chicago Deputy Mayor for Economic and Neighborhood Development; Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Evan Dreyer, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs; World Business Chicago; Colorado Smart Cities Alliance; Denver’s local public safety officers; the Colorado Village Collaborative; and more.
New Urban Progress Fellows include local thought leaders from across the policy spectrum, including U.S. and German city governments, think tanks, universities, affordable housing organizations, and more. See the full list of fellows here.
View photos from the event below, and here:
View PPI’s Twitter Moment that compiles highlights from the trip here.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C., with an office in Brussels. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Founded in 1989, PPI started as the intellectual home of the New Democrats and earned a reputation as President Bill Clinton’s “idea mill.” Many of its mold-breaking ideas have been translated into public policy and law and have influenced international efforts to modernize progressive politics. Today, PPI is developing fresh proposals for stimulating U.S. economic innovation and growth; equipping all Americans with the skills and assets that social mobility in the knowledge economy requires; modernizing an overly bureaucratic and centralized public sector; and, defending liberal democracy in a dangerous world. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
Das Progressive Zentrum (DPZ) is an independent think tank, founded in 2007 as a non-profit initiative. They seek to help Germany find answers to the challenges triggered by the rapid socio-economic, cultural, technological and ecological transformations of the 21st century. Das Progressive Zentrum aims to strengthen democratic dialogue within Germany and across borders, shape a new understanding of progress – a new progressive narrative for a modern dynamic society, a just economy and a modern state of the 21st century; analyze problems and develop evidence-based solutions; link discussions in Germany to international debates by bringing together key actors from academia, the media, business and politics; and provide a platform for an international exchange of ideas, in particular for the next generation of progressive thinkers, researchers and policymakers.
Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft works to promote a free, open society and its cohesion. Democracy, the social market economy and sustainability are the foundations of such a society. Our work is based on the values that Herrhausen pursued in his life and work: freedom and responsibility, competition and compassion.
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Media Contact for PPI: Aaron White; awhite@ppionline.org
Media Contact for DPZ: Diego Rivas; diego.rivas@progressives-zentrum.org
Media Contact for AHG: Alexandra Hunger; alexandra.hunger@db.com
