Multilevel Governance | Penn IUR

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

Dec 16 11:00 am Special Briefing on the Outlook for 2026: How States & Cities Will Adapt to Wrenching Change Speakers: William Glasgall Susan Wachter Matt Fabian Eric Kim Allison Schrager Torsten Slok State & Local Finance

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

Scholar Aziza Akhmouch

Head, Cities, Urban Policies, and Sustainable Development Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Urban Development Anchor Institutions

Sep 11 2025 Past Event Special Briefing on the Muni Debt Boom: Record Borrowing Amid Budget Strains Speakers: William Glasgall Susan Wachter Matt Fabian Fitzroy Lee Vikram Rai Sheila Weinberg Mark Zandi State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 5, 2024 Special Briefing: The Road Ahead for the Economy, States, and Localities as Donald Trump and the GOP Take Charge Major policy shifts in immigration, taxes, trade, energy, health care, and pandemic-era programs passed under the Biden Administration look increasingly likely with Donald Trump capturing the White House and his fellow Republicans taking control of both houses of Congress for the first time in two years. Our panel of experts will share their views on what this sea change may mean for the economy and Federal Reserve, as well as the impact on states, localities, and the $4 trillion municipal bond market, including the possible elimination of the federal tax exemption on most muni bond interest. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Annie Linskey Carolyn Bourdeaux Eric Kazatsky Teryn Zmuda Torsen Slok State & Local Finance

Fellow in Urban Leadership Matteo Busterna

Anchor Institutions

Affiliated PhD Student Adwaita Banerjee

Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development + 1

Article April 18, 2024 Mr. Terrell Goes to Washington: Penn IUR Undergraduate Fellow Visits DC Timethius Terrell (C’24), shares his experience traveling to Washington, D.C. for a daylong trip to meet policymakers and urban policy experts as part of the Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership program. Anchor Institutions

Apr 09 2024 Past Event Vibrant Cities: Advancing Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Urban Development Urban Development

Apr 05 2024 Past Event Innovating for Urban Resilience: 19th Annual Urban Leadership Forum Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development

Podcasts January 25, 2024 Special Briefing: 2024 Fiscal Outlook for States and Cities For America’s states and municipalities, 2024 is likely to bring long-awaited relief from inflation and higher interest rates while presenting challenges—and not just because it’s a presidential election year. States, cities, and counties will have to contend with the imminent end of $350 billion in federal pandemic budget aid even as the revenue boom of recent years cools and the need for increased spending to ameliorate the risks of a changing climate put pressure on infrastructure spending. Join our panel of experts as they discuss strategies that state and local governments are adopting to meet these challenges. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Clarence Anthony Kim Norton Mark Ferrandino Eric Kim Mark Zandi State & Local Finance

Scholar Qianyun Ji

Ph.D Candidate, Urban Planning and Design, Tsinghua University of China

Urban Development

Podcasts June 15, 2023 Special Briefing: The Debt Ceiling Deal and its Impact on the US Economy, States, and Municipalities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on fallout for the US economy, states, and municipalities from the recent deal to raise the federal debt ceiling. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Matt Fabian Marcia Howard Annie Linskey Vikram Rai Torsten Slok State & Local Finance

Podcasts April 27, 2023 Special Briefing: Managing Growth in America's Hottest States, Counties & Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to join an online Special Briefing on how America’s hottest growth cities and states are facing challenges as they deploy resources to handle the recent pickup of domestic and international immigration to the South and West. US Census data show that Texas and Florida showed a net gain of almost 1 million residents in 2022; they and the rest of the ten fastest-growing states added a total of 1.6 million people. Will this influx help keep these states out of recession? What are the budgetary demands on infrastructure, housing, public safety, education, and the environment, and how will governments tap into recent federal infrastructure legislation? William Glasgall Susan Wachter Matthew D. Chase Darryl Martin Anna Roach Steve Adler Alex Adams State & Local Finance

Article April 10, 2023 A Day in the Life of a Penn IUR Undergraduate Fellow: DC Trip Edition Anchor Institutions

Affiliated PhD Student Tayeba Batool

Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Anthropology

Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development

Oct 20 2022 Past Event Special Briefing: The Inflation Reduction Act: Investment Opportunities and Challenges State & Local Finance

Podcasts June 23, 2022 Special Briefing on States Cutting Taxes: Relief Now, Shortfalls Later? The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the wave of proposed and enacted tax holidays, reductions, and rebates sweeping Red and Blue states as revenues surge amid trillions of dollars in federal relief to governments, companies, and individuals following the COVID-19-led economic shutdown. The expert panel discussed actions states and municipalities are taking, if they will provide inflation relief or spur economic growth—or whether they will lead to shortfalls if rising interest rates end in recession, just as much of the pandemic aid is set to expire. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Alex Adams Beverly Bunch Howard Cure Shelby Kerns State & Local Finance

Publication May 26, 2022 City Mutable: The United States Census Bureau’s Quest to Define the City, 1850-1930 The idea that the population of the United States first became majority urban in 1920 has been repeated so often that it has become “fact,” uncritically reprinted in high school textbooks, academic works, reports of major research organizations, popular urbanist nonfiction, and more. However, this widely accepted “fact” warrants a reevaluation. What does the word urban mean and who defined it? Urban Development

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