In his 30 years of working in local-government finance, Moses admits that it was years before he very carefully considered what local government was and what it had to offer.

Hoping to reduce crowds—and crime, the logic went—the city moved to ban food trucks from operating in profitable late-night weekend slots.

Chasidy Decker is a native of the Treasure Valley who was priced out of the roaring traditional Boise real estate market. But she found a way to continue living in the area she calls home. Then, something unexpected got in the way of what should have been a win for everybody: the government.

Auburn, Maine decided scarce housing was holding the city back; what they did has lessons for communities of every size.