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
Research Report Affordable Abundance
In this report, we argue that state and local housing strategies should combine abundance-style reforms with tools that reduce the cost of constructing and operating housing affordable for low- and moderate-income households: an abundance-plus-affordability approach.
A colorful mural in Wywood in Miami
Assessments of the value of arts and culture that incorporate local knowledge, data creation, and engagement can produce locally relevant insights while offering widely applicable lessons and models for research, practice, and policymaking.
Aerial view of single family homes.
As data centers see a surge in demand because of generative AI, Henrico County, Virginia, shows how local governments can turn the economic gains of this new industry into sustainable funding for affordable housing.
Research Report Evaluating the Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program
The Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program (TI-APIP) at the Urban Resource Institute was one example of this new approach. The TI-APIP was a 26-week intervention for people charged with IPV-related offenses in Manhattan, New York. This report presents findings from a process and
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Partnering with five state prisons and five local research institutions, the Urban Institute’s Prison Research and Innovation Initiative aimed to better understand and improve prison living and working conditions. This report summarizes findings from three waves of climate surveys administered to
Brief Theory and Evidence for a Tax-Day Deduction
This brief reviews studies that suggest how raising public awareness of this tax provision could help increase charitable giving. This can be done by extending the charitable deduction deadline up to the day people file their taxes—an idea often called a “tax-day deduction.”
A mother playing with her child.
Early childhood mental health consultation can strengthen the child care workforce and improve children’s outcomes, but greater program expansion and awareness is needed nationwide.