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What will it take to make Baltimore a climate-resilient, 21st-century city?

December 7, 2023
The 30-odd invitees — a diverse group of neighborhood activists, academics and city officials — were members of his Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative, or BSEC for short. The group was his mechanism for putting neighborhood concerns at the heart of the five-year, $25 million project that is primarily a scientific endeavor, driven by data in four

Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative: Neighborhood Tours + Panel

October 1, 2023
Learn about the new Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative (BSEC) research initiative, implementing the most meaningful urban environmental measurement and modeling system in the world in collaboration with communities. You are invited to site visits in two of Baltimore’s Justice 40 neighborhoods: Broadway East and Old Goucher.

$25 Million to Improve Climate Conditions in Baltimore

September 23, 2023
Walk through the Old Goucher neighborhood in North Baltimore, and husbands Kelly Cross and Mateusz Rozanski will tell you how several of the tree-lined streets weren’t always filled with such greenery. The couple planted hundreds of trees and took out over 100 tons of concrete in the neighborhood over the past decade.

Rebooting Our Warming Cities

August 22, 2023
If you were to stand at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and West 24th Street in Baltimore’s Old Goucher neighborhood and travel back in time 10 years, you would probably be shocked at the transformation. Back then, pavement blanketed the neighborhood. Of the few trees growing along streets, many were sickly or misshapen.

Detroit Officials Discuss Innovative Street View Program at GovEx

July 6, 2023
Last week, GovEx and our sister center, the Bloomberg Center for Government Innovation (BCPI), together with 21st Century Cities hosted a presentation from Detroit officials Tamara Fant and Ted Schultz, who discussed their innovative Street View program.

Defending Baltimore Against Climate Change

February 15, 2023
A new partnership between Baltimore researchers and community organizations, led by Johns Hopkins University, has received funding to advance understanding of environmental conditions at the neighborhood level and prioritize environmental justice.

Putting a Price on Baltimore’s Vacant Housing

January 24, 2023
A recent report from the Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative finds that Baltimore’s roughly 15,000 vacant properties cost the city an estimated $210M each year in lost revenue and other costs.

Federal Grant Aims to Make Baltimore a Laboratory for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience

October 28, 2022
The Baltimore integrated lab, to be part of the 21st Century Cities Initiative at John Hopkins University and slated to receive $25 million, will involve scientists, academics, researchers, climate modeling specialists and other experts from Hopkins, Pennsylvania State University, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, among others.

“Redlining Does Not End”: Talking with Rebecca Marchiel on Housing and Racism

With special thanks to Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Marchiel about After Redlining. We discussed the last half century of housing policy (and policy history) and what her research suggests regarding the possibility of achieving progressive outcomes through the politics of self-interest.

Greater Baltimore Sees Biggest One-Year Decline in Bank Branches

It’s a large cost-saving measure that banks can implement, said Mac McComas, senior program manager for the 21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University. You see everybody go online and I think banks really took advantage of that moment to say, “Hey, we were already doing this slow optimization of where our branches are.

Bridging Baltimore’s Digital Divide: Three Advocates’ Perspectives

Forty percent of Baltimore’s 243 thousand households lack wired internet service. What would it take to get those homes connected, and to connect all of the city’s public institutions, our public housing units, our recreation centers, and our small businesses? What other cities can serve as paradigms?

Mac McComas: The Economic Road Ahead For Post-Industrial Cities

We begin today with a conversation about a new book that looks at the challenges facing six cites: Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St Louis. How do the challenges these urban centers have to deal with differ from those of larger cities like New York or Los Angeles?

Achieving Digital Equity in Urban and Rural Maryland

On April 9, 2021, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and Johns Hopkins University 21st Century Cities Initiative hosted a discussion on broadband infrastructure and access in urban and rural Maryland. The lack of access to quality broadband and the disparities across communities is an ongoing issue that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Neighborhoods and School Equity with Odis Johnson, Jr.

On March 25, 2021, Johns Hopkins’ 21st Century Cities Initiative hosted Odis Johnson, Jr., Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Social Policy and STEM Equity at Johns Hopkins, for a discussion of neighborhoods and school equity in American cities.

