Let mayors rule the world?
Rome, which is Europe鈥檚 fourth largest city, just got its first female mayor. Yet this historic moment for women may be the least of it. Virginia Raggi鈥檚 victory reflects a bigger trend among many world-class cities that have elected political outsiders bent on restoring clean government and rejuvenating trust in the urban community.
From New Delhi to Jakarta and now Rome, reformist mayors have lately bucked established national parties in a triumph of 鈥渘ew localism鈥� and efficient democracy. In Ukraine鈥檚 capital city of Kiev, for example, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, Vitali Klitschko, has been struggling for two years to bring European-style reforms despite resistance from the country鈥檚 powerful oligarchs. The new mayor of Medell铆n in Colombia, Federico Guti茅rrez, pledges to 鈥渞ecover鈥� parts of the city controlled by criminal gangs.
In Rome, Ms. Raggi plans to clean up a corrupt city hall long beholden to traditional parties. 鈥淚 will work to bring legality and transparency,鈥� she says. Her young party, the Five Star Movement, reflects the attitudes of many mayors who are neither left nor right but pragmatic doers. Five Star鈥檚 supporters come from across the political spectrum and desire simply to enjoy open, egalitarian, and service-oriented governance.
With so many democracies polarized in their national politics, cities are now the best examples of good government. That was the focus of a 2013 book, 鈥淚f Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities,鈥� by urban theorist Benjamin Barber. He and many others are convinced that reformist mayors with deep democratic roots have more in common with each other than with their national leaders. In September, dozens of mayors will meet in the first 鈥淕lobal Parliament of Mayors鈥� to share their best practices.
Since 2008, more people have lived in cities than in rural areas. And by 2050 nearly two-thirds of the world鈥檚 people will be urban. In a 2015 report titled 鈥淭he Metropolitan Century,鈥� the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development looked at why cities work best for citizens of a democracy: 鈥淎mong all levels of government, local governments can have the strongest effects on trust because they interact most closely with residents.鈥�
Cities are also crucibles for innovation. 鈥淧eople care about their cities and often are motivated to protect and improve their urban homes,鈥� writes Gary Gardner, author of 鈥淐an a City Be Sustainable?鈥� from the Worldwatch Institute. 鈥淐ities can harness that passion to help advance a sustainability agenda, perhaps more easily than national governments or corporations can.鈥�
A strengthening of local communities, writes Yuval Levin, author of 鈥淭he Fractured Republic,鈥� is not meant to pull people down from national, centralized institutions. Rather, he finds that only 鈥渧ibrant near-at-hand鈥� communities can help reduce the isolating individualism in modern societies.
Problems that need a collective solution are best done in the most trusting, and thus local, institutions. As Jane Jacobs, the late guru on urban life, once said, 鈥淭he trust of a city street is formed over time from many, many little public sidewalk contacts.鈥�
