Community development

Mid-sized cities rely on CDBG and HOME grants to meet the needs of their citizens. Since mid-sized cities lack revenue-making mechanisms that large cities have, CDBG and HOME grants are critical to the well-being of cities and citizens.

Over the past year, the United States Conference of Mayors and the Brookings Institution, along with the Project for Public Spaces have worked together to capture a new model of growth that is emerging in cities and the particular roles that mayors can play. This handbook offers concrete strategi

For years, homeless advocates have argued that if governments put up money to house people, they will reap cost savings down the line.

While both urban and rural areas share similar rates of youth homelessness, in rural regions the issue is less visible and less researched. This qualitative study explores the challenges that rural communities in the U.S.

Chicago’s troubling homicide rate could be significantly reduced through a massive increase in state spending for Chicago schools. That's just one of the proposals floated Monday by a prominent University of Chicago economist Jens Ludwig.

One Summer Chicago Plus is a jobs program designed to reduce violence and prepare youth living in some of the city’s highest-violence neighborhoods for the labor market. This study was carried out over the summer of 2013 in partnership with the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.

Federal, state, and local policies focused on neighborhood improvement have long emphasized the need for community organizations to share information, coordinate activities, and collaborate in the delivery of services.

Children’s school readiness as they enter kindergarten is an important predictor of their academic success and ultimately their long-term health and economic outcomes.

Expanded eligibility guidelines and flexible funding options can support wider access to child care during the COVID-19 emergency, but only if parents and child care workers know how to navigate them.

Since late 2017, the Urban Institute’s Housing Opportunities and Services Together team has partnered with public housing authority BangorHousing and the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor, Maine, in a formative evaluation of Families Forward, a locally designed and funded two-generation program that b