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community asset, one that not onlyhas economic and environmentalimplications, but also serves as a socialthread woven throughout the community.Mayor A.C. Wharton of Memphisprioritized the city’s waterfrontas a tool to reconnect neighborhoodsand people in a city:“In consideration of our localassets, we can never overlook ourprized riverfront. The riverfront ishome to our city’s ritual events andcelebrations, and common groundfor every citizen and every visitor.Because of this, I asked (Jeff) … tohelp me develop a balanced approachthat attracts people to the riverfrontwhile offering a menu of options toexplore and enjoy.”Other mayors spoke more specificallyabout protecting their watershedsas a means to protect naturalresources and enhance quality of lifefor residents. For example, San DiegoMayor Filner spoke about a regionalconvening to address water scarcityin the Bay Delta, while Mayor PeteLewis of Auburn, Wash., describeda wetland expansion project on thelocal community college campus thatwill increase wetland capacity, filtertoxins in rainwater and improve waterquality.Richmond’s Mayor Jones aptlystated the role of water in a city’sfuture when he said, “We have plansdrawn that will connect the river’s useto downtown and remove pedestrianbarriers to ensure greater access.” Hewent on to describe the James Riveras “our precious gem,” a source ofpride for the whole city.Tying together transit:Connecting citiesIn Somerville, Mass., MayorJoseph Curtatone spoke of the greenline (subway) extension as critical todriving public and private investmentin a historically disinvested area of thecity: “For years, we’ve invested heavilyin West Somerville while the easternpart of our city soldiered on as a greatbut underfunded neighborhood. I amhere tonight to declare quite unequivocally,it’s East Somerville’s turn.” InRichmond, Atlanta and other cities,mayors similarly acknowledged thepotential for transit to reduce povertyin particular neighborhoods, connectpeople to jobs, and provide transportationalternatives that are accessibleand affordable.These mayors and others alsorecognized the important role oftransit in making their city an effectiveregional player. Mayor Lewisdescribed how Auburn has emergedas a central transit hub for the region,with four regional transit lines (andnumerous local ones) coming togetherin the city. He went on to describethe implications of this in terms ofestablishing the city as a regionalhub for the education and healthcaresectors. In Durham, N.C., MayorBill Bell congratulated residents forapproving a half-cent sales tax inDurham and Orange County that willbe used to fund new bus and light railservices. With “providing efficient andfriendly transit services” as one of fivepriority areas he spoke of, Mayor Bellnot only emphasized the localbenefits of connecting peopleto jobs, shops and healthcareservices within the city,he also directly spoke to his partnersoutside city limits:“We must also remind ourneighbors to the east that we aretruly one interconnected regionthat is home to millions of peoplewho cross back and forth acrossall three counties each and everyday. Our transportation problemsare regional problems and we mustpartner together on a regional basisto solve these issues.”Buildingconnected citiesWhether mayors are focusing onimproving their streetscapes, connectingtheir transportation services,or enhancing their waterways, theState of the City addresses this yearmade it clear that infrastructureimprovements and investments serveas an important tool whereby localgovernments are both responding tocitizen’s immediate needs (e.g. fillingpotholes) and also working with localand regional partners to envision andimplement an alternate future thatprioritizes increased quality of life forall residents. Despite scarce resources(and the possible removal of themunicipal bond tax exemption),mayors recognize and are committedto infrastructure investments as apriority strategy to create a connectedcity.About the authorRaksha Vasudevan is a sustainability associateat the National League of Cities. Thiswas the fifth in a series of seven blog postson trends and themes in local leadership.Virginia Town & City | april 2013 13