Urban Institute

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping policy conversations and promising transformative applications as rapidly expands.

A new report from the Urban Institute explores ways local governments and supporting organizations are implementing and identifying opportunities for continued AI use for operational and needs while accounting for risk mitigation.

Explore the findings.

Practical AI Insights for Local Leaders This report explores ways local governments and supporting organizations are implementing AI and identifying opportunities for continued AI use for operational and policy needs while accounting for risk mitigation.

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Join Urban and UnidosUS on 1/30 @ 11 a.m. ET for a hybrid symposium on , insights, and solutions for increasing homeownership.

Register now for this important conversation.

Latino Homeownership: Research, Insights, and Solutions Body Latino households are poised to drive the bulk of net homeownership gains through 2040. But policy, practice, and economic conditions will influence how many Latino households can achieve homeownership and access its wealth-building benefits.UnidosUS’s Home Ownership Means Equity (HOME) initi...

What would it take to ensure that every family can achieve and maintain security?

With nearly 40 million Americans living in poverty and a long history of racist policies and practices that has led to wealth inequities—particularly for families of color—the economic promise of the American dream is out of reach for many.

In this piece, Urban’s experts outline bold and promising strategies that could help move people toward greater security.

Access the findings.

Financial Well-Being | Urban Institute Next 50 What would it take to ensure that every family can achieve and maintain financial well-being?

The recent fires in pose great health and risks, especially for people with disabilities.

How can the city support disabled residents displaced by the wildfires? A new Urban Wire piece outlines the impacts of disasters on people with and shares ways local leaders could help ensure inclusive recovery efforts.

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The Los Angeles Wildfires Pose Great Health and Housing Risks, Especially for People with Disabilities Disaster recovery efforts often fail to meet the housing and health needs of disabled people, so Los Angeles city officials will need to make a conscious effort to support disabled residents displaced by the wildfires.

Affordable received broad, but not universal, support this past election cycle.

What can be learned from state and local initiatives? An Urban Wire piece highlights implications for state and local policymakers and advocates interested in advancing housing based on the voting outcomes of 12 state and local ballot measures.

Housing Was on the Ballot This Year. What Can We Learn from State and Local Initiatives? Housing policy was at the forefront of this year’s election, with both presidential candidates campaigning on plans to address record-high cost burdens and supply shortages.

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Join Urban on 1/29 @ 1:30 p.m. ET for a virtual event on using demographic to advance health equity. This webinar is informed by findings from in California and engages experts from across the state.

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Using Demographic Data to Advance Health Equity The collection and application of demographic data to advance health equity is under way in California and can be a source of lessons and examples for other states. This webinar is informed by findings from research in California and engages experts from across the state.

Did you know that one in six young adults experience challenges repaying burdens?

With lower wages in the first years of their careers, fewer savings, and limited access to safety net supports, young people often have few options to create stability.

Learn more about how debt poses a threat to young adults’ financial futures and how policymakers can help ensure young adults have the needed to remain financially resilient.

Many Young Adults Have Taken on Debt. It Could Jeopardize Their Financial Futures. Taking on debt can allow young adults to navigate new careers and educational opportunities, but high debt burdens risk limiting young people’s current and future financial prospects.

Manufactured offers a promising solution to the US affordable housing crisis. Join Urban on 2/4 @ 2 p.m. ET for a hybrid event to learn more about innovations, opportunities, and barriers to preserve and produce -resilient manufactured homes.

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Manufactured for the Future: Building a Climate-Resilient Manufactured Housing Stock Join the Urban Institute and leaders from the manufactured housing sector to learn about innovations, opportunities, and barriers at the federal, state, and local levels to preserve and produce safe and affordable manufactured homes.

What solutions can policymakers implement to address America’s crisis?

Learn more about potential strategies and what Urban’s shows regarding everything from expanding the housing supply to supporting renters to assisting people experiencing .

A Road Map to Address America’s Housing Crisis The promise of safe, stable, and affordable housing is moving out of reach for millions of Americans across incomes and generations—for first-time homebuyers, cost-burdened renters, and unhoused individuals alike.

Research demonstrates that refundable credits like the child tax credit have been shown to lessen material hardships.

A new brief from the Urban Institute investigates how low-income with are struggling to pay for basic needs and how expanding the child tax credit could help.

Explore the findings.

