Innovation | Penn IUR

Jan 28 12:00 pm What Pandemic-Era Experiments Can Teach Us About the Future of Public Space Speakers: Josh Davidson Ariel Ben-Amos Urban Development

News December 16, 2025 Leslie Richards on Penn’s Ambitious New Transportation Initiative The former CEO of PennDOT and SEPTA is working to break down silos and overcome the barriers to innovation. Leslie Richards Urban Development

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

Podcasts December 5, 2025 Special Briefing on AI in Government—More Efficiency but Fewer Workers? The launch of ChatGPT in 2022 sparked an “AI arms race” with trillions of dollars in investment and profound implications for productivity and employment. Join William Glasgall, Penn IUR Fellow and Volcker Alliance Public Finance Adviser, and Susan Wachter, Co-Director of Penn IUR and Wharton professor, and our expert panel as we discuss how generative AI and related technologies are reshaping public sector operations, workforce needs, and infrastructure planning. Panelists include Jon Hartley, Policy Fellow, Hoover Institution; Leigh Palmer, Vice President, Google Public Sector LLC; Megan Kilgore, City Auditor, City of Columbus, Ohio; Howard Neukrug, Executive Director, The Water Center at Penn and Professor of Practice, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania; and Thomas Sanchez, Professor, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University. Jon Hartley Leigh Palmer Megan Kilgore Howard Neukrug Thomas Sanchez State & Local Finance

Announcement November 19, 2025 Penn Institute for Urban Research Releases Policy Brief on the Future of the GSEs The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) at the University of Pennsylvania has released a new policy brief, “The Future of the GSEs: Conservatorship, Capital, and Mission, Housing

Nov 19 2025 Past Event Penn GIS DAY 2025: Exploring the World Through Maps and Data Speakers: Dana Bauer Urban Development

News September 30, 2025 University of Pennsylvania launches mobility solutions initiative Urban Development

News September 26, 2025 Former SEPTA chief Leslie Richards will lead a Penn transportation research initiative Urban Development

Announcement September 25, 2025 Penn Launches Richards Transportation Initiative to Drive Smarter, More Accessible Mobility Solutions Urban Development

Initiatives September 4, 2025 Transportation Initiative at Penn Leslie Richards has launched a new Transportation Initiative at Penn (TRIP), a hub for research, innovation, and real-world solutions in transportation housed in the Institute for Urban Research. Urban Development

News August 13, 2025 The Global Threat of Salt Contamination to Water Supplies Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Allison Lassiter is featured in Penn Today for her work on rising salt levels in freshwater sources. Climate Change & Resilience

Announcement June 18, 2025 Penn Institute for Urban Research Joins with Korea Housing Finance Corporation to Advance Global Housing Finance and Urban Policy Solutions through New Partnership Penn IUR and the Korea Housing Finance Corporation have entered into a formal partnership, marking a significant milestone in international collaboration on urban policy, housing finance and sustainable development. Housing

Article May 28, 2025 Penn Institute for Urban Research Awarded Grant to Re-envision the University’s Role as an Anchor Institution Penn IUR's "Penn as an Anchor Institution" project has been selected for support through the University of Pennsylvania’s Draw Down the Lightning grants, a new initiative of the Office of the President and Office of the Provost. Anchor Institutions

News May 7, 2025 Supercool, Penn IUR Spotlight Mayors Driving Global Urban Climate Finance A partnership with Supercool, a leading climate solutions podcast, will highlight mayors who are innovating how cities finance sustainable development in the face of climate change. Climate Change & Resilience

Research Paper April 23, 2025 Integrating Urban and Subnational Priorities into Country Platforms: Strengthening Global Commitments Climate Change & Resilience State & Local Finance

News April 10, 2025 Penn IUR Celebrates 20 Years of Global Urban Leadership at Annual Forum The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) will host the 20th Annual Urban Leadership Forum, a milestone event honoring visionary global leaders who have shaped today’s cities and have lessons for tomorrow's cities, on Friday, April 25. Urban Development

Apr 25 2025 Past Event 20th Annual Urban Leadership Forum: Urban Leadership for the 21st Century Speakers: Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr Patrick Harker Enrique Peñalosa Urban Development

Apr 14 2025 Past Event Special Briefing | Mayors under Stress: Financing Local Development around the World Speakers: Steve Adler Stephanie Miner Nasiphi Moya Jaime Pumarejo Heins Eugénie L. Birch William Glasgall 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 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

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