Unlocking the Potential of Baltimore and Other Cities

When it comes to launching an economic comeback in cities that have suffered decades of decline, Matthew E. Kahn and Mac McComas describe themselves as cautious optimists. In their new book, Unlocking the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021), Kahn and McComas explore why six cities—Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis—have seen a decline in population

The New Haven Debt Map: Debt and Vulnerability In An American City

Low- and moderate-income families in the United States are burdened by debt, from mortgages, credit cards, and student loans, to installment, payday, pawnshop and loans from friends and family, to arrears on obligations such as rent, utilities, taxes, legal-financial obligations, child support, and bank fees.

Here’s How Much It Could Cost to Close Baltimore’s Digital Divide

Johns Hopkins University has released a report that estimates how much it will cost to bring high speed internet access to the 40% of Baltimore residents without it… The report estimates that to service these individual households without internet service at an estimated cost per household per month ranging from $20 to $40, the necessary annual…

Study Details Economic Impact of Faster Train Service in Baltimore

A new study from John Hopkins University has found that faster commuter trains between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. could positively impact Baltimore’s economy… the faster trains might spur neighborhood redevelopment and provide Baltimore’s residents with easier access to higher-paying jobs in D.C., the study found.

Johns Hopkins Study Details How Faster Train Service Would Boost Baltimore Economy

Faster commuter trains between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. could have a profound economic impact on Maryland’s largest city by attracting an influx of District residents that could spur neighborhood redevelopment and by giving Charm City residents easier access to higher paying jobs in the nation’s capital, according to a new analysis from Johns Hopkins University’s 21s Century Cities Initiative.

Study Details How Faster Train Service Would Boost Baltimore Economy

Faster commuter trains between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. could have a profound economic impact on Maryland’s largest city by attracting an influx of District residents that could spur more neighborhood redevelopment and by giving Charm City residents easier access to higher paying jobs in the nation’s capital.

Study: Cedar Rapids’ Investment in Flood Protection Fuels Local Economy

Such investment in flood protection infrastructure stimulates economies, driving business creation and job growth, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative and the American Flood Coalition. In this report, released in December, Cedar Rapids serves as a case study of a city that leveraged investment from local, state and federal government…

Flood Mitigation Projects Help Create Jobs

New research from Johns Hopkins University and the American Flood Coalition shows that robust public spending on flood mitigation creates tens of thousands of new jobs that could help the U.S. economy recover from one of its worst downturns in history.

When Playing Favorites Can Hurt Growth

The study finds that when provincial political leaders have preexisting ties to city leaders, those cities are more likely to acquire new industrial parks–but those sites produce 5.2 percent less GDP per capita than their counterparts in other cities, which lack the same political connections but have stronger economic fundamentals.

After Redlining Book Talk with Rebecca Marchiel

Rebecca K. Marchiel, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mississippi, discussed her new book After Redlining: The Urban Reinvestment Movement in the Era of Financial Deregulation on this Johns Hopkins University webinar on Nov. 19, 2020.

Moving to Opportunity, Housing Mobility, and Health Outcomes in Baltimore and Beyond

Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative hosted a virtual discussion of housing mobility initiatives and health outcomes on November 12, 2020. Research on the long term impact of the landmark Moving to Opportunity (MTO) experiment has shown significantly improved outcomes for children whose families were randomly provided with a voucher in the program.

Unlocking the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities

In February 2021, Johns Hopkins University Press published Unlocking the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities, a new book by Matthew E. Kahn and Mac McComas at JHU’s 21st Century Cities Initiative. The book explores synergistic investments in people, businesses, neighborhoods, and government in post-industrial cities including Baltimore.

Annelise Orleck: Workshop on Social Policy and Inequality

Annelise Orleck, Professor of History at Dartmouth, is our next speaker for the Johns Hopkins Workshop on Social Policy and Inequality. Professor Orleck will be discussing the forthcoming paper “And the Virus Rages on: “Contingent” and “Essential” Workers in the Time of COVID-19.”

Workshop on Inequality and Social Policy

The Johns Hopkins Workshop on Inequality and Social Policy brings together colleagues — faculty, graduate students, and interested undergraduates — from the Krieger School and around the university to examine the latest scholarship on inequality. Rooted fundamentally in the social sciences, the workshop will range widely to embrace a variety of perspectives.

The Geographical Impact of COVID on the Workplace & Employees

The 21st Century Cities Initiative and Bayard team up to discuss topics related to the geographical impact of COVID on the workplace and employees, including short- and long-term impact on office demand, who makes the first move out of major cities, if we will see high-skill workers move to remote locations, the lasting impact on...

