Urban Planning | Penn Today

Aerial view of a city block of houses in West Philly.

Vincent Reina on fair housing in the U.S., in the city, and in pandemic times

The expert in fair housing and urban planning discusses how cities can address low-income housing policy, neighborhood change, and community and economic development, and how the pandemic has made inequities even more visible.

Philly Council changes mixed-income housing bonus rules for Southwest Center City

Vincent Reina and grad student Camille Boggan of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design spoke about a recent amendment to a zoning bill that would exempt developers in the 19146 zip code, a rapidly gentrifying area, from the option to pay into Philadelphia’s Housing Trust Fund instead of offering affordable units in new buildings. “Removing money from the Housing Trust Fund is concerning,” said Boggan. “A lot of homeowners rely on that for home repairs.”

‘Things have come undone’: At home with the millions of people who owe billions of dollars during COVID

Vincent Reina of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design spoke about the pandemic’s impact on renters in the U.S. “Households are showing extreme signs of economic distress both through rent owed, but also through other forms of debt that they've extended themselves,” he said.

Q&A

Working at the intersection of data science and public policy

Ken Steif’s new book, “Public Policy Analytics: Code & Context for Data Science in Government,” available online and in print, provides guidance for how governments and policymakers can use data and algorithms to solve complex service-delivery problems.

Use it or lose it: Tenant aid effort nears a federal cutoff

Vincent Reina of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design found that in some cities more than half of tenants did not qualify for rental assistance programs due to a lack of cooperation from their landlords. “We’ve consistently created programs where owners have ultimate veto power over whether a tenant can access the housing assistance that they’ve applied for and need,” he said.

View of Philadelphia skyline from the Schuylkill River at dusk.

How can cities become healthier, greener, and more equitable in the future?

In a year marked by COVID-19, renewed calls for racial justice, a contentious presidential election, and an active wildfire and hurricane season, Penn experts share what’s needed to make urban areas more resilient to future crises.

Reflection of a blue sky in a large puddle on a city street with a car driving through wet streets in the sunshine after a rain shower.

At the intersection of water, equity, and climate change

The Water Center at Penn is collaborating to help guide community decisions to build capacity in water infrastructure.

If restaurants go, what happens to cities?

A study by Jessie Handbury of the Wharton School documented how younger and more educated segments of the population began moving back into the downtowns of large U.S. cities from the suburbs. “A distinct and persistent feature in downtowns is their high density of restaurants,” she said. “It’s the feature that attracts people to downtowns—especially the young and college educated.”

decent housing was just one among many rights that activists were demanding

‘Perspectives on Fair Housing’ looks back on more than 50 years of landmark legislation

A new Penn Press book featuring experts from law, education, urban studies, and social policy presents fair housing as one of the foremost issues facing the U.S. today.

Housing initiative fuels cooperation between cities during pandemic

Vincent Reina and Amy Castro Baker are working with the U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, through the Housing Initiative at Penn to design a housing assistance plan both during the pandemic and after.

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