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Urban Studies Guide

Library and research resources recommended for urban studies topics

Other Great Resources

  • Global Urban History is a blog for both global and urban history. 
  • The Metropole is the official blog of the Urban History Association.
  • Atlas of Urban Expansion is part of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the Atlas provides the geographic and quantitative dimensions of urban expansion and its key attributes in cities the world over.
  • Cities Today is the only global magazine containing analysis, comment and best practices on sustainable urban development, connecting local governments with public and private sector solutions. 
  • Urban Omnibus is an online publication dedicated to defining and enriching the culture of citymaking. 
  • Brookings Institute Metropolitan Policy Program provides decision makers with timely trend analysis, cutting-edge research and policy ideas for improving the health and prosperity of cities and metropolitan areas.
  • Center for Urban Research organizes basic research on the critical issues that face New York and other large cities in the U.S. and abroad.
  • The World Bank - Sustainable Cities is a space for urban development professionals to exchange ideas and engage some of the central questions of sustainable cities. 
  • City Observatory is a website and think tank devoted to data-driven analysis of cities and the policies that shape them. 
  • Greater Places is creating a new platform to showcase the best in community design: placemaking, planning, policies and public participation. 
  • urbanNext is generating a global network to produce content focused on rethinking architecture through the contemporary urban milieu —urbanity that is conditioned by the specificities of the information society, sustainable awareness, globalized knowledge and leisure.
  • Urban Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary, multi-authored blog dedicated to the culture(s) of cities…space, time and urban everyday life the world over. 
  • The Why Factory is a global think-tank and research institute, run by MVRDV and Delft University of Technology.
  • WebUrbanist is a city-centric, visual-oriented online publication about art, design and built environments.
  • Center for Urban Policy Research provides basic and applied research on a broad spectrum of public policy issues.
  • Side Walk Labs is an Alphabet company that imagines, designs, tests, and builds urban innovations to help cities meet their biggest challenges. 

Associations and Organizations

  • American Institute of Architects (AIA)                                                            AIA has been a leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners, since 1857.   
  • American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)                                                    AICP is the professional aspect of American Planning Association that provides national leadership in certifying professional planners, and their standards for planning practice.
  • American Planning Association (APA)                                                                        A leading association representing planning professionals in America.
  • Cyburbia                                                                                                                 This planning resource center is one of the most comprehensive directories on the Internet relating to the land use planning.
  • KnowledgePlex                                                                                                                    KnowledgePlex® is designed to support the efforts of practitioners, grantors, policy makers, scholars, investors, and others involved or interested in the fields of affordable housing and community development.
  • National League of Cities (NLC)                                                                                   The National League of Cities assists city leaders with building better communities. It partners with 49 state municipal leagues, and acts as a resource and an advocate for more than 19,000 cities, villages and towns.
  • Planetizen                                                                                                                          The independent resource for people passionate about planning and related fields.
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)                               The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)                     HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. 
  • Urban Affairs Association (UAA)                                                                                This Association is the international professional organization for urban scholars, researchers, and public service professionals, dedicated to creating interdisciplinary areas for engaging in intellectual and practical discussions about urban life.
  • Urban Institute                                                                                                          Opens minds, shapes decisions, and offers solutions through economic and social policy research.
  • Urban Land Institute 

    The Urban Land Institute provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Website provides news and research for academicians and practitioners in urban planning and allied disciplines.