Urban across the Country

Urban’s researchers partner with state and local leaders to provide the evidence, tools, and support they need to improve lives and strengthen communities. This work includes strategic advising to translate research into action, program evaluations to measure effectiveness, and research and data analysis to inform decisionmaking. Our experts develop custom data tools and modeling to support equitable resource allocation and lead community-engaged research and convenings to ensure policies reflect local priorities.

Use this page to explore Urban’s work. Search by region to see examples of our research, and filter by evidence and products to narrow results by topic or type of work.

Dive deeper into your state and community with our data tools. View highlighted tools below, select “Data tools” under “Filter by Product Types,” or head directly to our data tools page.

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State and community data tools
Explore our work by state
Tools and wooden panels sit on the ground of a home under construction on a sunny day, and other construction materials line the far wall under exposed beams.
Fewer than a dozen homes have been rebuilt since the Palisades and Eaton fires burned through Los Angeles one year ago, though hundreds more are expected to be completed later this year.
Brief The MBS Market is Operating without a Net
We compare market disruptions that occurred when the market had a buyer of last resort with one in which it did not, to quantify the cost of a buyer’s absence.
A man and small business owner leans against the doorway of a bakery looking off into the distance
With the help of local stakeholders, the silver tsunami offers Black entrepreneurs an opportunity to build generational wealth.
Brief Registered Apprenticeship in Virginia
To inform that work and changemakers in Virginia, this brief describes the state’s experience with registered apprenticeship from 2017 to 2024 and the success of registered apprenticeship in paying living wages.
Brief Tariffs, Workers, and Democracy
In this brief, we examine how trade and tariff policy influence US workers’ ability to access good-paying jobs and achieve economic stability, and how economic insecurity connects closely to democratic instability.