Environment

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
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
Nov 12 2025 Past Event Penn Climate Seminar: Dorit Aviv on Rethinking the Future of Cooling Speakers:  Dorit Aviv Climate Change & Resilience
Fellow Matt Rader
President, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Climate Change & Resilience
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
Oct 30 2025 Past Event City on the Brink: Environmental Movements in Mumbai Climate Change & Resilience Rapid Urbanization
Headshot of Emerging Scholar Andrew Johnson
Emerging Scholar Andrew Johnson
ORISE Fellow, Perelman School of Medicine and Penn Institute for Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania
Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development
michael mann on upenn campus
Faculty Fellow Michael Mann
Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action, School of Arts and Sciences Presidential Distinguished Professor; Director, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media
Climate Change & Resilience
Apr 24 2025 Past Event Opportunities & Challenges of Climate Action Planning in Indian Cities: A Case of Mumbai City Speakers:  Lubaina Rangwala Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development
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
Affiliated PhD Student Shengao Yi
PhD Student, City & Regional Planning
Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development
Faculty Fellow Michael Weisberg
Bess W. Heyman President's Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, School of Arts and Sciences Deputy Director, Perry World House
Climate Change & Resilience
headshot of Emily Hannum
Faculty Fellow Emily Hannum
Professor of Sociology and Education and Associate Dean, Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences
Climate Change & Resilience
Faculty Fellow Sanya Carley
Presidential Distinguished Professor of Energy Policy & City Planning, Weitzman School of Design Mark Alan Hughes Faculty Director, The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
Climate Change & Resilience
News October 28, 2024 Penn IUR, The United Nations Environment Programme unveil new framework to address gap in urban nature finance The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) released a report with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 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 Urban Development
Videos October 28, 2024 From Grey to Green: Better Data to Finance Nature in Cities This video animates the report Penn IUR and the United Nations Environment Programme developed, “From Grey to Green: Better Data to Finance Nature in Cities,” which provides a framework for cities to improve how they plan, track, and finance nature-based solutions. Climate Change & Resilience
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
Videos September 10, 2024 What would it take to make Galapagos tourist resilient? Penn IUR collaborated on this short video animated by Connie Pan, Ejun Hong, Elon Vedomey, Gabriel Gonsalves Bertho, as part of Simon Richter and Joshua Mosley's Penn Research as Animation Lab. The video asks what it would take to make the Galapagos tourist resilient and explores new infrastructure to enable the Galapagos to deal with climate change and bucket-list tourism. Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development

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

Providing expert commentary on urban topics and highlighting Penn IUR's research in the context of pressing urban issues.

Dennis Culhane headshot b&w
Urban Link Celebrating 20 Years of Urban Research | Dennis Culhane
Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaking in Paris
Urban Link SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance Marks Year of Progress
Andrew Melnik, Lauren Sorkin, Jaime Pumarejo at Urban Leadership Award Ceremony
Urban Link Celebrating 2024 Nussdorf Urban Leadership Prize Winners for Resilience