Publications

New Urban Progress – The Documentary

Editorial Team 30. Oktober 2022

New Urban Progress Premiers their Documentary at Progressive Governance Summit

The New Urban Progress (NUP) documentary was premiered at the Progressive Governance Summit 2022: Joining Forces. The travel documentary follows the NUP fellows on their two 10-day research trips in Germany and the United States, where they debate and exchange how cities can be more inclusive, democratic, and sustainable. The young urban practitioners share best practices, innovative ideas, and ambitious visions for progressive politics in urban settings and discuss the role of cities within the transatlantic relationship.

Progressive Urban Politics Today

Richard Lawrence Jr., NUP Fellow
“Policies that impact the community should be informed by the people that they serve. Getting that engagement and input from the community to inform how cities develop policies and positions to serve those residents is key for us to properly connect the dots between the needs of the community and the resources provided by the city.”

Sinaida Hackmack, NUP Fellow
“In terms of visions for cities the city of Leipzig was a good example: The interesting thing in Leipzig is that you actually need to leave space and to stick to your plan. Be persistent on your zoning plan, on your urban development plan, even in times of decline, even if you have high vacancy rates.”

City-Led Diplomacy

Steve Adler, Mayor, City of Austin, TX
“I think it is easier for cities to work with one another, because they seem not to be caught up […] in the geopolitical politics that capture nation states – and frankly when you talk city to city you realize that the challenges that are being faced are so similar, in ways perhaps nation states don’t share. This makes it critical for cities to talk to one another and to learn from one another.”

Grace Levin, NUP Fellow
“As cities increasingly become the leaders for change and the center for democracy they are playing a larger role than they did in the past and are really becoming more global cities. So it’s important to have these conversations not only with different actors in your own local community but with actors abroad.”

The documentary premiered at New Urban Progress’ closing event: “Urban Alliances: Building Infrastructure for Progress” at theProgressive Governance Summit 2022: Joining Forces. The project began in 2019 and has been implemented by three organizations – Das Progressive Zentrum, the Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft, and the Progressive Policy Institute. The New Urban Progress documentary captures the trip, work, and concluding thoughts from the three year transatlantic project.

The project is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).