North America

Affiliated PhD Student Jasmine Siyu Wu

PhD Student, City and Regional Planning, Weitzman School of Design

Affiliated PhD Student Yining Lei

Doctoral Candidate, City and Regional Planning, Weitzman School of Design

Urban Development Housing

Emerging Scholar David Mitre Becerril

Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Connecticut

Urban Development Housing

People Janet Currie

Henry Putnam Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Emeritus, Princeton University

Climate Change & Resilience Housing

Emerging Scholar Shengxio (Alex) Li

Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore

Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development

Emerging Scholar Chris Quattro

Assistant Professor of Geography and Planning, Appalachian State University

Urban Development

Podcasts May 29, 2024 Special Briefing: Doom Loop or Boom Loop—Work from Home and the Challenges Facing US Cities Ever since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US in 2020 led to a surge in people working from home, New York and other big cities have been forced to reckon with the possibility of a Doom Loop scenario of vacant offices and flagging economies. But given the right set of policies, cities can reverse their fortunes and embark upon a path to a Boom Loop of greater productivity and economic growth. Join Special Briefing as the authors of the Volcker Alliance issue paper, Doom Loop or Boom Loop: Work from Home and the Challenges Facing America’s Big Cities, and an expert panel discuss the future economic impacts of remote work. William Glasgall Susan Wachter David Stanek Richard Voith Jose Maria Barrero Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh Kathryn Wylde State & Local Finance

Podcasts April 25, 2024 Special Briefing: America's $900 Billion Water Crisis While the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $50 billion to upgrade America’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems, much more will be needed to address the nation’s water infrastructure needs amid a changing climate and shifts in population. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Howard Neukrug Reese Tisdale Nicole Lick Doug Evanson William W. Bradley State & Local Finance

Podcasts March 28, 2024 Special Briefing: America's Hot Growth States Western and southern states including Idaho and Florida were among those growing the fastest from the eve of the pandemic in 2019 through 2022. But there were some surprises as well, with Delaware, Maine, and New Jersey also joining the Census Bureau’s hot growth list. While the ability of many Americans to move to low-tax states and work from home played a large role in the population shift, other factors may have been at play as well. Meanwhile, rapid population expansion will pose challenges in many of these states as they cope with enlarging school systems, updating infrastructure, and preparing communities for the impact of extreme weather conditions. Our expert panel will explore these issues and what they may portend for state and local finances. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Philip D. Murphy Alex Adams Tom Doe Torsten Slok Dr. Shatakshee Dhongde State & Local Finance

Podcasts February 29, 2024 Special Briefing: State Tax Cuts With their revenues and cash reserves at record highs after unprecedented federal aid to offset the impact of COVID-19, dozens of states embarked on the biggest wave of tax cuts in decades, slashing levies by at least $124 billion on everything from personal income to groceries and gasoline. Join our next Special Briefing as the authors of the forthcoming Volcker Alliance issue paper, State Tax Cuts after the Pandemic: Strategies to Sustain Fiscal Health, and an expert panel discuss whether these reductions can be sustained as revenues have begun to weaken despite the strong US economy. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Can Chen Alex Hathaway Geoffrey Buswick Natalie Cohen State & Local Finance

Feb 28 2024 Past Event Special Briefing: State Tax Cuts State & Local Finance

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

Podcasts October 19, 2023 Special Briefing: Rolling Out the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act—What’s Being Built and What’s in the Pipeline The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to an online Special Briefing on how the rollout of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is proceeding. A critical part of legislation passed by Congress to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance the durability and sustainability of the nation's infrastructure, the bipartisan deal promises thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars for roads, bridges, public transportation, water systems, and broadband access. Through July, the value of highway and bridge construction work was running 24 percent ahead of the 2020-2021 pace, American Road & Transportation Builders data show. But there are bottlenecks as well, and the process of applying for federal grants is confusing, especially for smaller governments. Our panel of experts will sort this out and explain where infrastructure construction is headed. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Earl Blumenauer Dr. Alison Premo Black Leah Brooks Jessica Jennings Vikram Rai Samantha Silverberg State & Local Finance

Fellow Anne Fadullon

Founding Principal, MAKE Advisory Services, LLC

Urban Development Housing + 1

Affiliated PhD Student Heidi Artigue

Doctoral Student, Applied Economics, Wharton

Housing State & Local Finance

Affiliated PhD Student Rachel Bondra

Fellow in the Initiative in the History of the Built Environment Doctoral Student in City and Regional Planning

Urban Development

Affiliated PhD Student Benjamin (Benji) Smith

PhD Candidate in Wharton's Applied Economics Program

Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development + 1

Podcasts July 27, 2023 Special Briefing: The Future of Mass Transportation as US Pandemic Aid Nears an End The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) invite you to join an online Special Briefing on the outlook for mass transportation across the US amid waning federal pandemic emergency aid and lagging ridership as metropolitan area commuters continue to work from home. The Special Briefing will include a remembrance of our great friend and colleague, Richard Ravitch, the former New York State lieutenant governor, Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, Volcker Alliance director, and tireless advocate for fiscally sustainable state and local budgeting, who passed away on June 25. State & Local Finance

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 May 18, 2023 Special Briefing: Avoiding Municipal Distress The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to join an online Special Briefing on avoiding municipal distress. While the US unemployment rate is near a record low and $5 trillion in federal pandemic aid continuing to support the economy, American cities are enjoying healthy budget surpluses as COVID-19 recedes. But many of the underlying contributors to municipal distress and bankruptcy in the 2010s—underfunded pensions, deteriorating infrastructure, and population loss among them—still pose threats to many cities’ long-term fiscal health. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Richard Ratvich Stephanie A. Miner David N. Schleicher Rob Dubow Heather Gillers State & Local Finance

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