North America

May 16 2023 Past Event The Impossibility of Democracy at the U.S.-Mexico Border Urban Development

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

Podcasts December 15, 2022 Special Briefing: 2023 Outlook for States and Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing: 2023 Outlook for States and Cities. Panelists will discussed issues including inflation, employment, housing, jobs, and the possibility of a recession. Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona, outlined how the city is using federal recovery dollars, focusing on housing projects; the impact of a growing population on the city’s tax base; and her outlook for the coming year. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi Kate Gallego Emily Brock Natalie Cohen Julia Coronado State & Local Finance

Podcasts July 21, 2022 Vulnerable Cities Facing Work from Home Realities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the long-term outlook of the impact of working from home. Even as the US has recovered from the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many cities have continued to see substantial weakness in commercial office space utilization. The expert panel discussed research findings that reflect the slow return of employees to offices, which cities’ tax revenues may be most vulnerable, and what solutions are being deployed to adapt to the new workplace reality. William Glasgall Susan Wachter 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

Podcasts May 19, 2022 Special Briefing on the Deployment of the $1 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by States and Localities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on how states and localities are deploying the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). With the passage of the IIJA in November 2021, governments face the challenge of allocating more than $1 trillion of funding in a strategic manner that address both past neglected needs and paves the way for a sustainable future. Panelists discussed innovative solutions being pursued, roadblocks that are on the horizon, and the overall impact of this funding on the nation’s infrastructure and economy. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Lawrence Parks Lauren Larson Patrick Brett Jorge Elorza State & Local Finance

Podcasts April 21, 2022 Special Briefing on Inflation and Recession Risks for States and Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on the outlook for inflation, interest rates, the possibility of a recession, and what this means for state and local finance. The event began with Jerome H. Powell, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, delivering brief welcoming remarks in appreciation of Paul A. Volcker (1927-2019), former Federal Reserve Chair and founding Chairman of the Volcker Alliance. Mark Zandi William Glasgall Susan Wachter Jerome Powell Matt Gress Natalie Cohen Les Richmond State & Local Finance

Podcasts January 20, 2022 Special Briefing: 2022 Outlook for States and Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research held a Special Briefing on the 2022 outlook for states and localities. Our panel of experts from government, Washington, and Wall Street included Lucy Dadayan, Senior Research Associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute; Larry Johnson, Commissioner, DeKalb County (Georgia) Board of Commissioners and President, National Association of Counties; Eric Kim, Senior Director, Fitch Ratings Inc.; Torsten Slok, Chief Economist, Apollo Global Management, and Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics. The panelists discussed the path of the US economy, inflation, interest rates, the impact COVID-19 continues to have, and whether state and local governments face a “fiscal cliff” as federal pandemic budget aid wanes. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi Lucy Dadayan Larry Johnson Eric Kim Torsten Slok State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 16, 2021 Special Briefing on State and City Spending of Federal Infrastructure Funds The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on state and city spending of federal infrastructure funds contained in the recent enacted infrastructure bill as well as the American Rescue Plan Act. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Patrick J. Brett Earl Blumenauer David Glick Rebecca Rhynhart State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 16, 2021 Special Briefing on State and City Spending of Federal Infrastructure Funds The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted a Special Briefing on state and city spending of federal infrastructure funds contained in the recent enacted infrastructure bill as well as the American Rescue Plan Act. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Patrick J. Brett Rebecca Rhynhart Earl Blumenauer David Glick State & Local Finance

Sep 03 2021 Past Event Rethinking the Theoretical Divide: Urban Informality in the Global North Rapid Urbanization

Podcasts July 15, 2021 Special Briefing on COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan, and 2022 State and Local Budgets The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on how state and local governments are planning to use the $350 billion in direct aid contained in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act as they finish fiscal 2021 and ready budgets for FY 2022. Our expert panel discussed the impact on budgets of the act’s assistance to individuals and families, educational institutions, and health care and mass-transportation systems. Panelists included National Association of State Budget Officers executive director Shelby Kerns; Wayne County (Michigan) chief financial officer Hughey Newsome; Rochester (Minnesota) mayor Kim Norton; and Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi Shelby Kerns Hughey Newsome Kim Norton State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 10, 2020 Special Briefing on Working with the Cares Act and What May Come Next The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research cohosted an online Special Briefing featuring an expert panel discussing the lessons states and localities have learned from the Cares Act passed earlier this year and what may be in store in the fight against COVID-19 and its fiscal fallout as 2021 approaches. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Carolyn Bordeaux Julie Demuth Mark Funkhouser Fitzroy Lee Brandon McComas Richard Ratvich State & Local Finance

Urban Leadership Awardee Manuel A. Diaz

Senior Partner, Lydecker Diaz, LLC

Podcasts October 15, 2020 Special Briefing on State and Local Infrastructure Spending Cutbacks Amid the COVID-19 Recession The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research cohosted an online Special Briefing to discuss the outlook for state and local infrastructure spending as governments seek to balance budgets amid the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Congressional inability to agree on further federal stimulus aid following passage of the $2 trillion Cares Act in March means states and municipalities are unlikely to see budgetary relief that would free up dollars for infrastructure at least until after the presidential election in November. So far in 2020, $9.6 billion in state and local transportation projects were delayed or cancelled as of August 11, while $141 billion worth of funding initiatives or ballot measures were vetoed, cancelled, or postponed, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. More such actions appear imminent. In one recent survey of top local, state, and tribal officials, 70 percent said capital spending for new projects and maintenance face spending cuts. With states and municipalities providing 80 percent of US public infrastructure investment, our expert panel discussed how the slowdown may affect the economy, jobs, and the municipal market. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Alison Premo Black Norman E. Brown Howard Cure Robert Poole State & Local Finance

Fellow María Alicia Becdach

Architect and Urban Planning Consultant

Climate Change & Resilience Urban Development + 2

Scholar Stefanie DeLuca

James Coleman Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, Johns Hopkins University

Housing

Fellow William Glasgall

Public Finance Adviser, Volcker Alliance

Urban Development State & Local Finance

Fellow Ira Goldstein

Senior Advisor, Policy Solutions, Reinvestment Fund

Urban Development Housing + 2

Emerging Scholar Desen Lin

Assistant Professor of Finance, California State University, Fullerton Managing Editor, SSRN Urban Research eJournal, Penn Institute for Urban Research

Urban Development Housing + 1

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