Social Scientists Scramble to Study Pandemic, in Real Time

Economists are digging in as well. Matthew Kahn at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, has studied how industries cope with disasters. He and a collaborator are already gathering data to compare how companies are adjusting, depending on their supply chains and the different restrictions imposed by countries around the world.

Former Senator Calls for Participation in Census

“The Census is only as good as the methods it uses, the questions it asks and how the data is translated into public policy,” Mikulski said. “Federal funds are becoming more spartan. There has been a major disinvestment in cities and programs that help and empower the poor.”

Sarah Halpern-Meekin: Workshop on Inequality and Social Policy

Sarah Halpern-Meekin is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professor Halpern-Meekin will be discussing her new book, Social poverty: Low-income parents and the struggle for family and community ties.

Cooperatives Battle Displacement in Buenos Aires

21CC sponsored research project “Alternative Models of Housing in Buenos Aires, Argentina” led by Valeria Procupez, lecturer of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University and Maria Carla Rodriguez, professor of Urban Sociology, University of Buenos Aires was featured in a report in the North American Congress on Latin America Report on the Americas.

Rogers Smith: Workshop on Inequality and Social Policy

Please join us for the Johns Hopkins Workshop on Social Policy and Inequality with Rogers Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science At UPenn and President of the American Political Science Association, on Thursday, November 14 from 4:15-6:00PM, in Mergenthaler Hall Room 366, on the Homewood Campus.

JHU Study Reviews Baltimore Police Officer Pay

A new report shows a Baltimore police officer’s median pay is as high as that of a New York City police officer thanks in large part to overtime pay. The report completed by the 21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University was sparked, its authors said, by a story about who leads the list of highest-paid…

Rhiannon Jerch: Workshop on Social Policy and Inequality

Rhiannon Jerch is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the 21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University. Rhiannon will be discussing her most recent paper “The Local Consequences of Federal Mandates: Evidence from the Clean Water Act.”

Rucker Johnson: Children of the Dream Book Talk

Rucker C Johnson, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, gave a talk about his new book, Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works in the Mason Hall auditorium on the Hopkins Homewood campus on Friday, October 18, 2019.

When Climate Change Leads to Mortgage Defaults

Climate change poses risks to real estate that homebuyers may not be able to predict. As sea level rises, coastal properties, for example, may be subject to increased flooding and intensifying storm surges.

U.S. Taxpayers Are at Risk for Homes Threatened by Climate Change

Banks are selling mortgages on homes in coastal areas around the U.S. that are vulnerable to natural disasters to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a study finds. That could leave taxpayers footing the bill because the two government-sponsored enterprises buy the mortgages without adequately accounting for the heightened property risks.

Climate Change Could Impact Your Mortgage Even If You Live Nowhere Near a Coast

Some banks are cutting their own climate-change exposure by selling riskier disaster-area mortgages to taxpayer-supported entities. That puts the health of the mortgage market at risk, a potential repeat of the financial conditions at the root of the banking crisis a decade ago, a research paper published Monday argues.

Caught Stealing?

The 21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins is hosting Brad Humphreys, Professor of Economics at WVU to give a talk titled “Caught Stealing? The pros and cons of subsidies for professional sports facilities and their impact on cities” on Thursday, October 10 in the Mason Hall Auditorium on the Homewood Campus from 6:30-8pm.

Urban Policy and Pizza

The 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) hosts regular Urban Policy and Pizza events for Hopkins undergraduates that give students a chance to learn about the newest academic literature on urban topics and discuss new and innovative policy proposals in Baltimore City and around the world.

Radio Health Journal: Heat and Violence

Violence increases as temperatures rise in the summer, but are higher temperatures a cause of aggression? New research shows that the answer is yes, especially in family conflict, and that poor neighborhoods bear the brunt of the relationship.

Medicine for the Greater Good with Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos

Matthew Kahn invites Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos to discuss his initiative Medicine for the Greater Good which seeks to forge better connections between medical health professionals and the communities they serve by understanding the diverse needs of patients and socioeconomic barriers to health care access.

Humanity Will Find Ways to Adapt to Climate Change

As demand rises for ways to ease the pain of climate change, supply will respond. A growing market for goods prompts producers to innovate—and work by Matthew Kahn of Johns Hopkins University and Daxuan Zhao of Renmin University suggests that the same logic applies to adaptation.

