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Urban Planning
Protecting and celebrating civil rights heritage and Black histories
Protecting and celebrating civil rights heritage and Black histories
Launched last fall, Penn’s Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights sites is fostering new and ongoing partnerships while preserving the legacy of civil rights in the U.S.
A visual archive of an iconic American boulevard
A visual archive of an iconic American boulevard
A trio of undergraduate students worked this summer with Professor Francesca Ammon to catalog and organize photographs for the digital humanities project ‘Sunset over Sunset.’
Urban renewal, community activism, and green spaces in Historic Germantown
As part of a Summer Humanities Internship, rising junior Leo Wagner conducted research on community responses to infrastructure projects in the mid-20th century and how the member sites are currently using their green spaces.
A new metric for designing safer streets
A new metric for designing safer streets
Penn researchers demonstrate how biometric data can help city planners more proactively design and evaluate the safety of urban infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Americans face looming rent crisis
Americans face looming rent crisis
When the CDC’s eviction moratorium is lifted, 11 million Americans will face housing instability.
Urban planning and politics in Atlanta
Urban planning and politics in Atlanta
Akira Rodríguez’s new book, “Diverging Space for Deviants: The Politics of Atlanta’s Public Housing” explores how the intersection of race and public housing development planning in Atlanta created a politics of resistance.
How has COVID-19 changed ‘superstar cities’?
A new analysis found that overall mobility in large U.S. cities has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, and some are also experiencing changing segregation patterns, with potential implications that could last well beyond the pandemic.
Vincent Reina on fair housing in the U.S., in the city, and in pandemic times
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.
Working at the intersection of data science and public policy
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.
How can cities become healthier, greener, and more equitable in the future?
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.
In the News
NextCity.org
What happened to crash rates when one state legalized speed cameras?
A study by Erick Guerra of the Weitzman School of Design and colleagues suggests that speed cameras lead to a substantial and statistically significant reduction in fatalities and crashes.
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NPR
Why the U.S. government is spending $7 billion on solar for low-income homes
Sanya Carley of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that the Solar for All program could have an impact far beyond its projected 900,000 low-income households.
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Axios
Study offers ideas to help Nashville music venues
A study by PennPraxis at the Weitzman School of Design offers solutions for preserving music venues in Nashville.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly traffic citations have plunged since the 1990s. Police say they want to issue many more
Erick Guerra of the Weitzman School of Design says that stay-at-home orders during the pandemic largely cleared streets and sidewalks, causing the remaining drivers to accelerate on once-congested roadways.
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Los Angeles Times
In a city known for traffic, LAX is a standout for its gridlock. Can it be fixed?
Megan Ryerson of the Weitzman School of Design says that much of the traffic in Los Angeles is attributable to people going to and from the airport.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
A new idea for Market East: A ‘Welcoming District’ for immigrants who are driving population growth
Graduate students at the Weitzman School of Design are submitting speculative proposals for a Welcoming District near Philadelphia’s Fashion District that could replace or supplement the Sixers arena.
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