A Day of Engagement at Harvard with Mayors from Around the World
On April 14, 2026, the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University hosted six major events in one day, bringing together students, faculty, and mayors from around the world for public conversations across campus and online.
Cambridge, Massachusetts (April 24, 2026)—As part of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative’s capstone convening for its ninth class of mayors, city leaders joined the Harvard community to discuss democracy, success pathways for children and youth, the promise and perils of public-private partnerships, effective approaches to stemming homelessness, the increasing role of local leaders in addressing global problems, and the practice of governing at the community level in divided times.
Together, at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard and across campus, these events formed an inaugural Global Mayors at Harvard Day, offering a kaleidoscopic look at how city leaders are responding to urgent challenges and delivering results for residents.
Catch up on the day’s activities with event recaps and videos:
Building Democracy from the Ground Up: A Conversation with Mayors
Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University
Mayors from Athens, Greece; Oakland, California; and Wichita, Kansas joined Danielle Allen of Harvard Kennedy School for a conversation on democratic renewal at the local level.
Participants explored transparency, public participation, civic trust, and how mayors are building more responsive systems in polarized times.
The Role of Mayors in Advancing City-wide Partnerships for Children and Youth: A Conversation with Mayors
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Moderated by Rob Watson, Jr. of The EdRedesign Lab, mayors from Tracy, California; Tucson, Arizona; and East Midlands in the United Kingdom discussed how cities and regions can help children thrive by linking schools with health, housing, workforce, and neighborhood supports.
The conversation emphasized cradle-to-career pathways, the importance of place, and the role mayors can play even when they do not directly control school systems.
Building the City: Mayors on Public-Private Partnerships and Infrastructure
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Research Cluster on Business and Government
Led in conversation by Alisha Holland of Harvard’s Department of Government, mayors from Lafayette, Louisiana; Halifax, Canada; and Raleigh, North Carolina reflected on when public-private partnerships help cities move faster and when they raise hard questions about accountability, expertise, and public trust.
The discussion highlighted infrastructure delivery, political risk, and the challenge of aligning public purpose with private capital.
Bold Strategies to Address Homelessness: A Conversation with Mayors
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
A discussion led by Dr. Howard Koh focused on how mayors from Eugene, Oregon; Huntington, West Virginia; and Tulsa, Oklahoma are addressing homelessness through coordinated, systems-level strategies that connect housing, health, and social services.
The event spotlighted approaches to the urgent public heath challenge of homelessness and examined how city leaders are advancing more integrated responses.
Meet Your Hometown Mayor Reception
Bloomberg Center for Cities
Students from across Harvard met with mayors from their home cities and from cities around the world, sparking conversations about public service, local leadership, and career pathways into city government.
The reception served as both a reunion and a networking moment, connecting students directly with city leaders and practitioners.
Global Challenges, Local Leadership: How Mayors Deliver Results
JFK Jr. Forum, Harvard Kennedy School
In the day’s culminating forum, mayors from Alexandria, Virginia; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Tucson, Arizona joined Rawi Abdelal of Harvard Business School to discuss how climate change, migration, inequality, and other global pressures are being felt first in city halls.
The forum offered a close look at the local consequences of global disruption and the demands those realities place on city leaders.
A Home for Learning about City Leadership
The first Global Mayors at Harvard Day offered students, faculty, and the broader Harvard community a unique opportunity to engage in substantive exchanges with city leaders confronting some of today’s most urgent public concerns. Through activities like these, the Bloomberg Center for Cities serves a global community committed to solving urban problems by informing, inspiring, and supporting local government leaders, scholars, students, and others who work to improve the lives of residents.
“As cities face increasingly complex challenges, the need for strong, adaptive leadership has never been greater,” said Jorrit de Jong, Emma Bloomberg Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School, Faculty Co-Chair of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, and Director of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard. “What’s powerful about this moment is that mayors are not just exchanging ideas—they are applying practical tools to strengthen how their governments work and deliver better results for residents.”
