Event Recap
A Penn IUR National Impact Conference
Co-sponsored by the American Academy of Political and Social Science, the conference highlighted key concerns related to the ability of America’s metropolitan areas, which currently contribute more than 75 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, to sustain their important role in the U.S. economy. Social science research reveals that while the nation’s cities are the engines of the U.S. economy today, key economic, demographic and environmental/physical issues threaten their ability to maintain this role in the future. Addressing these concerns require repositioning the metropolis in the federal agenda. This conference and the associated special issues of the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences highlighted current research that outlines the trends, identifies the problems and frames areas for federal response.
