An anonymous donor has gifted $10 million to the University of Pennsylvania to further its research into city planning and policy solutions.
The money will go to the college's Institute for Urban Research, which studies topics such as housing affordability and climate resilience. The funds will specifically support a post-doctoral fellowship and a co-director position at the institute, campus officials said in a release.
IUR distributes research and analysis through its Penn Press book series and Urban Research eJournal, published by SSRN. It also convenes numerous summits and discussions, including a monthly "special briefing" event that doubles as a podcast. Past editions have touched on state tax breaks, office conversions and the future of mass transit.
The institute's international partnerships include collaborative research initiatives with the Korea Housing Finance Corporation and the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation. IUR has developed an assessment tool with the latter that helps city leaders evaluate their readiness to respond to issues like climate change.
"How we plan, manage, and inhabit cities will shape the quality of life for billions of people," Eugénie Birch, co-director of IUR, said in a statement. "Tomorrow’s leaders need both technical skills and social insight. They must understand the spatial and economic dimensions of cities and be prepared to manage complex urban systems — especially in the Global South, where professional capacity is critically needed."
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