Icon Legend

This session is not in your schedule.

This session is in your schedule.

Presentation Icons

Ticketed Event

Passport

Walking

Kayak

Bus

Meal

Public Trans

Biking

395 Views

Log CM for AICP

Panel Discussion

Navigating the Political Landscape

Leading Cities Through Change: Mayors Panel

Sunday, April 26, 2026

1:00 PM - 1:45 PM CT

Location: HPCC, Room 420AB

CM: .75

Moderator and Speaker(s)

Anthony Flint

Senior Fellow
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Slides

Speaker(s)

Mayor Sheldon Neeley

City of Flint
Mayor Christopher Taylor

City of Ann Arbor
Mayor David LaGrand

City of Grand Rapids

Our political landscape is changing rapidly, making the need for strong leadership at the local level more crucial than ever. Building on the success of well attended APA panels in 2024 and 2025, the Lincoln Institute brings together several Michigan mayors to discuss innovations in planning, affordable housing, climate resilience, and public finance in the context of political uncertainty.

Drawing on themes from the Lincoln Institute's book, Mayor's Desk: 20 Conversations with Local Leaders Solving Global Problems, this panel discussion touches on the idea that local governments are the real engines of national and global change. Hear from mayors firsthand about their strategies for making their cities more sustainable and equitable places to live, and identify ways local governments can overcome obstacles to make impactful change.

Closed Captioning

Learning Objectives:

Identify opportunities to make impactful change at the local government level.
Assess roadblocks to planning for or implementing innovations in housing, climate, and public finance in cities.
Highlight successful examples of municipal partnerships and cross-sector collaborations in local governments.