Is America experiencing an ‘urban renaissance’?

Nearly 300 mayors descended on Washington, D.C., this week, hoping to persuade Congress, the president and his Cabinet to pay more attention to American cities.

On Thursday their efforts paid off. In a speech at the White House, President Barack Obama pledged to help mayors by not waiting on a divided Congress.

"With a pen, I can take executive actions," said Obama. "With a phone, I can rally folks from around the country to help grow the economy and restore opportunity."

Hosting this lobbying effort is the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan organization of those who govern cities of 30,000 or more people. “Inside Story” met with some city leaders as they attended their 82nd annual winter meeting this week.

“It's a great opportunity to collaborate with our peer group of mayors, to learn best practices and bring those back to our community,” said Mayor Miles Atkins of Mooresville, N.C.

Topping the conference’s agenda is a call for help with high unemployment. More than 1 out of 3 metropolitan areas have a projected unemployment figure of more than 7 percent for 2014.

“It’s an issue, I think, in every city,” said Mayor Philip Levine of Miami Beach, Fla. "The more jobs we can create, the better. I think you’ll find that nationwide.”

Other issues on the table include sustainable energy investment, urban transportation, and economic growth in partnerships with businesses and the federal level. 

“With administrations — be they state, federal or local administrations — they can help us solve problems,” said Mayor Robert Reichert of Macon, Ga. 

On Wednesday, a joint study by the Conference of Mayors and the market research group IHS Global Insight revealed that 98 percent of U.S. metro areas are expecting positive economic growth in 2014.

That’s a huge difference from just one year earlier, when nearly 100 cities surveyed had economies in decline.

“We have significant fiscal challenges — which everybody does, having gone through this Great Recession — and structural deficits that we’re working on,” said Mayor Kathy Derosa of Cathedral City, Calif.

Metro areas across the country saw big losses in public programs after major revenue decreases during the recession. 

Now, after riding out the recovery, urban areas are emerging as production powerhouses. 

“Seattle is coming out of the recession faster than the state is," said that city's mayor, Ed Murray.

With Americans increasingly relocating to cities, 2014 is a year when urban areas' health could command more attention from all levels of government. 

What's in store for American cities?

How could the federal government help?

What does this mean to long-term residents and suburbanites?

We consulted a panel of mayors for the Inside Story.

The above panel was assembled for the broadcast of “Inside Story” to discuss.

For future hard-hitting conversations, find Al Jazeera America on your TV.