Sunday Roundup

This week, Democrats held their first presidential debate, bringing a fresh onslaught of insta-polls and horse-race analysis. No matter who won, it's clear Americans are losing faith in the ability of our national leaders to solve our biggest challenges. But take heart, because those challenges are in fact being met - in our cities. I'm seeing this first-hand here in London, where I'm moderating a panel at CityLab, an event put together by Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Aspen Institute, and The Atlantic that brings together mayors from around the world to share ideas and spread solutions. Today, we'll hear how New Orleans used advanced software to greatly reduce urban blight, how Bristol partnered with local tech entrepreneurs to help meet its environmental goals, and how Seoul used big data to make its public transportation system more efficient. So as we watch our presidential candidates vie for the right to lead a paralyzed system - remember that creativity, risk-taking, and innovation are being brought to bear on some of the world's most vexing problems in those local laboratories of democracy: cities.