Innovation | Penn IUR

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

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 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

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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