21st Century Cities Initiative Hires New Director Matthew Kahn

The 21st Century Cities (21CC) Initiative, an on-campus center for students and faculty interested in using data to solve modern urban challenges, hired Matthew Kahn as its new director in June. In an interview with The News-Letter, the noted urban and environmental economist reflected on his life, career and goals for 21CC.

2019 Urban Spaces Symposium

On August 27, 21CC and IDIES hosted The Johns Hopkins University 2019 Urban Spaces Symposium, Urban Spaces in Baltimore: Data Science in the City.

How the Economy, Energy, and Tech Show Up in “Mad Max”

Marketplace’s” Jed Kim spoke with Matthew Kahn, an economist at Johns Hopkins University, about the energy technology and economics on display in “Mad Max.” He said that for him, the movie shows how free markets falter in a post-apocalyptic world.

Baltimore Area Needs a Regional Economic Development Strategy

In the last five to 10 years, it would seem as though Baltimore is finally emerging (at least economically) — from its slow, multi-decade decline. But if you’re a resident of one of the city’s poorer neighborhoods, you might not know it.

Bleeding Out

The 21st Century Cities Initiative and the Urban Health Institute at Johns Hopkins welcome Thomas Abt for a discussion of his new book Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence – and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets on September 10 from 5:30-7pm in Sheldon Hall (W1214) 615 N. Wolfe Street.

Urban Economist Matthew Kahn to Lead Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative

Matthew E. Kahn will serve as the new director of 21st Century Cities, the university’s hub for urban research, education, and outreach. “Dr. Kahn’s prolific research on urban and environmental challenges has established him as one of the leading economists in the world,” says Sunil Kumar, JHU provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

21CC Funds 15 New Urban Research Projects Both Local and Global

Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, a hub for urban research, recently awarded 15 seed grants to faculty and doctoral researchers pursuing projects in Baltimore and beyond. Seven JHU faculty-led studies—including projects pertaining to female entrepreneurship, the effect of urban green spaces on environmental quality, and the impact of the federal Opportunity Zones program.

As Hopkins Expands into D.C., What Does That Mean for Baltimore?

Last Friday, many of us received an email that Hopkins had purchased the building that currently houses the Newseum, a museum in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to promoting freedom of speech… To be sure, the University has made some substantial efforts to give back to Baltimore.

Balancing the Scales of Investment in Baltimore

Like a lot of American cities, contemporary Baltimore has two types of neighborhoods: Those few areas in and around downtown, where capital is relatively easy to access, and the more common outlying neighborhoods, often historically disinvested and constrained by legacy policies like redlining, where capital is scarce and lending for small businesses is relatively difficult.

Reinventing the Public Mission of Higher Education

The 2018 HER will open an international dialogue on Reinventing the Public Mission of Higher Education: Policies and Practice. The goal is to provide a platform for researchers, senior higher education policymakers, and higher education leaders who seek to expand engagement in this question and to explore and promote new solutions at local, national and international levels.

2018 21st Century Neighborhoods Symposium: Reinventing Our Communities

The 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) at Johns Hopkins University is pleased to announce that the 2018 edition of our Symposium—21st Century Neighborhoods: Research. Leadership. Transformation.—will be incorporated into the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s 2018 Reinventing Our Communities: Investing in Opportunity Conference to be held at the Hilton Baltimore on October 1-3, 2018.

Report: Small Business Lending in Baltimore Down

Small business lending in Baltimore has fallen off over the past 10 years even as deposits continued to grow, a Johns Hopkins University report found. Much of the changes have been brought about through a number of post-recession changes, including mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry that led to Baltimore becoming a “branch town."

Financing Baltimore’s Growth: Strengthening Lending to Small Businesses

In 2017, the Johns Hopkins University 21st Century Cities Initiative published a report on the capacity of the financing system to support small businesses and startups in Baltimore City. The report covered both venture capital and loan capital flowing to small firms located in Baltimore, documenting $500-600 million in annual investments.

Poverty & Race: Reflections on Kerner at 50

The Poverty & Race Research Action Council’s (PRRAC) most recent issue of Poverty & Race featured reflections from several speakers at our Race and Inequality in America: The Kerner Commission at 50 conference held in March 2018 in Baltimore and Berkeley, including Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen.

