The Urban Portal

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African Center for Cities

University of Capetown
The African Centre for Cities (ACC) is an interdisciplinary research and teaching program focused on quality scholarship regarding the dynamics of unsustainable urbanization processes in Africa, with an eye on identifying systemic responses.

Filed under: Organizations

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Census of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture
Complete count of U.S. Farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Includes data on land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expendures, and other information. Taken every five years.

Filed under: Data

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Center for Metropolitan History

University of London
The Centre for Metropolitan History (CMH), established by the Institute in 1988, is one of the world’s leading centers for the study of the history of London and other metropolises. It specializes in innovative research projects, covering a wide range of periods, themes and problems in metropolitan history, publishing the results and data online and in print. The Center runs a seminar, and organizes workshops and conferences on many different topics in metropolitan and urban history. 

Filed under: Organizations

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Food Environment Atlas

Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture
The Atlas assembles statistics on three broad categories of food environment factors:

Food Choices—Indicators of the community's access to and acquisition of healthy, affordable food, such as: access and proximity to a grocery store; number of foodstores and restaurants; expenditures on fast foods; food and nutrition assistance program participation; quantities of foods eaten; food prices; food taxes; and availability of local foods

Health and Well-Being—Indicators of the community’s success in maintaining healthy diets, such as: food insecurity; diabetes and obesity rates; and physical activity levels

Community Characteristics—Indicators of community characteristics that might influence the food environment, such as: demographic composition; income and poverty; population loss; metro-nonmetro status; natural amenities; and recreation and fitness centers

The Atlas currently includes 168 indicators of the food environment. The year and geographic level of the indicators vary to better accommodate data from a variety of sources. Some data are from the last Census of Population in 2000 while others are as recent as 2009. Some are at the county level while others are at the State or regional level. The most recent county-level data are used whenever possible.

Filed under: Links

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Is an alternative urban food system possible?

New York City has begun to address the inefficiencies in its approach to purchasing and consuming food. The $175 million that city agencies budget per year on food for the elderly, students, and others is not always spent effectively.

March 14, 2011

Filed under: Issues

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Is Philadelphia’s fresh food policy a good model for other cities?

Philadelphia has the second worst ratio of grocery stores to citizens in the country. Residents must often travel long distances to buy food for their families. There is a growing public policy interest in developing a viable solution to the food access issue, as researchers and policy makers increasingly find a relationship between poor food options and diet-related diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and high-blood pressure.

April 18, 2011

Filed under: Issues

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Journal of the American Planning Association

American Planning Association
Since 1935, the quarterly Journal of the American Planning Association has published research, commentaries, and book reviews useful to practicing planners, policy makers, scholars, students, and citizens of urban, suburban, and rural areas. JAPA publishes only peer-reviewed, original research and analysis. It aspires to bring insight to planning the future, to air a variety of perspectives, to publish the highest quality work, and to engage readers.

Filed under: Journals

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Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy

Harvard University Kennedy School of Government
The Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy is a vibrant intellectual community of faculty, master's and Ph.D. students, researchers, and administrative staff striving to improve public policy and practice in the areas of health care, human services, criminal justice, inequality, education, and labor. The work of the Center draws on the worlds of scholarship, policy, and practice to address pressing questions. Over the last twenty years, the Wiener Center has been an influential voice in domestic policy through faculty work on community policing, welfare reform, youth violence, inner city poverty, youth and the low-wage labor market, American Indian economic and social development, and medical error rates.

Filed under: Organizations

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MetroTrends Data

Urban Institute
MetroTrends is the Urban Institute's report card and toolkit for researchers, students, journalists, elected officials and the public on the state of metropolitan economies. The site provides data for the top 100 cities in the following topic areas: arts and culture, crime, demographics, economic output, employment, food insecurity, health insurance, housing, nonprofits, unemployment, and wages.

Filed under: Data

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National Poverty Center

University of Michigan
The National Poverty Center (NPC) was established in the fall of 2002 as a university-based, nonpartisan research center. We conduct and promote multidisciplinary, policy-relevant research on the causes and consequences of poverty and provide mentoring and training to young scholars.

Located within the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the NPC benefits from close proximity to an extensive and diverse group of University of Michigan-based scholars from such units as the Institute for Social Research; the Department of Economics; and the Schools of Education, Public Health, and Social Work. In addition, the NPC draws on the work of over forty nationally recognized scholars from around the country, our Senior Research Affiliates.

Major funding for the NPC is provided through a cooperative agreement with the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. University of Michigan funders include the Ford School, the Office of the Vice-President for Research, the Institute for Social Research, and the Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Filed under: Organizations

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Urban Gateway

URBAN GATEWAY is an online community to help cities and urban practitioners across the world unite to share knowledge and take action.

The Urban Gateway is the first web platform of its kind to leverage the energy and resources of the global urban development community.  It will allow UN-HABITAT and its external partners to network, exchange knowledge, discuss issues and share opportunities related to sustainable urbanization worldwide.

Filed under: Links

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