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August 2019 Summary of Select Trends
Click on the source in (parenthesis) to visit the full article ECONOMY If there was a silver lining to the Great Recession for cities and states across the country, it’s this: public officials learned lessons about sustainable financing. As a result, a playbook of sorts has emerged for weathering the next economic storm better. And many local government leaders are borrowing from its pages as they prepare for the next downturn. (University of Chicago) TECH Last month, Oakland, California became the third US city to ban facial recognition technology usage. Some states have used this technology to help address driver license fraud. Citing privacy fears of citizens and researchers’ beliefs of gender and racial bias innate within the technology, more cities in the US question if this technology helps more than it harms. (Governing) HOUSING It’s important to know how short-term vacation rentals are impacting your community. Even though this new accommodation brings substantial economic benefits to communities, when unregulated, Airbnb-style rentals can put pressure on communities and the accommodation industry. With the immense growth of short-term vacation rentals in every community, ignoring the impact, whether positive or negative, is not an option anymore. Local governments need to work towards effective and enforceable regulations to protect communities, neighborhood character and housing availability. (Host Compliance) RETIREMENT Retirement looks very different in the 21st century than in decades past. So before employees plan for their golden days by the beach, there are a few trends that need consideration to help ensure they are ready to retire for real. Want a hint? For one, Americans are retiring much later in life and workers aged over 60 have tripled in the last few years. But it’s not all bad news. Thirty percent of retirees actually “upsized” their homes to make room for visitors and family visits. (MoneyTalkTrends) HEALTHCARE The healthcare industry continues to consolidate and evolve, as CVS Health and Aetna announced a program last month to create a social care network to service its most vulnerable customers. By intervening in social concerns, health companies can help by addressing social determinants of health (SDoH) that have true impact on health outcomes. For example, providing housing for a recovering alcoholic or a weekly visit from a social worker for a schizophrenic can make a world of difference in the progress and health of those patients. Critics worry about recreating the wheel. (ModernHealthcare) ENVIRONMENT What is a ‘Forever Chemical’ exactly? These commonly-used chemicals have entered various parts of our lives in recent years through contaminating the water in Ann Arbor to entering our digestive systems when living our best lives as we chow down on a Chipotle burrito bowl. PFAS (AKA Forever Chemicals) are non-biodegradable chemicals linked to causing certain types of cancer. As these chemicals are found in more and more applications, local and federal government agencies have a lot of work to do. (Governing) SCIENCE With the anti-vaxx movement and climate change denial, scientists may wonder if public trust in them is on par with that of a used car salesman. That hypothesis was proven wrong by a recent poll, and public trust in scientists has risen ten percent in the last three years. Transparency in research and results contribute to an increase in trust, so some areas of science are not seen as trustworthy as others. (NPR) EDUCATION Last month, the City of Las Vegas approved and implemented a month-long plan to allow parking violators to pay their parking tickets by donating school supplies ahead of the upcoming school year. Donations varied based on need from paper and pencils to paper towels and tissues. A few other cities have started exploring this idea, including: Columbia, Kansas City, Danville, and Sioux Falls. (CNN) |
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Cobalt Community Research is a national 501c3 nonprofit, non-partisan coalition that helps local governments, schools and membership organizations measure, benchmark, and affordably engage communities through high-quality metrics, surveys, dynamic population segmentation, focus groups and work groups. Cobalt combines big data with local insights to help organizations thrive as changes emerge in the economic, demographic and social landscape. Explore how we can help by calling 877.888.0209, or by emailing [email protected].
Cobalt Community Research is a national 501c3 nonprofit, non-partisan coalition that helps local governments, schools and membership organizations measure, benchmark, and affordably engage communities through high-quality metrics, surveys, dynamic population segmentation, focus groups and work groups. Cobalt combines big data with local insights to help organizations thrive as changes emerge in the economic, demographic and social landscape. Explore how we can help by calling 877.888.0209, or by emailing [email protected].