The University of Chicago Urban Network, a faculty-led initiative of scholars and organizations concerned with urban questions, is devoted to spurring innovation in urban research and improving communication among individuals and organizations in urban research and policy. We will do so by developing and maintaining a powerful and robust online hub, hosting an annual conference on the central questions in urban social science, and instituting a set of concrete initiatives that encourage scholars to take risks, speak across disciplines, and reach non-scholarly audiences.
Projects
The Urban Portal is a one-stop resource featuring the latest in urban social science. The Portal contains a robust array of tools for urban research, including numerous datasets and links to relevant websites and journals. An extensive listing of national and international conferences and a directory of University of Chicago faculty working on urban questions are also available on the site. The Portal also contains a continuously updated list of urban workshops, presentations, and other events at the University of Chicago and links to urban institutes and initiatives at the university.
The University of Chicago Urban Forums are a conference series highlighting the latest in urban social science. In March 2011, we held our first large conference, entitled "Rethinking Urban Poverty for the 21st Century: Institutional and Organizational Perspectives." Our May 2012 conference is entitled "Local Area Processes: Theories, Methods, and Models." Learn more about the 2012 Urban Forums.
Staff
The current faculty director of the University of Chicago Urban Network is Mario L. Small, Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Chicago.
The project manager is Caroline Ouwerkerk.
Assistants
Michaela Soyer, PhD candidate in Sociology
Patrick Reilly, MPA
Advisory Committee
Scott Allard, Associate Professor, The School of Social Service Administration
Kathleen Cagney, Associate Professor, The University of Chicago Department of Health Studies
Kerwin Charles, Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor, The Harris School of Public Policy Studies
Michael Dawson, John D. MacArthur Professor of Political Science, The University of Chicago
Bernard Harcourt, Julius Kreeger Professor of Law and Criminology; Chair and Professor of Political Science, The University of Chicago
David Meltzer, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine; Associated Faculty Member, The Harris School of Public Policy Studies.