Philadelphia | Penn IUR

Jan 28 12:00 pm What Pandemic-Era Experiments Can Teach Us About the Future of Public Space Speakers: Josh Davidson Ariel Ben-Amos Urban Development

Fellow James Wright

Project Manager for Strategy and Operations, Center for Health Justice MBA

Urban Development

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 21, 2025 Exploring the Impact of Anchor Institutions A new graduate course, “Anchor Institutions as Agents of Change: Past, Present and Future,” explores economic impacts of anchor institutions. Eugénie L. Birch Anthony (Tony) Sorrentino Anchor Institutions

News October 1, 2025 Penn Launches Richards Transportation Initiative To Drive Smarter, More Accessible Mobility Solutions Urban Development

News September 30, 2025 University of Pennsylvania launches mobility solutions initiative Urban Development

News September 26, 2025 Transit Briefs: R-TRIP, MTA LIRR, Metra, REM Urban Development

Oct 17 2025 Past Event The Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn Launch Event Speakers: Leigh Palmer Urban Development

Oct 16 2025 Past Event The Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn Networking Happy Hour Speakers: Leslie Richards

Oct 03 2025 Past Event Philadelphia’s Green Transformation: From Research to Action Speakers: Shane Jensen Matt Rader Anthony (Tony) Sorrentino Susan Wachter Charles Branas James Wright Urban Development

News September 5, 2025 SEPTA Cuts Threaten Commutes and Local Economy Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Leslie Richards discusses the threats SEPTA cuts pose for vulnerable residents. Urban Development

News August 26, 2025 Transit cuts ripple far beyond commutes Faculty Fellow Megan Ryerson on SEPTA service reduction impacts Urban Development

Fellow in Urban Leadership Aly Kerrigan

Penn IUR Fellow in Urban Leadership

Urban Development Housing

News July 10, 2025 Transit Funding Crisis Unfolds in Pennsylvania Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Leslie Richards is featured in The American Prospect . Urban Development

Article May 28, 2025 Penn Institute for Urban Research Awarded Grant to Re-envision the University’s Role as an Anchor Institution Penn IUR's "Penn as an Anchor Institution" project has been selected for support through the University of Pennsylvania’s Draw Down the Lightning grants, a new initiative of the Office of the President and Office of the Provost. Anchor Institutions

Affiliated PhD Student Stephanie Rivera-Kumar

City and Regional Planning Ph.D. Candidate and Fontaine Fellow, University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design

Urban Development

Article April 14, 2025 Seventh Annual Jeremy Nowak Memorial Lecture Reunites Founders to Reflect on Roots of Mission-Driven Finance The Seventh Annual Jeremy Nowak Memorial Lecture—hosted by the Reinvestment Fund and the Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR)—reunited the founders of the Reinvestment Fund to reflect on the powerful relationships, social movements, and vision that laid its foundation. Urban Development

News April 10, 2025 Penn IUR Celebrates 20 Years of Global Urban Leadership at Annual Forum The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) will host the 20th Annual Urban Leadership Forum, a milestone event honoring visionary global leaders who have shaped today’s cities and have lessons for tomorrow's cities, on Friday, April 25. Urban Development

Article March 26, 2025 John MacDonald on Addressing Abandoned Housing to Improve Public Safety John MacDonald's article, “Lessons Learned from a Citywide Abandoned Housing Experiment,” offers valuable insights into the relationship between the built environment and community wellbeing. Housing

Article March 26, 2025 Navigating Uncertainty in Federal Transportation Policy With significant policy reversals, staffing cuts, and the suspension of previously awarded federal funds, cities are being forced to reconsider how they plan, finance, and operate public transportation. State & Local Finance

Don’t miss the latest from Penn IUR. Subscribe to Urban Link.

Providing expert commentary on urban topics and highlighting Penn IUR's research in the context of pressing urban issues.

Urban Link Celebrating 20 Years of Urban Research | Dennis Culhane

Mayor Anne Hidalgo speaking in Paris

Urban Link SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance Marks Year of Progress

Andrew Melnik, Lauren Sorkin, Jaime Pumarejo at Urban Leadership Award Ceremony

Urban Link Celebrating 2024 Nussdorf Urban Leadership Prize Winners for Resilience