For a lifetime of journalism dedicated to reporting cities for a better urban future

A journalist in Washington, D.C., Neal Peirce is cited for his commitment to urban and community life throwing a magnifying lens on the global urban challenges of the 21st century. In 1976 Peirce began (and today continues) the United States’ first nationally-distributed newspaper column focused on states and cities, syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. Forming the Citistates Group, in 1995, came as a natural evolution of the city area reports. With Peirce as its chairman, it is a network of journalists, speakers and civic leaders focused on building competitive, equitable and sustainable 21st century metropolitan regions. The group’s stated forte is communications — using its journalistic, speaking and facilitation skills to stimulate active debate on the real-world choices facing 21st century urban regions, both in the United States and worldwide. He was commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation to monitor its “Global Urban Summit” in Bellagio, Italy, in summer 2007 leading to a Citistates book, Century of the City: No Time To Lose, published by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2008.
He has received the Distinguished Urban Journalism Award from the National Urban Coalition in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the cause of US cities. He also won the Carey McWilliams Award conferred by the American Political Science Association