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The coming of a new year is a time for reflection and focus. While New Year’s resolutions are traditionally the province of individuals, 2018 requires collective thought and purpose at the communal level.

Populist spasms in the United States and Europe and the abdication of responsibility by higher levels of government have devolved new burdens to cities, often without the concomitant delegation of capacity or resources. The complex nature of economic, social and environmental challenges today have also elevated cities because their leaders think and act across disciplines and sectors rather than in bureaucratic compartments and specialized silos.

Thirty years ago, the city of Copenhagen was experiencing 17.5 percent unemployment, an outmigration of population, the loss of manufacturing, the decline of taxing capacity, and an annual budget deficit of $750 million. Today, the city has been transformed into one of the wealthiest (and happiest) in the world.