Reduce waste, add value, capture and share the benefit of both locally, and repeat.
For 35 years, the High Road Strategy Center has promoted, tested, and demonstrated the value of “high road” development. This strategy assumes both competitive markets and popular interest in social fairness and inclusion, environmental sustainability, and competent and accountable government. It then uses better democratic organization, inside and outside the state, to reduce waste, add value, and capture and share the net increase in social value locally.
At the core of this work is the belief that democracy—self-rule with equal respect—can be not only a source of values, such as fairness and representation, but also a social value in itself. When we started the High Road Strategy Center, that idea was heretical. Democracy was generally seen as distraction from, or actual impediment to, the production of social wealth. Equally, the idea that, in the long run, fairness and inclusion, environmental sustainability, and public accountability were all necessary complements in social development, not tragic tradeoffs, was considered childish. Today, in part because of our work, these views are broadly accepted, at least in theory.
Practice, of course, is another matter. And that’s another area of High Road Strategy Center’s impact.
"The future of America is the future of our cities. Restoring their health and wealth is the key to advancing racial justice, to raising and equalizing wages, to promoting equal opportunity, to saving our environment....I urge you to read and consider Metro Futures."
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., from the Foreword
Our Programs
Realizing the Promise of Cities
The Mayors Innovation Project (MIP) is a national peer learning network for mayors advancing equity, sustainability, and democratic governance at the city level. Since 2005, MIP has connected hundreds of mayors across the country, providing spaces for peer exchange, leadership development, and practical tools to tackle challenges like climate change, housing, economic revitalization, and racial equity. Through in-person convenings, bi-annual Winter and Summer Meetings, curated resources, and targeted leadership opportunities, MIP equips city leaders with forward-thinking strategies tailored to the executive role of mayors.
Participating mayors and their staff have implemented high road, values-driven solutions in communities nationwide. From street safety interventions learned through the Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety cohort, to zoning and parking changes inspired by panel sessions, to passing housing inspection programs based on MIP technical assistance, to restructuring water rates and affordability programs after participating in our Water Affordability program, MIP’s impact is evident in how participating cities apply what they learn. Peer learning, technical guidance, and leadership support from MIP help cities strengthen local policies, programs, and partnerships, ensuring tangible improvements in the lives of residents and demonstrating the power of collaborative, high-road leadership.
High Road Solutions for State Transportation
The State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI)—a joint project of the High Road Strategy Center and Smart Growth America—partners with state transportation agencies to make infrastructure decisions that strengthen communities, support local economies, and protect the environment. For more than a decade, we have partnered with over half the nation’s DOTs. Our annual meetings and peer networks spark new ideas and provide a trusted space for candid, forward-looking dialogue among agency leaders and staff.
SSTI’s impact is clear: our external review helped launch major reforms at Caltrans; our guidance shaped Virginia’s groundbreaking project-selection process, SMART SCALE; and we supported Minnesota in setting some of the most ambitious climate goals in the country. Our tools—from accessibility analysis to transportation demand management—are used in cities and states nationwide, and our Innovative DOT framework continues to set the standard for forward-looking agencies.
An Economy that Works for All
Work and Opportunity advances economic justice in Wisconsin and beyond. We document the structure of jobs, the policies and practices that shape them, and work with union, business, and community leaders to raise job quality and build the power and opportunities of workers. Our work ranges from founding membership in a national coalition on job quality policy to consultation on design of massive state investments in high road training programs to local work with unions and advocates supporting their job quality work and consistently promotes the high-road infrastructure that improve jobs and expand access to them. Getting on the high road requires stronger floors under labor markets and better ladders for moving up; our work consistently attends to both questions.
Since 1996, The State of Working Wisconsin has documented workers’ experience of work and economic opportunity in the state. In the state, and beyond, we continue to also produce briefs, convene stakeholders, and provide data-driven analysis to advance an economy that works for workers.
Progressive State and Local Policy
Progressive Local Government for the 21st Century (ProGov21) is a nonpartisan, easily searchable, free digital library of progressive policies and best practices for local governments. It advances the idea that inclusive prosperity, environmental sustainability, and strong democratic institutions can and must go hand-in-hand. The library offers laws, model legislation, ballot measures, executive orders, policy briefs, case studies, and more—drawn from organizations and cities across the country working on the pressing issues local governments face every day. By making these resources freely available and continually updated, ProGov21 equips local policymakers, advocates, and public servants with the latest tools and evidence they need to enact high-road solutions that prioritize shared well-being, equity, and long-term resilience.
With over 500 newsletter subscribers, ProGov21 puts effective, data-driven policies directly into the hands of local leaders. Our library is easily accessible, enabling cities, counties, towns, and villages of all sizes and forms of government to adopt innovative policies without having to reinvent the wheel. In addition to sharing knowledge, our library fosters collaboration, speeds up implementation, and strengthens local capacity to drive meaningful change.
Our Legacy and Partners
We have developed high road strategies and solutions since our founding in 1990, providing both thought leadership and the avenues through which to implement these ideas. Below are just a few of the organizations that we helped found, develop, or seed over the years.
UniverCity Alliance
UniverCity Alliance connects UW–Madison’s education, service, and research with partner cities to tackle community priorities. Through its flagship UniverCity Year program, UCA builds multi-year collaborations that deliver real-world solutions and strengthen the connection between the university and Wisconsin communities.
The Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network (EPIC-N)
The Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network (EPIC-N) is a global nonprofit association that unites the human capital of universities with local governments, and communities, to improve the quality of life and social wealth for all involved.
Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership
Launched as the High Road Strategy Center’s first public project, the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) is a workforce intermediary dedicated to connecting people to family-sustaining jobs. Their mission is to enhance the ability of public and private sector organizations to recruit, develop, and retain a more diverse, qualified workforce in construction, manufacturing and emerging sectors of the regional economy.
Emerald Cities Collaborative
The Emerald Cities Collaborative is a national nonprofit dedicated to creating high-road local economies. Their local and national partners bring resources and expertise from the community, labor, business and government sectors.
State Innovation Exchange
In 2003, High Road Strategy Center designed and founded the American Legislative and Issue Campaign (ALICE), which became the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) in 2010. SiX is an independent national resource and strategy center that collaborates with state legislators to drive bold, progressive policies and strengthen collaboration between lawmakers, advocates, and communities.
Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN)
Co-founded by High Road Strategy Center (1997), the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) unites research and advocacy groups across the country to advance equitable, worker-centered economic policies and build a more inclusive economy.
High Road Strategy Center in the News
Point Taken w/ Kristin Brey – October 14th, 2025
October 14, 2025Wisconsin Depends on Immigration
September 15, 2025- More High Road Strategy Center in the News posts
