American Cities Project

This brief focuses on the cities that anchor the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. The fiscal health of the cities varied considerably in fiscal 2013, depending on their circumstances. Still, a number of trends emerge concerning the cities’ revenue, spending, and reserves.

An analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts finds that borrowing in 30 large U.S. cities since the end of the Great Recession, which ran from late 2007 through mid-2009, was notably different from past recoveries.

This brief describes the history of the state’s intervention program, explains how it works, and details the steps New Jersey has taken to try to help Atlantic City.

The recent high-profile bankruptcy filings by Detroit and a handful of other local governments around the country have renewed state and local policymaker interest in strategies to prevent future financial crises as well as in the choices states face about whether to intervene to help distressed cities and counties.