Opportunity Zones Are Knocking: Will Baltimore Be Prepared?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 established a new, federal tax incentive for Opportunity Zones intended to spur investment in low-income communities. For cities like Baltimore, Opportunity Zones have the potential to be a valuable resource for inclusive growth.

Conference Reflects on Racial Inequality in U.S.

The Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative partnered with the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at the University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley) to host a conference titled “Race and Inequality in America: The Kerner Commission at 50” on Feb. 28 and March 1.

Workshop on Inequality and Social Policy with Laura Tach

We are pleased to invite you to the Johns Hopkins Workshop on Social Policy and Inequality with Laura Tach, Associate Professor of Policy Analysis and Management and Sociology at Cornell University, on Thursday, March 15 from 4:00-5:30PM in Gilman Hall, Room 130G on the Homewood Campus. Laura’s research focuses on poverty and social policy.

21st Century Neighborhoods Symposium: New Mayors Video Highlights

Last December’s 21st Century Neighborhoods Symposium in Baltimore kicked off with a captivating conversation among new mayors and their visions for 21st century American cities. In 2017, more than 40 new mayors took office in U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or more, bringing with them fresh ideas and renewed energy for shaping cities into hubs.

Can Baby Bonds Help Close Baltimore’s Wealth Gap?

The National Asset Scorecard for Communities of Color is a project that assesses the level of, and nuances of, wealth disparities in cities across the country. At the 21st Century Neighborhoods 2017 Symposium, the projects lead investigators, Dr. Darrick Hamilton and Dr. Sandy Darity discussed their current work on wealth disparities in Baltimore.

Suzanne Mettler: The Government-Citizen Disconnect, December 7, 2017

Suzanne Mettler, Clinton Rossiter Professor of American Institutions in the Department of Government at Cornell University will be discussing chapters one and four from her book manuscript, The Government-Citizen Disconnect. You can read them here. Daniel Schlozman of the Department of Political Science and Andy Cherlin of the Department of Sociology will serve as discussants.

Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality

Authors Ajay Chaudry, PhD, and Taryn Morrissey, PhD, will discuss their new book, “Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality,” which offers an evidence-based strategy diagnosing the obstacles to accessible early education and charts a path towards opportunity for all children. A panel discussion will follow.

Financing Baltimore’s Small Businesses: A Progress Report

Baltimore is home to approximately 50,000 small businesses, more than half of which are minority owned. What do those businesses need to sustain themselves and to grow? What do entrepreneurs who dream of establishing their own companies need to get started?

Abell Foundation’s Embry Says Demand for Startup Capital Outstrips Supply

Originally published in the Baltimore Business Journal Abell Foundation President Robert C. Embry Jr. says he knows of startups that would be willing to move to Baltimore, he just needs the money to attract them. The Baltimore-based Abell Foundation is known for providing grants but it has become a growing venture capital investor.

Banks Aren’t Lending Enough to Baltimore Small Businesses, Scully Says

A recent report by the 21st Century Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School found that Baltimore’s financing system needs to grow so that small businesses will have more access to capital. The report also identified an underlying issue of how to connect investors with the available capital.

Nearly 70 Percent of Venture Capital Comes From Outside of MD

Almost 70 percent of venture capital investments for start-ups in Baltimore are coming from outside of Maryland, according a Johns Hopkins report released last week. That is causing some businesses to relocate out of state, while others have stayed.

Baltimore Needs More Small Business Investors From Baltimore

Over the past few years, Baltimore small businesses are attracting more capital than you might expect, but the nature and sources of that capital have some profound implications for the future of those businesses. That’s according to “Financing Baltimore’s Growth: Measuring Small Companies’ Access to Capital,” a new report from Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative.

Report: Baltimore Needs Stronger Financing System to Bring More Capital to Startups

Startups in Baltimore have seen an uptick in funding over the last several years, but a “more robust” financing system is needed to help them grow. That’s one of the main takeaways from Johns Hopkins’ 21st Century Cities Initiative. It’s called “Financing Baltimore’s Growth: Measuring Small Companies’ Access to Capital.”

Report: Baltimore Needs More Robust Financing System for Small Businesses

Baltimore needs a more robust financing system to help small businesses grow and to attract new companies. That’s the conclusion of a new report by Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative that evaluated access to venture capital funding and small business loans for startup companies and more established Main Street small businesses.

