Urban’s work on Black wealth recognizes that wealth outcomes are shaped by interconnected policies, institutions, and market forces over time, not individual choices alone. Across research, data tools, and partnerships, we examine how wealth is built, preserved, and extracted, and we identify strategies state and local leaders can use to advance more-equitable wealth-building opportunities for Black families.

This work is especially important in the current landscape, where Urban research finds that 52 percent of people in American families don't have the resources to cover what it really costs to live securely in their community. Given this lack of affordability, it is crucial to examine how families, particularly Black families, who hold far less wealth than white families because of centuries of discriminatory policy and practice, are able to accumulate, maintain, and grow their wealth.

This work spans several interconnected domains:

Employment opportunities

Racial inequality in the workplace and in the labor market has led to higher unemployment, lower wages, occupational segregation, and limited career advancement for many people of color, especially Black Americans. Urban pursues work that promotes stronger connections to equitable employment opportunities by examining skill building, employer practices, and regulatory policies and research on how economic instability and shocks affect household wealth.

Financial institutions and local ecosystems

Urban examines the role of financial institutions, employers, and local systems in shaping wealth outcomes. Our work highlights the importance of Black-led and community-based financial institutions, as well as place-based strategies led by cities and local governments and data-driven approaches to advancing racial wealth equity that expand access to capital, build trust, and support long-term wealth-building in Black communities.

Homeownership

Racial covenants, redlining, and the targeting of communities of color for subprime loans are among the many policies and practices that have driven low homeownership rates among families of color and overall wealth inequality. Our work quantifies racial gaps in homeownership, examines housing quality and inherited homes, and addresses barriers to preserving housing wealth across generations while identifying federal, state, and local solutions.

Small business ownership and entrepreneurship

Business equity is an important but uneven pathway to wealth. Urban examines the challenges Black entrepreneurs and business owners face, including access to capital, market opportunities, and long-term sustainablility. Urban’s work also identifies local and state strategies that can strengthen Black-owned businesses and promote community-level economic growth.

Wealth preservation and protection

Building wealth is only part of the challenge. Urban studies how families sustain and transfer wealth across generations, including foreclosure prevention, heirs’ property, estate planning, and responses to economic shocks, highlighting strategies that help families protect assets during periods of instability and transition.

From research to action

Urban’s work bridges research and practice. In addition to producing evidence on the drivers of racial wealth inequities, we support state and local leaders, practitioners, and philanthropic partners through data tools, policy analysis, technical assistance, and strategic advising across policy domains to translate evidence into actionable strategies tailored to local contexts.

Together, this body of work supports a policy and practice portfolio that informs inclusive economic growth and shared prosperity. By combining research with partnership, Urban helps leaders design and implement solutions that expand opportunities for Black families and strengthen wealth-building systems for future generations.