Pitch a Story to Next City

Next City publishes news stories reported and written by journalists, and op-eds written by academics and practitioners in the fields we cover: urban policy, planning, housing, economic development, transportation, tech, environmental sustainability, arts and urban culture, health and safety, and design. Below, find guidelines for pitching news stories and op-eds to our editors, as well as pay rates for transparency. If you have a submission that promotes your organization’s specific projects or services, please see the “Sponsored Posts” section at the end.

A whopping 89% of Next City’s readers say that they or their organizations are working toward greater racial equity. And 74% of our readers use Next City for their jobs. We’re committed to bringing them smart reads about the solutions that can be replicated from one city to the next city. We seek to highlight a diverse array of voices and perspectives, and seek character-driven stories with a strong solutions orientation and explanatory approach.

Generally, we report on equitable economic development, urban policy and design, planning, transportation, environmental justice and sustainability, arts and culture and tech. We center equity in every sector we cover. Next City firmly believes that nothing we do in cities matters if we do not make life more equitable for everyone. See a list of topics and themes our editors are particularly interested in right now.

Our stories generally have three major components:

1. A focus on the local. Our stories look at local solutions that liberate cities, neighborhoods and urban populations from systems of oppression. We don’t use a strict definition of what constitutes a city or urban area. Although we cover mostly U.S. cities, we occasionally publish international coverage as well.

2. A solutions-based approach. As the Solutions Journalism Network describes, a solutions-oriented story should explore a response to a social issue, looking at how it works, evidence of its impact (or lack thereof), its limitations as an effective solution, and insights or lessons that others can glean from this response. Ideally, our stories will look at scalable and replicable solutions to the problems that oppress people in cities.

3. An equity angle. Our stories look at how such solutions are impacting marginalized populations in particular, and we make a serious effort to feature the voices of marginalized individuals. This includes people experiencing homelessness, disabled, elderly, low-income, non-white, LGBTQ+ people and others often left behind by urban policy. 

News stories

While most of our stories are published by our staff writers, we welcome well-considered pitches from journalists around the world. Most of our stories are 800 to 1,500 words. We especially encourage pitches from journalists belonging to marginalized communities, as well as those with lived experiences, professional expertise or academic backgrounds in the issues we cover.

Direct all pitches to Aysha Khan, Senior Editor (aysha@nextcity.org). We strive to review and respond to all pitches in a timely fashion, but we unfortunately cannot respond to every email. Feel free to follow up if your pitch falls through the cracks or if it is a time-sensitive story. Please disclose if you’re submitting simultaneously elsewhere and withdraw your pitch immediately if you are moving forward with another publication.

Next City generally pays freelancers a flat rate of $400 upon publication of a news story. (This rate may increase if we have received specific grant funding for the story or if we are co-publishing with another nonprofit news organization.)

​While we don’t often have story assignments, if you’re a writer without a pitch that is interested in contributing, fill out this form so we can reach out with any assignments that fit. Writers who are the best fit for us have a deep understanding of the challenges facing cities — ranging from economic hardship and affordable housing shortages to transportation deserts and changing infrastructure — and the solutions posed to address those problems (whether effective or not). 

Our regular freelancers are committed to the extensive reporting required to explore these complex issues, and adept at translating “policy” to real human impact. We take solutions journalism seriously, and are currently the third most prolific contributor to the Solutions Journalism Network’s Story Tracker, behind only the New York Times and The Guardian.

We’re looking for specific story pitches, not topic ideas. (NPR offers this excellent primer on writing strong pitches.) Ideally, we would like to see a solid nut graf that explains the core of your story, and answers to the following questions:

• Why do Next City readers need to know about this? 
• What’s the problem at the center? 
• How does the solution you are writing about address the problem? You should have a general idea about possible solutions before pitching. “I want to explore … ” isn’t enough.
• What evidence is there that the solution is effective? This can be initial findings or long-term analytics.
• How does it translate to a broader urban policy context? 
• Has it been covered already by Next City, or elsewhere in the media? If so, how would your approach differ?
• Which voices do you plan to include? We’re looking for experts who can offer authoritative insight and context, as well as sources whose personal experiences illustrate the human impact of this problem and solution. We seek to include diverse sources.
• Who are you and what’s your background or expertise in this area? Do you have any related clips? It’s OK if the answer is no.​

We would especially like more news stories like these:

• These Local Governments Are Using Federal Aid to Cancel Medical Debt
• Can Co-Buying Help Solve The Affordability Crisis?
• Community Land Trusts Are Building Disaster-Resilient Neighborhoods
• These Tenants Fought Boston University For Ownership Of Their Homes, And Won
• A Mobile Bank On Wheels Reaches Bronx Residents Where They Are
• A Pennsylvania Program Will Provide Free Repairs – So Long As Landlords Don’t Hike Rents
• Kansas City’s Zero Fare Transit Program Shows Major Success – And What Still Needs to Be Done
• Teens Are Using Moss To Push For Cleaner Air in Seattle’s Duwamish Valley

​Next City doesn’t cover events, conferences, symposia or meetings. But you might get a lead on a great story at one. Pitch us after you’ve attended and looked into the idea. We also pass on Q&As, book reviews, history overviews, horse race journalism, white papers, academic treatises, fiction and poetry.

Op-eds

Op-eds should be topical and relevant to Next City’s mission of inspiring equitable change in cities, and speak to ideas and policies that can lead to such change. They should express a strong, informed opinion. (If you’re writing solely about your organization or the specific work that you do, see “Sponsored Posts,” below.)

All submissions must be original, and not published elsewhere. Maximum length is 1,200 words. We will not consider articles that have already been published, in any form, in print or online.

We pay a small honorarium for op-eds, but do not guarantee publication in advance of receiving a submission. 

To submit pieces for consideration, please email Aysha Khan, Senior Editor (aysha@nextcity.org), with “Op-Ed Submission” in the subject line. We review all emails with op-ed submissions, but unfortunately we can’t respond to every one. 

We would especially like more op-eds like these ones, rooted in research and personal experience:

• For Local Food Systems To Thrive, Farm Tax Breaks Must Be Harder To Get
• Our Corporate Landlord Tried To Push Us Out. We Saved Our Homes Through A Community Land Trust.
• Making Space For Loneliness In Our Cities
• Public Spaces for Older Adults Must be Reimagined as Cities Reopen

Sponsored posts

Next City’s sponsored articles are the most effective, guaranteed way to tell the story about your company or organization’s work. Our sponsored content is labeled, lives on the site forever, includes roadblocked display ads and comes with a 500-page-view guarantee. In addition, we offer sponsored webinars, which give you the chance to talk to our audience of changemakers directly; offer print and digital ads; and underwriting opportunities. Find out more in our media kit and contact Eleanor Barba, Integrated Sales & Marketing Coordinator, for more information about these and other marketing opportunities with Next City.