Publications

Research Paper June 17, 2026 Moving the Needle? Understanding the Uneven Performance of State and Local Land, Transportation, Energy, and Water Conservation Efforts To what degree have state and local governments “moved the needle” with land, transportation, energy, and water conservation efforts? Are America’s urban communities and near-urban environments truly better off? John Landis Urban Development

Article June 4, 2026 Benjamin Keys on Property Insurance and Disaster Risk Dr. Benjamin Keys studies how financial systems shape outcomes in housing markets, with a particular focus on the role of credit, insurance, and regulation in influencing household behavior. Benjamin Keys Housing

Article May 19, 2026 Penn IUR and Urban Studies Program Convene the 21st Urban Doctoral Symposium Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR), in partnership with the Penn Urban Studies Program, hosted the 21st Urban Doctoral Symposium on May 15, 2026.

Article May 19, 2026 Susan Wachter Testifies Before Congress on the Future of Housing Finance and Credit Risk Transfer On April 22, 2026, Penn IUR Co-Director and Wharton Professor Susan Wachter testified before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, offering expert analysis on how credit risk transfer (CRT) mechanisms can strengthen the resilience and transparency of the U.S. housing finance system. Housing

Article April 20, 2026 Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership Explore Housing Policy in Washington, D.C. Penn IUR 2026 Fellows in Urban Leadership traveled to Washington, D.C. on March 27 for an intensive, day-long immersion focused on housing policy. Urban Development Housing

Article April 20, 2026 Faculty Spotlight: Sanya Carley Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Sanya Carley, Penn’s Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action, is leading a new era of multidisciplinary climate strategy. She speaks with Penn IUR about the launch of the Penn Climate office, the upcoming Grand Climate Challenge Initiative, and her research into energy justice and the human costs of the clean energy transition. Climate Change & Resilience

Research Paper April 16, 2026 The Economic and Social Benefits of The Wilmington Land Bank Conservancy Do land bank interventions actually translate into higher home values, or is their impact overstated? This analysis by Econsult Solutions and Penn IUR isolates the effect of proximity to Wilmington Neighborhood Conservancy Land Bank treated properties to determine whether reclaiming blight is measurably boosting Wilmington’s housing market. State & Local Finance

Article March 18, 2026 The Future of Decentralization and Multilevel Governance in a Rapidly Changing World Penn IUR Scholar Paul Smoke convened scholars, practitioners, and policy leaders at New York University (NYU)’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service for a global roundtable on the future of decentralization and multilevel governance (MLG) on February 26–27, 2026. Urban Development

Article March 18, 2026 Identifying a New Approach to Triple Urban Climate Finance The Global SDSN Commission for Urban SDG Finance held its first member-only forum of 2026 in February under Chatham House Rule to discuss the latest insights from leading urban finance experts. Climate Change & Resilience State & Local Finance

Article March 17, 2026 Mariaflavia Harari on Slum Upgrading and Urban Development Outcomes Dr. Mariaflavia (Nina) Harari studies at the intersection of urban economics, international development, and real estate, focusing on how institutions, land markets, and infrastructure shape the evolution of cities in emerging economies Urban Development

Article February 18, 2026 Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium Advances Urban Scholarship Across Penn The Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium (UURC) is a seminar that embeds undergraduates in faculty- and doctoral student-mentored research on emerging urban challenges. Urban Development

Article February 12, 2026 Fernando Ferreira on the Economic Value of Zoning Reform Fernando Ferreira studies how public policy and market forces interact to shape cities, housing markets, and public outcomes State & Local Finance

Article January 20, 2026 Expert Voices 2026 | The Great Experiment: Cities and the Federal System Experts share their perspectives on how America’s unique federal system has shaped national and metropolitan development across 250 years. Eugénie L. Birch Susan Wachter Urban Development

Research Paper December 11, 2025 Surveillance or Safety? How Cities are Rewriting Tourism Cities are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a transformative tool to enhance safety through predictive analytics, real-time monitoring, and rapid response systems. At the same time, AI deployment raises pressing governance questions. Mauricio Rodas Eugénie L. Birch Luke Campo Urban Development

Article December 11, 2025 Highlights for 2025 We’ve rounded up Penn IUR’s highlights for 2025 in this photo montage celebrating 20 years of urban research.

Article December 10, 2025 Commissioners Join Leaders at CoMotion GLOBAL 2025 to Advance the Mayors in Motion Initiative At CoMotion GLOBAL 2025 in Riyadh, Mauricio Rodas and Eugénie L. Birch, representing the Secretariat of the UN SDSN’s Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, joined more than 100 city leaders, policymakers, and innovators for the launch of Mayors in Motion. Mauricio Rodas Eugénie L. Birch Climate Change & Resilience Rapid Urbanization

Article November 19, 2025 Penn IUR Leaders Advance Urban Climate, Nature Finance Ahead of COP30 Brazil In the lead-up to COP30 Brazil, Penn IUR, as Secretariat of the SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, advanced efforts to close the urban climate and nature finance gaps in meetings across Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Belém. Climate Change & Resilience

Article November 14, 2025 Fellows in Urban Leadership Explore Climate Resilience in New York City The University of Pennsylvania’s 2025-2026 cohort of Fellows in Urban Leadership traveled to New York City for a full-day immersion into the layered, interdisciplinary work of building urban climate resilience. Climate Change & Resilience

Research Paper November 12, 2025 The Future of the GSEs: Conservatorship, Capital, and Mission This brief is the outcome of a roundtable examining the privatization of the GSEs through a utility model. Attendees considered the elements needed and best structure for a more privatized GSE model for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Housing

Research Paper October 30, 2025 Protecting Progress: Why Sustained Discipline is Critical for Pension Stability On September 19, 2025, Cherelle L. Parker, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, led a convening on Protecting Progress: Why Sustained Discipline is Critical for Pension Stability at the Wharton School in collaboration with Penn IUR and Penn's Office of Government and Community Affairs. State & Local Finance

Article October 29, 2025 Jere R. Behrman on the Impacts of Community Infrastructure on Children’s Learning Jere R. Behrman is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, a Penn IUR Faculty Fellow, and a Research Associate at Penn’s Population Studies Center (PSC), Population Aging Research Center (PARC), and the Penn Development Research Initiative (PDRI). State & Local Finance

Article October 29, 2025 Shane Jensen on the Price Effects of Greening Vacant Lots Shane Jensen is Professor of Statistics and Data Science at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a Penn IUR Faculty Fellow. Shane Jensen Urban Development

Article October 21, 2025 Exploring the Impact of Anchor Institutions A new graduate course, “Anchor Institutions as Agents of Change: Past, Present and Future,” explores economic impacts of anchor institutions. Eugénie L. Birch Anthony (Tony) Sorrentino Anchor Institutions

Article October 20, 2025 Erick Guerra on the Costs and Benefits of Roads Erick Guerra studies the intersection of transportation, land use, and travel behavior, particularly in rapidly urbanizing and motorizing cities. Urban Development

Research Paper October 14, 2025 Enabling Environment: Current Conditions for Subnational Access to International Finance in Latin America Read the latest report from the SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, developed with CAF, to explore potential Latin American countries to pilot the Green Cities Guarantee Fund. Eugénie L. Birch Mauricio Rodas Delfina Vildosola Luke Campo Climate Change & Resilience

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