Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

Voting systems are under attack

Digital threats to our election system didn’t begin with Russia, and they certainly won’t...

Elections, cyber vulnerabilities and the human factor

It’s quite possible that the biggest vulnerability of local elections systems are the...

Mass timber: A solution to the affordable housing crisis

No human should have to live like a hermit crab, traveling from place to place without a...

Commentary

Maintaining ADA compliance for government websites

For millions of people in the U.S., various disabilities make accessing government websites a tougher experience compared to other users. That struggle does more than frustrate a user; it’s in direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA establishes equity among people with disabilities when it comes to accessing both public and […]

Commentary

Crime prevention through environmental design provides subtle yet strong design-based security

In the last several years, our country has collectively experienced the horror of active shooters in public spaces. While these acts of violence have occurred throughout history, our collective awareness has heightened in recent times. Continuous news cycles, live reporting and the proliferation of social media have kept us aware of up to the minute […]

Commentary

How smart cities are improving business and people’s lives

Hundreds of cities around the world are embracing the concept of a Smart City, the idea that we can enhance the connectivity of our communities by integrating advanced telecommunications, data analytics, and regional sensor networks into our approach to delivering traditional city services. By weaving together information from multiple perspectives, cities can create a framework […]

Commentary

Why and how public sector leaders should help their employees retire

Do pensions matter as much as they used to? According to a recent Accenture study, pensions remain a major factor for job seekers. Not only are workers more likely to accept a job offer that includes pension benefits, they are also significantly more likely to keep working for an organization that provides a retirement plan. […]

Commentary

When the Department of Justice comes knocking

If the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigates your public entity, do you know how to respond? The DOJ may investigate regarding discrimination in employment practices such as sex discrimination, USERRA violations, and National Origin Discrimination, among others. Every public entity should prepare for the prospect of such an investigation and handle sensitive matters as […]

Commentary

Three key steps for protecting citizen data – and easing compliance and encryption

Amid growing concerns from the general public around data privacy, city and state governments are experiencing increased pressure from citizens around how their personal data is being protected. For IT directors managing smaller cities, to teams managing major state departments, there are a few key steps to ensure that your citizen data remains protected. While […]

5 tips that can revolutionize your FOIA request responses

If it seems as though Freedom of Information Act requests are on the rise, it’s because they are. Consider this: The General Accounting Office estimated that between FOIA’s passage in 1966 and 1991, 1.9 million requests had been filed. Fast-forward to 2015, and more than 700,000 requests were filed in one year alone — underscoring […]

Commentary

Harnessing public data to create a civic analytics strategy

Harnessing public data to improve government performance is an important but fraught aspect of governing today. While new technologies and data can offer insights to improve service delivery, streamline and better evaluate program performance, and support more equitably deployed resources, getting from data to analytics requires an immense amount of coordinated effort. From internal capacity […]

Commentary

Voting systems are under attack

Digital threats to our election system didn’t begin with Russia, and they certainly won’t end with Russia either. Over the next few years, local governments across the US can expect to be targeted by a diverse range of malicious actors, from state-sponsored hacking teams to criminals, hacktivists and opportunists, who could use a wide range […]

Commentary

Creating smart cities of the future

As more and more people begin understanding the vision of what smart cities can be and how we will live in them, action plans become even more important. Turning vision into reality takes hard work, persistence and significant resource investments. American Electric Power (AEP) Ohio is one utility company leading the smart cities movement. In […]

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Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

Voting systems are under attack

Elections, cyber vulnerabilities and the human factor

Mass timber: A solution to the affordable housing crisis

Commentary

Maintaining ADA compliance for government websites

Commentary

Crime prevention through environmental design provides subtle yet strong design-based security

Commentary

How smart cities are improving business and people’s lives

Commentary

Why and how public sector leaders should help their employees retire

Commentary

When the Department of Justice comes knocking

Commentary

Three key steps for protecting citizen data – and easing compliance and encryption

5 tips that can revolutionize your FOIA request responses

Commentary

Harnessing public data to create a civic analytics strategy

Commentary

Voting systems are under attack

Commentary

Creating smart cities of the future

White Papers

Putting Ops Management Data to Work for You

Closing the Cybersecurity Gap – 3 Keys to Analytics-Driven Security

Why Accurate Data is Crucial to Effective Asset Management

Events

Twitter

As the #opioidcrisis sweeps the country, local governments are establishing #needleexchanges to hinder the spread o… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The @cityoftucson has been ordered to pay a city fire #paramedic almost $4 million for failing to provide her with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

. @BaltCityHall Mayor Catherine Pugh has begun her third week in an indefinite leave of absence as information cont… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

#RocklandCounty, N.Y., declared a 30-day state of emergency on March 26 due to a #measles #outbreak that has affect… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Publicly-run #mural programs are fighting #blight, creating identity and fostering community in #cities americancityandcounty.com/2019/03/04/the…

The #911 community has acknowledged the need for usable #data and can look to the successes of other industries in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

#OtsegoCounty, MI declared a #StateOfEmergency and closed all of its roads due to a #blizzard… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

A group of @FBI agents have raided the @CityofTaylorMI #CityHall and the home of its #mayor as part of a corruption… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…