Municipal Governance

Charlotte Kemp Headshot
Fellow in Urban Leadership Charlotte Kemp
Penn IUR Fellow in Urban Leadership
Shivaek Venkateswaran Headshot
Fellow in Urban Leadership Shivaek Venkateswaran
Penn IUR Fellow in Urban Leadership
Danielle Esan Headshot
Fellow in Urban Leadership Danielle Esan
Penn IUR Fellow in Urban Leadership
Gabrielle Cayo Headshot
Fellow in Urban Leadership Gabrielle Cayo
Penn IUR Fellow in Urban Leadership
Rachel Wang Headshot
Fellow in Urban Leadership Rachel Wang
Penn IUR Fellow in Urban Leadership
Research Paper June 17, 2026 Moving the Needle? Understanding the Uneven Performance of State and Local Land, Transportation, Energy, and Water Conservation Efforts To what degree have state and local governments “moved the needle” with land, transportation, energy, and water conservation efforts? Are America’s urban communities and near-urban environments truly better off?  John Landis Urban Development
mayor kate gallego smiling blurred background
Urban Leadership Awardee Kate Gallego
Mayor of Phoenix
Climate Change & Resilience
Podcasts April 17, 2026 Special Briefing: War, Inflation, and the Impact on the Economy and State and Local Budgets Special Briefing on war, inflation, and the impact on the economy and state and local budgets  State & Local Finance
Podcasts April 9, 2026 Special Briefing on Transportation Opportunities & Challenges in the New Federalism Affordability pressures, shifting federal priorities, and uncertainty around long-term funding have reshaped the transportation policy landscape in the U.S. For a discussion of how evolving federal-state-local relationships are redefining infrastructure investment, funding stability, and project delivery across the country, Penn IUR and the Volcker Alliance convened a panel of leading transportation, finance, and policy experts for “Special Briefing on Transportation Opportunities & Challenges in the New Federalism” on March 26, 2026.  Eryn Hurley State & Local Finance
Announcement April 8, 2026 Penn IUR Honors Visionary Leadership in Cities at 21st Annual Urban Leadership Forum Penn IUR honored two distinguished leaders and outstanding students with the 2026 Nussdorf Urban Leaders Prize at the 21st Annual Urban Leadership Forum. Climate Change & Resilience State & Local Finance
Apr 07 2026 Past Event Mayor Cherelle Parker on Public Safety & Education Speakers:  Cherelle Parker Urban Development
May 14 2026 Past Event Special Briefing on Boosting Infrastructure Investment for Global Cities: Lessons from the $4 Trillion U.S. Municipal Bond Market Speakers:  William Glasgall Susan Wachter Alexander Chilton Paul Smoke Emily Brock Pietrangelo De Biase Sean Dougherty State & Local Finance
Apr 17 2026 Past Event Special Briefing: War, Inflation, and the Impact on the Economy and State and Local Budgets Speakers:  William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi Natalie Cohen Julia Coronado Kim Norton Brian Sigritz State & Local Finance
Mar 13 2026 Past Event Building a New Research Agenda for the Transportation Sector Speakers:  Leslie Richards Megan Ryerson Carlos Braceras Randy Clarke Elizabeth Klein Russell McMurry Urban Development Rapid Urbanization + 1
Article January 20, 2026 Expert Voices 2026 | The Great Experiment: Cities and the Federal System Experts share their perspectives on how America’s unique federal system has shaped national and metropolitan development across 250 years. Eugénie L. Birch Susan Wachter Urban Development
Feb 19 2026 Past Event Special Briefing on Addressing the Housing Crisis: Innovative Solutions from Across America Speakers:  William Glasgall Susan Wachter Hannah Blitzer Eric Goldywn Laurie Goodman Paul Steenhausen State & Local Finance
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Advisory Board Member Mayor Janet Cowell
Mayor, Raleigh
State & Local Finance
Jan 29 2026 Past Event Special Briefing: The Year Ahead for Cities Speakers:  William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mayor Janet Cowell Fitzroy Lee Sarah Parker Nicholas Samuels Matthew Stitt State & Local Finance
Research Paper December 11, 2025 Surveillance or Safety? How Cities are Rewriting Tourism Cities are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a transformative tool to enhance safety through predictive analytics, real-time monitoring, and rapid response systems. At the same time, AI deployment raises pressing governance questions. Mauricio Rodas Eugénie L. Birch Luke Campo Urban Development
Dec 16 2025 Past Event Special Briefing on the Outlook for 2026: How States & Cities Will Adapt to Wrenching Change Speakers:  William Glasgall Susan Wachter Matt Fabian Eric Kim Torsten Slok State & Local Finance

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Urban Scholarship Penn Scholars Inspiring Urban Policy
greening vacant lots PHS
From Research to Action Philadelphia’s Green Transformation
2025 urban leadership awardees with president jameson
Celebrating Urban Leadership 2025 Nussdorf Urban Leadership Prize Winners