Urban, city, and town planning seek to inform land use, development, and transportation infrastructure to accommodate the needs of the community, often with the explicit goal of maximizing both economic vitality and overall quality of life. RAND helps to inform policymakers who plan long-term urban services and neighborhood design, from determining the public health implications of proximity to parklands or inner city waste abatement to the role of urban planning in nation-building efforts.
PROJECT
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program writes the vast majority of flood insurance on residential properties in the United States; current legislation includes a number of reforms that could strengthen the program. RAND has completed studies in four key areas that offer insight into the issues under consideration.
COMMENTARY
The results from Montgomery County demonstrate that an integrative housing policy can be an effective form of school policy for disadvantaged children, writes Heather Schwartz.
REPORT
The UK Migration Advisory Committee asked RAND Europe to examine how migration is likely to impact transport networks and congestion. The resulting research is one of the first studies using UK data to provide an empirical evidence base about migrants' travel behavior and impacts.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is an important social goal to mitigate climate change. A common mitigation paradigm is to consider strategy "wedges" that can be applied to different activities to achieve desired GHG reductions.
PROJECT
Recent proposed reforms to the Stafford Act (improving disaster recovery capability) and the National Disaster Recovery Framework (a guide to cooperation between federal agencies) cluster around five key areas where RAND has relevant studies offering additional insight and context.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Identifies and assesses ways of making congestion pricing equitable. The authors review notions of equity applicable to congestion pricing and explore the equity issues that arise in the context of cordon and area pricing systems and high-occupancy toll lanes.
REPORT
Describes three demonstration projects based on the Arc, RAND's proposal for a sweeping infrastructure corridor linking urban centers, within and between the West Bank and Gaza.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Restrictions on fast-food chain restaurants in South Los Angeles are not addressing the main differences between neighborhood food environments and are unlikely to improve the diet of residents or reduce obesity.
NEWS RELEASE
Policymakers need to address equity concerns early when implementing congestion pricing to improve traffic flow, as each situation is unique and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
REPORT
Policymakers need to address equity concerns early when implementing congestion pricing to improve traffic flow, as each situation is unique. Because these policies impose a cost on something that previously was not priced, it can harm lower-income drivers who will be forced to pay additional costs or be "priced off" the roads.
MULTIMEDIA
This video overview presents key aspects of The Arc, an exploration of options for strengthening the physical infrastructure for a new Palestinian state.
NEWS RELEASE
A federal program designed to help metropolitan public health agencies prepare to deliver essential medicines to the public after a large-scale bioterror attack or natural disease outbreak has succeeded in improving the level of readiness.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
A contemporary look at local planning focusing on the complexity of planning at the local level and making decisions in a difficult environment. Describes essential urban systems and discusses externalities that affect implementation of urban planning practices.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
It is assumed that higher quality recreation facilities promote physical activity and serve communities better. The authors tested this assumption by comparing changes in the use of an expanded and renovated skate park (a facility for skateboarding) and a modernized senior citizen's center to two similar facilities that were not refurbished.
NEWS RELEASE
A comprehensive look at Los Angeles traffic debunks common myths about the metropolitan region's traffic patterns and details the reasons why congestion is so bad -- and why it will get worse in the coming years without significant policy changes.
MULTIMEDIA
Building on analyses that RAND conducted between 2002 and 2004, this presentation explores the options for strengthening the physical infrastructure of a potential future independent Palestinian state.
NEWS RELEASE
Louisiana homeowners who sought federally-funded grants through “The Road Home” program for homes damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have had to wait more than eight months on average to receive grants.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
This article presents a method for the assessment of cities' vulnerability to large-scale urban unrest. Results include a tool that will allow users to rank cities on their vulnerability to large-scale urban unrest.
NEWS RELEASE
New Orleans should craft a comprehensive economic redevelopment plan that combines public- and private-sector funding with a centralized structure.
REPORT
New Orleans should craft a comprehensive economic redevelopment plan that combines public- and private-sector funding with a centralized structure. Total operating costs could run between $2 million and $3 million per year.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2012 RAND Corporation.