Christy McFarland, the research director of the National League of Cities, said many cities across the country were preparing to put money into infrastructure projects that had been delayed by the pandemic, and investing in more affordable housing and spending on core needs such as water, sewer and broadband. However, she said she was also seeing creative ideas such as recurring payments to the poor and investments in remote-work support emerge as cities looked to expand their safety nets and modernize their work forces.