Publications

Article March 26, 2025 John MacDonald on Addressing Abandoned Housing to Improve Public Safety John MacDonald's article, “Lessons Learned from a Citywide Abandoned Housing Experiment,” offers valuable insights into the relationship between the built environment and community wellbeing. Housing

Article March 26, 2025 Navigating Uncertainty in Federal Transportation Policy With significant policy reversals, staffing cuts, and the suspension of previously awarded federal funds, cities are being forced to reconsider how they plan, finance, and operate public transportation. State & Local Finance

Article February 26, 2025 Megan Ryerson on Resilient, Environmentally-efficient Transportation Megan Ryerson's scholarship examines the interplay between transportation networks, urban development, energy efficiency and resilience. Urban Development

Article February 26, 2025 Navigating Economic Uncertainty: Insights from Special Briefing From government downsizing and budget cuts to trade tariffs and mounting national debt, the economic landscape is fraught with uncertainty. Penn IUR and the Volcker Alliance hosted a Special Briefing on February 20, 2025 with leading economists, policymakers, and financial experts for a timely discussion. State & Local Finance

Article February 26, 2025 A Strategic Partnership to Advance Urban SDG Financing Penn IUR and the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) have teamed up for a strategic partnership to support the SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance. Climate Change & Resilience Rapid Urbanization

Research Paper February 6, 2025 Megapolitan America Revisited: Demographic Trends to 2040 This report updates Nelson and Lang’s original analysis to provide demographic projections for all 23 megapolitan areas through 2040. This information, in turn, should be used by policymakers and planners to inform decisions about infrastructure investments, economic development opportunities, and housing demands. Arthur C. Nelson David Damore Urban Development Housing

Article January 28, 2025 Expert Voices 2025 | Access to Sustainable and Affordable Housing Each year, Penn IUR engages a distinguished group of international experts to address a pressing urban challenge. This year, we asked leading voices in housing policy, urban planning, and finance to share their perspectives on a critical question: What bold actions or structural reforms are needed to ensure access to sustainable and affordable housing, and particularly to expand supply? What are the effective strategies that national and subnational governments can use to address this challenge? Eugénie L. Birch Susan Wachter Henry Cisneros Lance Freeman Laurie Goodman Benjamin Keys John Landis Marc H. Morial, Esq. Vincent Reina Housing

Article December 11, 2024 2024 Highlights and Season's Greetings As we wind down the year, we reflect on Penn IUR’s many activities and accomplishments in 2024 as well as the year ahead--our 20th! Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development + 2

Article December 9, 2024 Laura Perna on Access to Higher Education Among the nation's leading scholars on issues of college access and affordability, Laura Perna has advanced the discourse on equity in higher education through numerous highly acclaimed edited volumes, reports, and articles. Her scholarship examines the policy choices for enabling access—and success—for post-K-12 education, assessing college access, affordability, and success--especially for low-income, first-generation, and non-traditional students. Laura Perna Urban Development

Article November 18, 2024 Dennis Culhane on The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness Dennis Culhane’s current research examines the relationship between homelessness and the aging of the “Baby Boom” cohort. Dennis Culhane Housing

Book November 14, 2024 Urban Sustainable Development: Governance, Finance, and Politics Urban Sustainable Development: Governance, Finance, and Politics addresses the critical challenges of promoting sustainable growth in rapidly expanding cities. Eugénie L. Birch Mauricio Rodas Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development + 1

Research Paper November 7, 2024 The Green Cities Guarantee Fund: Unlocking Access to Urban Climate Finance The SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance proposes a Green Cities Guarantee Fund (GCGF) as an important tool to increase the flow of public and private capital into subnational climate-responsive projects. This report details the case for the GCGF, offers a roadmap for operationalizing the fund, and makes suggestions for its initial market pilot in Latin America. Mauricio Rodas Eugénie L. Birch Luke Campo Climate Change & Resilience

