North America

Announcement July 9, 2026 Which State Policies Are Actually Working? Which State Policies Are Actually Working? A report from John Landis analyzes 25 years of evidence on land use, transportation, energy, and water conservation. John Landis Urban Development
News June 29, 2026 Susan Wachter Explores the History of the 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage on The Wall Street Journal's What's News Podcast Penn IUR's Susan Wachter (Wharton) and Penn IUR Scholar Edward Glaeser (Harvard) are featured in the Wall Street Journal podcast "Owning a Piece of America." Susan Wachter Edward Glaeser Housing
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
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Urban Leadership Awardee Kate Gallego
Mayor of Phoenix
Climate Change & Resilience
News June 5, 2026 Trump administration’s plan to spin off mortgage giants Fannie and Freddie faces new uncertainty Penn IUR's Susan Wachter tells CNN that efforts to spin off Fannie and Freddie appear to have stalled. Housing
News June 2, 2026 Alstom strengthens U.S. rail future through partnerships with academic institutions Leslie Richards, founder and director of the Transportation Initiative at Penn, welcomes partnership with Alstom to bridge transportation research and real-world practice. Urban Development
Article May 19, 2026 Susan Wachter Testifies Before Congress on the Future of Housing Finance and Credit Risk Transfer On April 22, 2026, Penn IUR Co-Director and Wharton Professor Susan Wachter testified before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, offering expert analysis on how credit risk transfer (CRT) mechanisms can strengthen the resilience and transparency of the U.S. housing finance system. Housing
Article April 20, 2026 Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership Explore Housing Policy in Washington, D.C. Penn IUR 2026 Fellows in Urban Leadership traveled to Washington, D.C. on March 27 for an intensive, day-long immersion focused on housing policy. Urban Development Housing
News March 1, 2026 Real Estate Business Data Shows Hous­ing Mar­ket Shift­ing Back Toward Buy­ers In Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Penn IUR Co-Director Susan Wachter weighs in on the direction of the housing markets.  Housing
Patrick Sabol
Staff Patrick Sabol
Program Director, Transportation Initiative at Penn
Patrick Sabol is the Program Director for the Transportation Initiative at Penn (TRIP). Urban Development
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
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
Research Paper November 12, 2025 The Future of the GSEs: Conservatorship, Capital, and Mission This brief is the outcome of a roundtable examining the privatization of the GSEs through a utility model. Attendees considered the elements needed and best structure for a more privatized GSE model for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Susan Wachter Housing
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
Podcasts October 28, 2025 Special Briefing on Strategies for Closing the US Infrastructure Gap Public infrastructure gaps and deferred maintenance are critical challenges for state and local governments. 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 states and municipalities can better measure, manage, and fund infrastructure gaps. Panelists include Geoffrey Buswick, Managing Director & Sector Leader in U.S. Public Finance, S&P Global Ratings; Camila Fonseca Sarmiento, Director of Fiscal Research, Institute for Urban and Regional Infrastructure Finance; Hughey Newsome, Chief Financial Officer, Sound Transit; Leslie Richards, Professor of Practice, City and Regional Planning, Weitzman School of Design and Former CEO of SEPTA; Fatima Yousofi, Senior Officer, The Pew Charitable Trusts.  Geoffrey Buswick Camila Fonseca Sarmiento Hughey Newsome Fatima Yousofi Leslie Richards State & Local Finance
Article October 20, 2025 Erick Guerra on the Costs and Benefits of Roads Erick Guerra studies the intersection of transportation, land use, and travel behavior, particularly in rapidly urbanizing and motorizing cities.  Urban Development
Nov 20 2025 Past Event Special Briefing: AI in Government—More Efficiency but Fewer Workers? Speakers:  William Glasgall Susan Wachter Jon Hartley Megan Kilgore Howard Neukrug Leigh Palmer Thomas Sanchez State & Local Finance
News September 26, 2025 Transit Briefs: R-TRIP, MTA LIRR, Metra, REM The University of Pennsylvania launches the Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn (R-TRIP), "a new hub for research, innovation, and real-world solutions in transportation." Urban Development
Announcement September 25, 2025 Penn Launches Richards Transportation Initiative to Drive Smarter, More Accessible Mobility Solutions Penn Launches Richards Transportation Initiative to Drive Smarter, More Accessible Mobility Solutions. Urban Development
Oct 17 2025 Past Event The Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn Launch Event Speakers:  Leslie Richards Leigh Palmer Urban Development

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