Skip to content
Article Article March 1st, 2018
Infrastructure • Cities • Legitimacy

Five steps cities can take to tackle inequality

Article highlights


Urbanisation and rising inequality are placing greater pressure on cities says @benjclayton – but some are already leading the response

Share article

Mayors need to take their share of responsibility for inequality whilst also demanding that national governments provide money and manpower

Share article

Leaders of the world’s greatest cities to come together and form a Global Alliance Against Inequality, argues @benjclayton

Share article

Partnering for Learning

We put our vision for government into practice through learning partner projects that align with our values and help reimagine government so that it works for everyone.

Partner with us

Urbanisation and rising inequality are two of the great global trends of our time. By 2050, around 70% of humanity will live in cities, and income inequality in OECD countries is higher than at any point over the past half century. We rarely, however, think about these two megatrends together.

The 70-year global trend towards capitalism, together with the deeper labour markets and pools of capital that exist in cities, have inevitably increased the rewards to those at the top. The problem is that these unprecedented levels of inequality are suppressing social mobility, segregating communities, raising the price of private sector goods in poorer neighbourhoods and stratisfying society.

The good news is that some cities are already leading the way. Here are five steps every mayor can take to emulate their work.

  1. City and national governments should partner to address inequality

Mayors need to take their share of responsibility for addressing inequality, whilst also using their political clout to demand that national governments provide money and manpower.

They need sustained funding support from national governments to support new pilots, along with the greater autonomy to launch them. The Greater London Authority, Portland Metro and Verband Region Stuttgart are all good examples of metropolitan region governance structures which have been handed devolved powers from their governments and pioneered local policies. Meanwhile, in South Korea and Japan, the government redistributes tax towards Seoul and Tokyo to compensate them for the costs of urban sprawl.

  1. Deliver more and better jobs for those at the bottom of the ladder

City halls should partner with school, colleges and employers to ensure employment opportunities for those needing support.

At risk groups, such as migrants, the disabled and racial minorities, may be in particular need of support. The Young Urban Movement Project in the Swedish cities of Malmo and Gothenburg is a good example, targeting second-generation immigrants in deprived areas of those cities with entrepreneurial skills like communication and networking.

  1. Integrate schools and residential communities

Greater disparities between rich and poor tend to create more segregated schools and communities, which in turn perpetuate inequalities across generations.

In education, city halls should invite local school networks to bid to experiment with new forms of early-childhood education. In Dallas, for example, Lumin Education, which runs four early-childhood schools, tested out a home visit programme to educate parents as well as children, play therapy and classes for children from age one. Graduates of their programmes have a 94% high school graduation rate compared with an average of 69% amongst other children from the same neighbourhood.

In housing, mixed-income housing developments, support of community development corporations and demanding ‘inclusionary zoning' (planning permission which demands that developers meet their responsibility to communities by including affordable units in new builds) could come together to increase affordability.

Singapore, for example, has pioneered mixed-income and mixed-ethnicity housing. The state's Housing and Development Board ensures that each neighbourhood mirrors the wider population, and 80% of the population has chosen to live in government-built apartments. The result is a city-state in which communities are integrated, and people from across the income divide come together to discuss things like whether the elevator is working.

  1. Get everyone on the bus (or train, or tram, or…)

High-quality public transport can connect all parts of a city, linking areas of deprivation to job centres.

Existing transport networks in many places are insufficient. In London, for example, the underground network primarily serves the more affluent north rather than the less wealthy part of the city south of the river.

“Public transportation is desired by many but is even more important for lower-income people who can't afford cars,” says Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School. Some mayors have taken up the challenge. Enrique Peñalosa, the mayor of Bogotá, has invested heavily in the city's bus network as a means of bringing citizens together: “An advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars, but rather one where even the rich use public transport.”

  1. Join with other global cities to form a Global Alliance Against Inequality

Finally, the cities of the world should unite in this effort. Through shared learning and collaboration, the collective can move faster and further than any one city acting on its own. In the age of mass, global urbanisation, these cities often share more in common with one another than with smaller towns and villages in their own countries.

They have already shown collective leadership on the issue of global warming. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy is an “international alliance of cities and local governments with a shared long-term vision to combat climate change.” Its members include Hong Kong, Jakarta, Lima, London, Mexico City, NYC and more.

The time has come for the leaders of the world's greatest cities to come together and form a Global Alliance Against Inequality. The need is urgent, the challenge vast, and the opportunity theirs.

 

FURTHER READING

  • Making Manchester more united. A few months ago, Andy Burnham gave up his established life as a senior Westminster MP to run for mayor of Greater Manchester. Six months into his term, how's he getting on?
  • Finding What Works: Building a movement of data-driven cities. Zach Markovits explains how What Works Cities is helping cities increase use data to improve services and quality of life for their residents
  • Introducing Pete Buttigieg: a mayor on the move. We sit down with Pete Buttigieg, one of America's youngest mayors, who talks data, Democrats - and impact
  • A new look for New Orleans. New Orleans is a city on the up - and then some. Its performance director, Oliver Wise,talks data, accountability and transparency
  • Making change real: Vancouver's vision. Vancouver has achieved global acclaim for its natural setting and standards of ‘liveability'. The city's mayor, Gregor Robertson, tells us why he is focused on helping citizens today - and those of tomorrow
  • City limits.  How did a city mayor persuade his community to go on a diet? With the citizens of Oklahoma City now a million pounds lighter, Mick Cornett tells Adrian Brown about how he helped create a healthier future
  • Wired up and fired up. Few cities have embraced the digital revolution as successfully as Kansas City. Its mayor, Sly James, tells us how technology is transforming public services and opening up new opportunities for his community today - and tomorrow
  • Doorway to delivery. Kevin Donahue has spent his career seeking to harness the power of data to improve government services. He tells Adrian Brown why good data is not an end in itself, but rather an opportunity to achieve better citizen outcomes

Written by:

Benjamin Clayton Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and former Chief of Staff to the British Government’s National Infrastructure Commission.
View biography
Share this article: