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Modern urban governance, because of its demanding and complex environment, requires a facilitative style of local political leadership that is visible, outward looking, open, and less partisan than more established forms. This article examines the impact of new constitutional expressions of local political leadership in England since the introduction of executive forms of governance for larger municipalities in 2002. The mayoral form, though established in only a handful of municipalities, is showing signs of supporting a more facilitative leadership style compared to the more widespread council leader model. This finding may be explained by the decision‐making resources of mayors and their relationship to followers, which are, in turn, created by the institutional framing of their role by new constitutional arrangements. Political leadership is not simply a product of personality, capabilities, or contingency—although all of these factors play a part. Crucially, from the perspective of reformers, institutional design does make a difference and can encourage leadership practices of a particular style and form.

This article comes from an investigation into the identities and leadership traits of seven urban school principals committed to social justice across elementary, middle, and high school levels. These administrators believed that enacting social justice for marginalized students was instrumental in their desire to become school leaders and central to their practice. A qualitative approach combined with principles of autoethnography has guided the research methods. Findings include varied personal experiences that sound their call to leadership and three common leadership traits. These traits are arrogant humility, passionate leadership, and a tenacious commitment to social justice. The article concludes with a metaphor explaining these leaders and their connection with their social justice work.

There is an increasing trend in government to look to local and regional governments to provide the solutions to regional problems. This transfer is occurring at a time when the environment has never been more complex, uncertain and changing. The challenge confronting local administrators is, to say the least, considerable. It was hypothesized that a computer- based, decision-making simulation model could make a significant contribution to the effective decision- making development of local administrators and their staffs. Urban/Suburban (U/S) Policy Interaction Model was adapted for training and development of local leaders and citizens. A limited trial and experiment were conducted and evaluation by the participants was positive.

AbstractAn enigma lies at the heart of this article. In December 2006, the mayor of Saint‐Étienne, Michel Thiollière, was elected as the fifth best mayor in the world by the internet site City Mayors. Yet no publicity was made locally around this award. Taking this anecdote as a starting point, this article deals with the motivations that can lead a city mayor to become involved in urban international relationships' policy (city twinning, participation in cities networks, study trips, etc.). On the one hand these activities provide resources for building up political legitimacy and for electoral control, and on the other they provide resources for policy solutions to urban problems in the public realm. Nevertheless, in a context of transformation of the process of legitimization of urban elected officials, the second kind of resources seems to be the most sought after in mayoral involvement in international activities.

Much research has examined the socio-spatial distribution of, and access to, urban greenspace; the challenges of supplying greenspace, especially in periods of dynamic urban change, remain poorly understood. Multiple factors shape urban greenspace provision, however understanding the role of leadership as a factor remains somewhat elusive. Addressing this critical knowledge gap, we employed a case study approach, using qualitative methods, to hear first-hand from the key stakeholders involved with municipal urban greenspace provision, to investigate how different types of leadership affected greenspace provision in Surrey, Canada – a dynamically changing mid-size city. Semi-structured interviews with 32 purposively selected participants reveal that here, both leadership and organizational culture influenced resources and decision-making supporting greenspace provision. Aligned political leadership and organizational leadership witnessed a significant increase in Surrey's urban greenspaces – the converse occurred in a later administration. Findings provide insights into the governance of greenspace; especially how different types of leadership can play a pivotal role in effective greenspace provision.