Brooks Rainwater is the senior executive and director of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Center for City Solutions. Rainwater drives the organization’s research agenda, community engagement efforts, and leadership education programming to help city leaders create strong local economies, safe and vibrant neighborhoods, world-class infrastructure, and a sustainable environment.
As an advocate for strong local leadership, Rainwater leads a team of experts across the field of urban policy, and regularly advises cities both in the United States and globally on critical issues faced now and yet to come. He has published a wide variety of reports and articles on innovative solutions that lead to vibrant and successful cities.
Rainwater speaks regularly across the country and overseas on issues facing city leaders. Under his leadership of the Center, it has grown and developed a host of new programs from land use and equitable development to alternative energy and resilience to urban innovation and enhanced city governance strategies.
Rainwater’s research and interests include advancements in technology and city innovation, the sharing economy, and how the rise of state preemption is impacting local authority. His expertise is a draw for media outlets, including the TODAY Show, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, NPR, and the New York Times. Rainwater also frequently contributes to publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, CityLab, Business Insider, TechCrunch, and Fortune.
Prior to joining NLC, Rainwater was Director of Public Policy for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). While there he developed the Local Leaders research series and spearheaded the Cities as a Lab initiative focused on the key role cities play as creative instigators of innovative practices.
Rainwater serves on numerous boards with current and past service to the STAR Communities Board, the American Library Association Public Policy Advisory Council, the International Advisory Board for the City of Rotterdam, and the Arlington County Environment and Energy Conservation Commission.
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Deep Dive Episode 108 – Regulating Home-Sharing and Home-Based Businesses
Regulatory Transparency Project Teleforum
TeleforumDeep Dive Episode 53 – Analyzing the Regulatory Thicket
Regulatory Transparency Project Teleforum
TeleforumPepperdine Law Review’s 2019 Symposium
Regulatory Transparency Project Sponsored Event
Pepperdine University School of Law24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263
Deep Dive Episode 108 – Regulating Home-Sharing and Home-Based Businesses
Regulatory Transparency Project Teleforum
In this episode, Brooks Rainwater and Jon Riches discuss developments in state and local regulations...
Analyzing the Regulatory Thicket
Regulatory Transparency Project Teleforum
Regulation is a pervasive and increasingly a contentious issue in 21st Century America. The propriety...
Deep Dive Episode 51 – Emerging Tech and Regulation
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
This Deep Dive episode brings you the audio from the final panel at the Pepperdine Law...