Article November 1, 2024 Fellows in Urban Leadership View Planning's Complexities During NYC Trip Fellows in Urban Leadership traveled to New York City for a day of tours and networking with industry leaders in planning, transportation, parks, waste management, and more. Urban Development

Research Paper October 26, 2024 From Grey to Green: Better data to finance nature in cities The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) released a report for the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme Cities Unit’s State of Finance for Nature in Cities, "From Grey to Green: Better data to finance nature in cities," during COP16 Colombia. Amanda Lloyd Eugénie L. Birch Climate Change & Resilience

Article October 24, 2024 Faculty Spotlight: Allison Lassiter Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Allison Lassiter is adapting drinking water systems to climate change. She tells Penn IUR about a tool her lab is developing, SaltCast, and her role in serving on Penn’s delegation to the UNFCCC Conference of Parties. Climate Change & Resilience

Article October 16, 2024 Gilles Duranton on the Growth of Cities In his foundational review, “The growth of cities,” Duranton, together with co-author Diego Puga, argue that there are four main drivers to city growth. Gilles Duranton Urban Development

Article October 16, 2024 Commission Advances Agenda During New York Climate Week World mayors, urban finance and legal experts comprising the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance developed recommendations to address cities’ climate financing needs during Climate Week in New York. Climate Change & Resilience

Annual Report October 16, 2024 Sustainable Urban Futures: 2023-2024 Penn IUR Annual Report Penn Institute for Urban Research's annual report, Sustainable Urban Futures: Bridging Research, Policy, and Practice, documents the Institute’s research initiatives, publications, events, and instructional activities over the 2023–2024 academic year. Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development + 1

Article September 19, 2024 Vincent Reina on Shaping Housing Policy Vincent Reina, an Associate Professor of City and Regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design and Faculty Director of the Housing Initiative at Penn (HIP), spoke with Penn Institute for Urban Research on his experience as Senior Advisor for housing and urban policy in the White House Domestic Policy Council. Vincent Reina Megan Schmidgal Housing

Publication September 17, 2024 Scholarly Voices Series To mark 20 years of urban research, Penn IUR launched its Scholarly Voices Series, featuring its Faculty Fellows. Dennis Culhane Gilles Duranton Jessie Handbury John MacDonald Laura Perna Megan Ryerson Erick Guerra Shane Jensen Jere Behrman Fernando Ferreira Urban Development

Research Paper September 14, 2024 SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance Recommendations Report The SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance is working at a critical juncture for urban climate finance. Cities continue to face record-breaking heat and devastating disasters. As the cost of our underpreparedness mounts, cities continue to receive only 7-8% of climate funds despite housing nearly 60% of the global population. There are signs that enabling conditions are being strengthened and cities are gaining the attention they desperately need. However, cities need to be ready for the spotlight. Mauricio Rodas Eugénie L. Birch William Burke-White Laura Frances Mueller-Soppart Amanda Lloyd Climate Change & Resilience

Newsletter September 3, 2024 Penn IUR newsletter, Fall 2024 The Penn Institute for Urban Research's biannual newsletter is a journal of record, activities and news. Urban Development

Research Paper August 28, 2024 The Challenge of Affordable Housing: Shared Equity as a Way Forward This report summarizes ideas exchanged at a one-day roundtable on shared equity housing (SEH) convened by Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in June 2023. With housing shortages impacting communities of all sizes, Penn IUR Research Associate Meagan Ehlenz, PhD, AICP teamed up with Susan Wachter, Penn IUR Co-Director and Wharton Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate and Finance, to explore shared equity as as a strategy to respond to the urgent demand for affordable housing. Meagan Ehlenz Housing

Publication June 26, 2024 Reflections on Doom Loop or Boom Loop Work from Home and the Challenges Facing America’s Big Cities Richard Voith David Stanek Susan Wachter State & Local Finance

Article May 21, 2024 Paris Meeting of Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Commission for Urban Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Finance Marks A Year of Progress Eugénie L. Birch Mauricio Rodas Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development

Publications

Expert Voices 2026

All Publications

Don’t miss the latest from Penn IUR. Subscribe to Urban Link.