Urban Policy

Bloomberg Announces $200 Million 'American Cities Initiative'
The former mayor of New York is launching the "American Cities Initiative." The initiative comes with a scathing critique of the federal government's treatment of urban areas.

Grading Obama's Urban Policy Legacy
Some of the effects of the Obama Administration will take years to appear, but a new book already begins the process of taking stock of the administration's efforts to support and improve cities.

Malign Neglect? Urban Policy in the Trump Era
How much do we have to fear from the president-elect's policy plans for urban America? We can hope that he will follow his party's playbook and largely ignore the cities, but potential changes to housing policy are more serious.
Is a Meritocracy Really What We Want?
At first glance, a meritocratic vision is morally compelling, but upon closer scrutiny, its pursuit ends up legitimizing—and thus reinforcing—the very social and economic inequality it purports to rectify.
Expert Voices 2016: Urban Policy and the Presidential Election
Penn IUR Faculty Fellows and Scholars weigh in on the 2016 Presidential election. What urban issues should the candidates be focusing on?
China Announces New Planning Policies to Improve Urban Life
National leaders in China have recognized urban challenges like pollution and public safety as threats to residents of the country's cities, and have released a policy statement to begin a new era of urban policies.

10 Keys to Making A Great City Plan
Too many city plans represent business-as-usual, sit on a shelf collecting dust, or miss the chance to reflect a truly game-changing moment in the direction of a city. Want your new city plan process to result in a great plan? Consider these 10 keys.
Survey Illuminates American Mayors' Priorities
A new study conducted by former Boston Mayor Tom Menino and the Initiative on Cities at Boston University surveyed 70 mayors on their challenges, policy agendas, and relationships.
Mystery Surrounds Mitt's Urban Agenda
On the eve of the election, with scant mention of his position on issues such as transportation, smart growth, climate change, or even housing while on the campaign trail, Emily Badger tries to divine Mitt Romney's approach to urban issues.
Will D.C. Stand Up for America's Cities?
In his column Urban Nation, Harry Moroz argues for deeper involvement from the federal government in urban policy in order to give American cities the fighting chance they deserve to be healthy and enjoyable places to live.
A New Kind of Planning for a New Kind of Africa
Ernest Harsch interviews UN-Habitat Director Joan Clos on the challenges facing African cities in an age of unprecedented urbanization, from the abundance of slums to the threat of natural disasters.
Lapped on Urban Sustainability - can the US ever catch up?
Summer travel took me out of the US and back to Sweden for the first time in five years. While my initial reaction was that things seemed much the same, I quickly realized that the Swedes had quietly pushed forward a number of projects that, if located in the US, would be on the vanguard of sustainability. But over there it's just called urban planning.
The Growing Impact of Brookings' Bruce Katz
This cover piece from Next American City profiles Bruce Katz, founding director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, who the magazine calls the "oracle of urban policy".
Pushing Forward a World Urban Campaign
City and government officials from around the world are in Rio de Janeiro to make the argument that urban hold the key to sustainability. Neal Peirce reports.
Urban Policy's Organic Emergence
The White House Office of Urban Affairs is officially in action, but the creation of urban policy seems to have started on its own, according to this column form Neal Peirce.
China's Urban Policy Leaps While U.S. Lags
China's fast-paced development is making it into a major economic power. Its emphasis on urban policy is leaving the U.S. in the dust, writes Eugenie Birch.
White House Begins Urban Policy Creation
The White House is setting forth on its long-planned mission to craft a federal urban policy program. The effort kicks off with a daylong conference today.
A Blueprint for America's Urban Policy?
Isaiah Poole believes that the Institute for America's Future new "Main Street Recovery Program" provides the incoming administration with a strategy for public investments into America's cities.
Obama Administration to Create Office of Urban Policy
When President-elect Obama takes office in January, he says, an Office of Urban Policy will be established, and a Director of Urban Policy will be in place to "coordinate all federal urban programs."
The Frontier in American Politics
With due respect to Frederick Jackson Turner, the American frontier closes on Tuesday. This time, for good.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Standridge Inc.
City of Brookings
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service