View Research by Author - Graham MacDonald

Graham MacDonald has been a research assistant in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Center at the Urban Institute since May 2011. Since arriving at the Urban Institute, he has been involved with the What Works Collaborative, the Department of Housing and Urban Development commissioned Homelessness Prevention Study, and the Prince George's County Coalition for Homeownership Preservation.

MacDonald is currently part of team working to develop interactive graphics for the MetroTrends website and blog, an Institute-wide portal for policy research concerning the nation's Top 100 metropolitan areas.

Prior to working at the Urban Institute, MacDonald worked as an English Teaching Assistant for the US Fulbright Program in Indonesia.

Publications

Using a series of maps, Foreclosure Indicators by Servicer in Prince George's County highlights how foreclosure indicators – including share of notices, days delinquent, and amount to cure - vary by servicer in Prince George's County, Maryland. Among other findings, our analysis of loan-level Notice of Intent to Foreclose (NOI) filings from July 2011 through June 2012 revealed stark contrasts in when mortgage servicers issue NOIs. These differences in servicer behavior could have serious implications for troubled homeowners and whether they can keep their homes. This analysis is a continuation of NeighborhoodInfo DC's ongoing tracking of the foreclosure crisis in the Washington, D.C. region.

Foreclosures in Prince George's County: 2011 is the second in a three-part series about Prince George's County, Maryland published by NeighborhoodInfo DC. This brief addresses the persistent effects of the national foreclosure and credit crisis of 2008 by summarizing foreclosure activity in Prince George's County throughout 2011 using the latest loan-level Notice of Intent to Foreclose data. We provide countywide averages, as well as the individual changes in the county's ZIP codes. A special focus of this publication is the attorneys general settlement and mortgage servicers in Prince George's County.

This policy framing paper is one of three that explores the potential for housing combined with support services to create better outcomes for vulnerable populations. The aging of the U.S. population will have profound implications for society, the economy, and the health care system. This paper focuses on mitigating the impacts on low-income older renters and on how housing can provide a platform for supporting their independence and well-being. The authors establish a theoretical basis and empirical evidence that shows a link between favorable housing and positive life outcomes. They propose research that can inform policymakers and practitioners in meeting the housing and service needs of this at-risk group. This framing paper is part of a series of field-building research agendas produced under the What Works Collaborative. More information can be found on the What Works Collaborative web page

This policy framing paper is one of three that explores the potential for housing combined with support services to create better outcomes for vulnerable populations. Many experts believe that housing can be a platform for academic achievement among low-income students by providing a stable environment where children access high-performing schools and succeed academically. While existing evidence links a lack of safe, high quality housing with low academic performance, little research explores how housing can be a positive pathway to achieving better school outcomes. The authors develop a field building research scheme that addresses this gap to help inform policymakers and practitioners working to meet the needs of this at-risk group. This framing paper is part of a series of field-building research agendas produced under the What Works Collaborative. More information can be found on the What Works Collaborative web page.

NeighborhoodInfo DC, an Urban Institute project, has amassed a data warehouse measuring the health and vitality of Washington, DC neighborhoods. This fact sheet is the first publication in our effort to extend our analysis to the council districts in Prince George's County, Maryland. The following information summarizes selected population and socioeconomic changes in Prince George's County between 2000 and 2010 using the latest tract-level 2010 U.S. Census population data and the 2005–2009 American Community Survey. We provide countywide averages, as well as the individual changes in the county’s nine districts.

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