From four-time Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, a hopeful and illuminating look at the dynamic and inventive urban centers that will lead the United States in coming years.

As Oklahoma City’s first four-term mayor, Mick Cornett has used a bold, creative, and personal approach to orchestrate his city’s renaissance-a crucial (and untold) story of urban reinvention. Once regarded as a flyover city, Oklahoma City has become one of our nation’s most dynamic places-and it is not alone. Indianapolis, Charleston, Seattle, Austin, New Orleans, Des Moines, Sacramento, Louisville, Buffalo- these cities are re-inventing themselves, and setting examples for communities of every kind-in ways that America’s largest cities can’t afford to do or can’t figure out how to do.

With The Next American City, Mayor Cornett translates his city’s success into a vision for the future. Cities of modest size but outsized accomplishment, powered by a can-do spirit, valuing compromise over confrontation and progress over political victory-these are the cities leading America … and they’re not waiting around for Washington’s help. As Mayor Cornett argues, in the fight to grow jobs, improve health, eradicate poverty, and protect the environment, the middle is leading the way.