Our research on cities and communities cuts across several Urban Institute specialties—housing trends, crime prevention, economic development, arts and culture, and more.
Our urban studies define much of our history, from evaluations of community development corporations in poor neighborhoods to road-tested ideas for rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, to more recent projects helping policymakers monitor communities' progress. We also work closely with local groups to grasp and address the Washington, D.C., area's challenges. Read more.
The Urban Institute and Silber & Associates recently surveyed 7,000 service delivery partners of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to ask: Is HUD good or bad to work with? Does HUD provide appropriate guidance, information and resources? Are HUD staff capable and responsive?
Respondents included local community development departments, public housing agencies, single family lenders, mayor's offices, HUD-assisted and insured multifamily developments, fair housing agencies and nonprofit organizations. Some HUD partners are more satisfied than others, and more satisfied with certain aspects of HUD than others. See which partners gave HUD high or low marks and why in the full report.
The Urban Institute's MetroTrends research team has created an interactive report card on racial and ethnic equity in the nation's top 100 metropolitan areas. A brief commentary by Margery Austin Turner, the Institute's vice president for research, accompanies the map.
A multidimensional research initiative spanning America's fragile infrastructure systems debuts today at the Urban Institute with transportation planning expert Sandra Rosenbloom as its director.
The Urban Institute's MetroTrends research team has created an interactive map that reveals the relative employment strength in 16 job sectors for the nation’s top 100 metropolitan areas. A brief commentary by Graham MacDonald accompanies the map.
The U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhood Initiative is one of the Obama administration's major antipoverty initiatives and a core strategy of the White House's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. It is intended to improve educational outcomes by creating a continuum of school readiness, academic services, and family and community support for children from early childhood through college. The DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) received one of the U.S. Department of Education's 21 Promise Neighborhood planning grants in October 2010. This policy brief summarizes DCPNI's planning year and how DCPNI intends to improve the educational outcomes of youth in the years to come.
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