Report: Baltimore Small Businesses Need More Capital

Baltimore must do more to attract venture capital and other financing for its small businesses and startup companies, a new report from Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiatives found. While available capital and financing has improved over the last decade, the study found that greater availability elsewhere has led companies to other cities.

Hopkins initiative aims to solve entrenched problems in Baltimore and other cities

A sociologist studying whether involving immigrants in neighborhood groups can ease crime, an education professor using housing data to predict school enrollment and an astronomer applying his expertise in big data to the city’s vacant problems are all part of a new program at the Johns Hopkins University designed to help Baltimore.

How Can Baltimore City Prevent Housing Abandonment?

The best housing vacancy information currently available—from the American Community Survey—produces census tract–level estimates only every five years. As a result, city planners are almost always working with obsolete information when looking for vacant houses.

Hearing Their Voices

On April 20, 2017, the 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) at Johns Hopkins University hosted a community forum about coming of age in Baltimore. The event, which was a continuation of the Redlining Baltimore series, brought together community organizers, scholars, students, policymakers, advocates, and civic leaders to better understand the myriad challenges youth face.

Investing in Baltimore

Bell-McKoy and other CEOs and leaders took part in a discussion titled “Investing in Baltimore” at Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday evening. The event was presented by JHU’s 21st Century Cities Initiative.

Visiting Scholars Series

21CC’s Visiting Scholars Series brings urban policy researchers to Johns Hopkins University for open-campus discussions on new research and policy solutions within 21CC’s areas of focus, including economic inclusion and neighborhood transformation.

Living on $2 a Day: Poverty and Food Equity in America

In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, the 21st Century Cities Initiative’s faculty director Kathy Edin ($2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America) and Washington, DC area social entrepreneur Tom McDougall of 4P Foods have a powerful and timely discussion with Share Our Strength founders Billy and Debbie Shore about poverty in America.

Using Astronomy To Fight Urban Blight

Almost 17,000 houses sit boarded-up and vacant throughout Baltimore. These are the ones deemed officially unlivable by the city, some with rooftops or walls missing. But those structures represent just a fraction of a larger problem.

The University as Pillar of the Community

Hopkins has also begun an attempt to foster collaborations between university researchers and city governments nationwide, known as the 21st Century Cities Initiative. Kathryn Edin, Bloomberg professor in Hopkins’ department of sociology and a specialist in the study of urban poverty, is its director.

21st Century Cities Initiative Now Accepting Grant Applications

Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative is accepting applications for its Spring 2017 Applied Research Seed Grant Program. The grants, expected to average $35,000, will support the development of new, cross-disciplinary research that meaningfully engages policymakers and/or practitioners in cities.

Redlining Baltimore

Nearly a year after the April 2015 uprising, the 21st Century Cities Initiative launched the ‘Redlining Baltimore’ series, a forum to better understand geographies of exclusion in Baltimore City. The four-part series, which was hosted by actress and activist Sonja Sohn, brought residents, academics, artists, activists and civil leaders together.

JHU Study Reviews Baltimore Crime Data Since Riots

A Johns Hopkins University study that reviewed recent reported crime data from Baltimore City police concludes Commissioner Kevin Davis has had a stabilizing effect on city crime, not a revolutionary one.

Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis An Evening With Robert D. Putnam

This event is open to the public. Seating is limited so advance registration is required by November 11. Special thank you to: The Bloomberg School of Public Health This event is made possible by generous support from: PNC Bank, Legg Mason, M&T Bank, and Child Care Foundation, Inc.

21st Century Neighborhoods Symposium Recap

More than 250 city leaders and experts from across the U.S. attended the inaugural 21st Century Neighborhoods Symposium in Baltimore, MD on Sept. 15-16, 2016. This page provides an event recap, including videos and photos, and links to white papers, presentations, and media coverage.

2016 Symposium

More than 250 city leaders and experts from across the U.S. attended the inaugural 21st Century Neighborhoods Symposium in Baltimore, MD on Sept. 15-16, 2016.

Federal Employees Learn How to Tailor Government Resources to Cities’ Needs

The day-long training sessions, facilitated in part by the 21st Century Cities Initiative, address issues of urban poverty, economic inclusion and opportunity, and neighborhood development. Additional training retreats are being scheduled for the fall, when 21CC also plans to publish a manual outlining how federal teams can cross-partner with other agencies to address problems.

