2019 Menino Survey

Methodology

119 mayors from around the country were interviewed throughout the summer of 2019, providing a representative sample of mayors and cities nationally.

Infrastructure Priorities

Mayors report water, wastewater, and stormwater are more of a priority relative to prior survey years, while road infrastructure and mass transit continue to be key needs.

Transportation and Mobility

A significant proportion of mayors are concerned with the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in their communities, and have introduced a variety of design changes to improve it.

Mayors believe their cities are too dependent on cars and embrace some reallocation of the roadway, particularly toward bicycle and electric vehicle infrastructure; however, they do not support other policy changes that can reduce car usage, such as higher prices for parking or lower off-street parking requirements in new development.

Infrastructure and Climate

While a majority of mayors continue to believe cities should take action on climate change, opinions continue to be split along partisan lines.

Changing Nature of Work

Mayors expect high tech and health related jobs to grow, but also believe retail and manufacturing jobs will become less common.

Opportunity Zones

Many mayors, across party lines and city attributes, have favorable impressions of the federal Opportunity Zones program and have high hopes for its ultimate impact on their cities. They believe that dedicated senior staff and an investment prospectus will be key to the program’s success locally.

Boston University Initiative on Cities – www.bu.edu/ioc