The tornado was one of the deadliest on record, killing 161 people. It carved a swath of six miles of wreckage, leaving more than 7,500 homes uninhabitable, 540 businesses affected, and 3 million cubic yards of rubble and debris strewn across the city. It was the single costliest tornado in U.S. history with damages estimated at more than $3 billion. City Manager Mark Rohr led the recovery effort that rebuilt Joplin.

Successful local economic development requires long-term, strategic planning. How has Oakdale's economy remained strong, even during the current economic downturn? City Administrator Craig Waldron's focus on and expertise in economic development made the difference.

Over the course of the 21 years Thomas Markus has served as city manager for Birmingham, he has fostered the transformation of the city's downtown through the development and implementation of Downtown Birmingham 2016, an urban design plan created to make the city more pedestrian and business friendly.

Needham, MA, Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick was teaching a civics lesson to eighth graders at a nearby school when she had a brainstorm.

Bedford adopted its first affordable housing plan in 1986. As housing prices soared in the 1990s, however, many Bedford residents found it difficult to remain in the town. Hardest hit were residents who'd grown up there; long-time residents who had trouble maintaining their homes as they aged; military families from the local Air Force base; and employees of the town and local businesses.

Creating a sense of community requires the work of many. The city of Caribou, Maine (population 8,200), known as \"The most northeastern city in the United States” and originally settled by lumberjacks and trappers, recognized the importance of bringing residents together and successfully created a new sense of place through a bi-weekly event dubbed \"Thursday's On Sweden.”

When health care costs for city employees skyrocketed, Lewiston looked to an old aphorism — \"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure‚Äù — to find an innovative approach.

Paul Eckert began building relationships almost immediately after being appointed manager of Sioux City. One of the many groups that he joined was the local Chamber of Commerce's Governmental Affairs Committee. Before long, the city was an important part of the Chamber's legislative lobbying efforts and had its own unique campaign to focus on city issues.

By the early 2000s, Davenport was struggling with the cumulative effects of 20 years of population decline and economic stagnation. This open approach to government allowed residents to provide input on a redevelopment plant that changed the community.