Baltimore’s Wealth Disparities: Panelists Discuss Barriers to Economic Inclusion

“What would Baltimore look like if there was more equity?” asked Diane Bell-McKoy, president of Associated Black Charities, at a Redlining Baltimore conversation series event on Wednesday. For one, the city could see an additional $3.3 billion in revenue with an “economic renaissance” of African-Americans, Bell-McKoy’s foundation has projected.

Tale of Two Baltimores: Experts Discuss Roots of City Health Disparities

Speaking at the second event of the Redlining Baltimore conversation series sponsored by Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, Lawrence Brown, an assistant professor at Morgan State University’s School of Community Health and Policy, began the discussion with an overview of the history of redlining.

A Baltimore Requiem

I was raised in the valley of the shadow of death where they played with our patience til there was none left and that was way before the riots. Way before the quiet that the curfew brought at night dont know what you thought was right but half a billion dollar casino verses schools close…

First ‘Redlining Baltimore’ Event Explores Discrimination Past and Present

Of all the race-related issues to delve into in Baltimore, redlining isn’t the most immediately provocative. “It’s not as sexy as the riots,” said 17-year-old activist Makayla Gilliam-Price, who spoke last night at the Motor House in Station North as part of the first of four “Redlining Baltimore” conversations, hosted by Johns Hopkins University.

Redlining Baltimore: Exploring Systemic Discrimination Through Art & Discussion

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “redlining,” the easiest way to explain it—specifically to Baltimore—is by looking at a map of the city. Notice how our city’s major highways divide neighborhoods—from 95 to 83—these cement barriers separate what are recognizably contrasting neighborhoods, both visually and economically; and that was precisely by design.

Johns Hopkins Series to Examine Reasons for Unrest

The images of violence during the unrest in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray almost a year ago will be etched in the minds of many of those in Baltimore for years to come. In April, Johns Hopkins University tackles the underlying issues of that unrest in a series called “Redlining Baltimore.”

New Study Debunks ‘Ferguson Effect’ In Baltimore

A new study released by Johns Hopkins University found that the ‘Ferguson Effect’ may be a myth. The term was first used by FBI director James Comey to describe what he says is a link between increased crime rates and heightened police scrutiny following protests sparked by officer-involved shootings of black people in places like Ferguson MO., Chicago and Baltimore.

Quick, Responsive, and Creative

What blighted blocks in Baltimore are more likely to need demolition — and which are not? When are strategic interventions from city agencies likely to push rehabilitation — not just of a single building, but of an entire neighborhood?

Department of Labor Official Joins JHU’s 21st Century Cities Initiative

Ben Seigel, a Baltimore native who helped design the Obama administration’s place-based strategy and led the federal government’s effort to address deep-rooted issues in Baltimore after last year’s unrest, has joined a Johns Hopkins University project to strengthen cities with similar urban challenges.

Kathryn Edin Reveals the Lives of People Who Live on $2 a Day

Kathryn Edin has been an itinerant scholar of the poor for more than 20 years. She is a sociologist who works like an anthropologist, melding numbers and narrative to examine in illuminating detail the lives of poor people all over the United States.

SOE Professor Awarded 21st Century Cities Initiative Grant

SOE Professor Karl Alexander was recently awarded a grant from the 21st Century Cities Initiative to launch the Thurgood Marshall Alliance (TMA). The goal of TMA is to help build and sustain a network of Baltimore schools with diverse enrollments in terms of family income, race, and ethnicity.

Home Base

Under the umbrella of the university’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, researchers have launched a set of projects examining Baltimore in relation to the unrest following Freddie Gray’s death. “We’re trying to reimagine what a research university can do in the face of a crisis like this,” says Kathryn Edin.

Message from JHU President

In the wake of the tragic death of Freddie Gray in police custody, our city entered a wrenching moment marked by pockets of violence and days of peaceful protest. At the time, I reached out not only to you and other members of our university community, but also to our newest Hopkins family members: the admitted…

Feeding the 21st Century City Event Recap

Feeding the 21st Century City, a recent panel discussion by experts and leaders in the fields of food policy, sustainability, and economics, addressed questions of food inequality and considered ways that accessible, affordable, nutritious food could be made available across demographic groups in the 21st century city.