United States of America

Municipalities in the United States (US), particularly those in its largest metropolitan areas, drive economic growth and innovation and are home to the majority of the nation’s population, but their political status under the federal constitutional system of divided government is relatively weak. That does not mean US cities lack political power; it means that the federalist structure weakens, rather than enhances, city power. The US Constitution does not even mention cities, and the US federal structure has not evolved to reflect ‘city power’. There is a mismatch between the rise of cities on the global stage and their role in the constitutional and federal structure of the US. The tension between localism, regionalism, and nationalism has growing salience in US political discourse. This chapter focuses on how local governments exercise power most effectively, whether internally or through a complex matrix of intergovernmental relationships, private-sector dealings, and civil society organisations.