An Expanded Child Tax Credit Could Help Low-Income Families Facing Material Hardships This brief explores how many low-income families with children are struggling to pay for basic needs and how expanding the child tax credit could help.

Today marks a historic moment in the democratic process. As presidential leadership transitions, Urban remains committed to rigorous, nonpartisan research that informs evidence-based policies to address complex challenges and build a stronger future.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approaches, Urban honors Dr. King and his contributions toward creating a more just and equitable society.

Among other legislation, Dr. King helped usher in the passage of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibited housing discrimination based on race, color, country of origin, gender, and religion. Since then, its protections have been expanded to include disability status and family composition.

And while there’s been important progress, housing discrimination has not been vanquished nor its pernicious effects reversed. This Urban story unpacks what the shows and highlights how neighborhoods in Denver and Baltimore have changed over time—and what those cities are doing to rectify the harms of discrimination.

The Ghosts of Housing Discrimination Reach Beyond Redlining Explore how neighborhoods have changed in Denver and Baltimore to understand why historical redlining maps are not strong predictors of present-day housing instability.

How has economic exploitation shaped poverty in America?

While poverty in the US has materialized differently across decades, shows that historic exploitation from different industries is a key source of current stagnation.

Learn more about the landscapes of disadvantage in local communities and what policymakers can look at to address their unique challenges in an Urban Wire piece.

How Economic Exploitation Shaped America’s Landscapes of Disadvantage Poverty in the United States has persisted since the country’s founding, creating disadvantages that continue to influence and shape communities’ economic well-being.

How can policymakers help increase Latino ?

Join Urban and UnidosUS on 1/30 @ 11 a.m. ET for a hybrid event that will highlight lessons learned from recent research and new insights on increasing Latino homeownership to inform better and practice.

Register now.

Latino Homeownership: Research, Insights, and Solutions Body Latino households are poised to drive the bulk of net homeownership gains through 2040. But policy, practice, and economic conditions will influence how many Latino households can achieve homeownership and access its wealth-building benefits.UnidosUS’s Home Ownership Means Equity (HOME) initi...

The immediate crisis of the catastrophic fires in has compounded the ongoing crisis and increased risks to people experiencing homelessness. Previous research also shows that people who are unsheltered suffer the most severe effects from disasters, including high exposure to poor air quality.

A new Urban Wire piece highlights how disasters like the Los Angeles fires put more people at risk of and offers solutions to address upcoming challenges.

Learn more.

How the Los Angeles Fires Are Compounding the Risk of Homelessness The devastating effects of the fires in Los Angeles pose larger health risks to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and could put more people at risk of homelessness.

How can states use demographic data to advance health ?

Join Urban on 1/29 @ 1:30 p.m. ET for a webinar on California’s experience collecting and applying demographic data to advance equity. Panelists will also discuss what policymakers can do to enhance transparency and accountability for addressing disparities in access to and quality of care and outcomes.

Register now for this important conversation.

Using Demographic Data to Advance Health Equity The collection and application of demographic data to advance health equity is under way in California and can be a source of lessons and examples for other states. This webinar is informed by findings from research in California and engages experts from across the state.

Did you know that as of July 2024, more than 38,000 disabled people—90 percent of whom have intellectual or developmental —earned subminimum wages?

A recently proposed federal rule would phase out a program that allows some employers to pay disabled workers less than the federal minimum wage.

Learn more about how subminimum wage impacts disabled workers, how states have phased out subminimum wages, and recommendations for how to help people with disabilities achieve security in a new Urban Wire piece.

It’s Legal for Some Employers to Pay Disabled Workers Less Than the Minimum Wage. Ending This Practice Is Just a First Step Toward Supporting Their Economic Stability The Biden administration’s recent proposal to phase out a program that pays disabled people subminimum wages follows decades of state and local actions to end the practice in favor of more inclusive, equitable employment strategies.

What can policymakers, researchers, and advocates do to address in the US?

demonstrates that more than half of US adults live paycheck to paycheck and more than a quarter of Americans have some form of debt in collections. The consequences of poverty also disproportionately affect Black and Latinx , many of whom have lower incomes and less in savings than white families.

Learn more about potential ways to remedy poverty in this Urban Wire piece.

Amid Our “Land of Abundance,” Why Is There So Much Poverty? Even as one of the richest countries in the world, the United States still has more than 10 percent of its population living in poverty, a failure which sociologist Matthew Desmond explains is by design.