Guiding Local Leaders to Advance Upward Mobility and Prosperity for All Residents

Urban’s Upward Mobility Initiative equips leaders in communities around the country with data and tools to advance upward mobility from poverty and to ensure that all residents can thrive. In 2024, Urban provided leaders with these resources:

• The Upward Mobility Data Dashboard: This Urban-designed tool offers leaders in every county and more than 480 cities across the United States metrics to evaluate their community’s conditions, set policy and practice priorities, and monitor progress toward increasing upward mobility for all residents. We debuted the dashboard at our Washington, DC, headquarters during a hybrid event with nearly 1,800 attendees—a record for Urban.
• Training, coaching, and peer learning: From Providence, Rhode Island, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Dubuque, Iowa, Urban experts supported leaders in 26 communities in addressing local challenges related to residents’ economic and social mobility. Our experts provided training and coaching on fostering systems change, community engagement, and more. Urban also delivered data-focused training to five organizations that represent underserved geographies, serve the public sector, and focus on specific policy domains within the upward mobility field.
• A virtual workshop series: To reach more local changemakers, we debuted seven workshops where our experts introduced Urban’s Upward Mobility Framework and Mobility Metrics. We also shared strategies and examples of how leaders can apply the framework in their communities and provided participants opportunities to learn, impart insights, and interact with Urban experts. More than 1,200 people attended Urban’s workshops, most of whom represented local and state governments and nonprofits, community and regional foundations, and advocacy organizations. Urban is offering the workshops again in 2025.