Bottom-Up Policy Diffusion

A Transformative approach to climate-oriented policy change

This report applies the theory of policy mobility across different levels of government, arguing that policy makers at even the most local level of government can initiate change that can reverberate around the world.

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Local Action Matters!

Cities are growing

By 2050, 2.5 billion more people will reside in cities. In total, 68% of the world's population is expected to then reside in urban areas. With this population shift, cities are experiencing an increased ability to influence global GHG emissions - either positively or negatively

Cities are Expansive

Included in world population estimates is much more than just jurisdictional cities. The population is moving toward "urban areas," which include multitudes of smaller governments. In the New York Metro region alone, there are 588 governing bodies.

Good Policy Moves

Like ripples on water, policy is mobile. Every action taken by an elected official, from major cities to tiny villages, has the potential to ripple outward, inspiring and informing similar actions throughout a region, and perhaps, the world.

Which creates an opportunity for action

Local governments within urbanized areas, especially in the United States, are in a unique position to change the way that their communities are built and experienced, paving the way for similar changes to spread throughout a region, and the world.

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