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Urban Planning

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

OnePGH: Supporting Development of Pittsburgh's Resilience Strategy

As part of its work as a strategy partner for 100 Resilient Cities (100RC), RAND has been working with the city of Pittsburgh since 2015 to develop Pittsburgh's first city-wide Resilience Strategy. Known as OnePGH, it is a comprehensive strategy to address the current and future challenges that confront the city and its residents.

Mar 8, 2017
Report

Urban Responses to Climate Change

More than 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas. Thus, cities lie at the epicenter of America's response to climate change. Analysis can inform how cities choose strategies and allocate resources.

Dec 7, 2016
Solution

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

The city of Santa Monica wanted to incorporate wellbeing into city planning, policies, and programs. RAND researchers, as part of a team of experts, helped create a framework for measuring wellbeing and applying the findings to city planning.

Nov 22, 2016
Report

City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Parks: Research Findings and Policy Implications (2003–2015)

This report summarizes more than a decade of research on how well neighborhood parks in Los Angeles support physical activity. Between 2003 and 2015, researchers observed 83 parks and fielded nearly 28,000 surveys of park users and local residents.

Nov 1, 2016
Commentary

The Olympic Legacy — What Can Rio Learn?

Rio will spend $14.4 billion on the Olympics. Like other host cities, it hopes to achieve an “Olympic legacy” to ensure that this investment pays dividends after the games and provides long-term economic, social, sporting, and cultural benefits.

Aug 3, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

CicLavia: Evaluation of Participation, Physical Activity and Cost of an Open Streets Event in Los Angeles

Increasing the frequency of events in which major streets are open only to pedestrians and bicyclists would increase physical activity in urban areas.

Jun 30, 2016
Commentary

Expo Line Could Enhance Wellbeing in Santa Monica

On May 20, the long-awaited Metro Expo Line will begin service to Santa Monica. Viewing urban mobility as a key component of community wellbeing may be an instructive way to assess the impact of Expo and other infrastructure efforts.

May 6, 2016
Report

Self-Driving Vehicles Offer Potential Benefits, Policy Challenges for Lawmakers

Self-driving vehicles offer the promise of significant benefits to society, but raise several policy challenges, including the need to update insurance liability regulations and privacy concerns such as who will control the data generated by this technology.

Mar 22, 2016
Essay

Learning from One City's Effort to Transform Community

RAND researchers have partnered with the city of Santa Monica, California to redefine not just how cities measure success, but how they assess their very purpose for being. This “Wellbeing Index” posits that cities can improve not just the safety and comfort of their residents, but also their happiness.

Mar 8, 2016
Report

Report

Quality of Life Indicators and Policy Strategies to Advance Sustainability in the Pearl River Delta

Proposes a system of quality of life indicators and identifies policy options to improve quality of life in the Pearl River Delta, a region of Guangdong Province in southeastern China.

Nov 6, 2015
Journal Article

Associations Between Neighborhood Alcohol Availability and Young Adolescent Alcohol Use

An investigation into the association between alcohol outlet density and adolescent alcohol use, including whether this association differed by sociodemographic characteristics.

Oct 20, 2015
Journal Article

Journal Article

Influence of the Built Environment on Pedestrian Route Choices of Adolescent Girls

We examined the influence of the built environment on pedestrian route selection among adolescent girls.

May 29, 2015
Commentary

Wellbeing Project to Weave Science Into Government Decisions

Wellbeing is about individuals having the skills and opportunity to live a meaningful life. There are countless things that cities do that either contribute or detract from that sense of meaning. Santa Monica's Wellbeing Project is working to fundamentally change how the government thinks about its citizens.

Apr 29, 2015
Commentary

Building the Best Pittsburgh Possible

Pittsburgh's journey toward its bright future has only just begun. To realize its potential, the city needs a vision as well as an innovative, inclusive, and data-driven approach to community development.

Apr 9, 2015
Multimedia

Building Urban Resilience: A Look at Challenges Facing the Pittsburgh Region Today and Tomorrow

RAND's Board of Trustees joined RAND donors and partners, as well as local Pittsburgh civic and community leaders, to discuss urban resilience efforts. Pittsburgh is at the forefront of municipalities considering how to develop resilience as a framework for managing change.

Apr 8, 2015
Essay

The Dream Drive: Twists and Turns on the Road to Self-Driving Vehicles

Autonomous vehicle technology is already here: Cars park themselves, alert drivers to impending dangers, and even apply the brakes in emergencies. But what will it take to unlock its potential for major societal benefits?

Jan 14, 2015
Commentary

How Smart Are Our European Cities?

The urban population is expected to double by 2050, when seven out of every 10 people will live in cities. Poverty, inequality, unemployment, and energy management challenges are also expected to increase. One potential solution is the concept of the “smart city,” where initiatives are designed to fuse current infrastructures with digital technology.

Jul 9, 2014
Project

Socio-Economic Effects of Affordable Housing on the Working Poor of India

RAND examined the socio-economic effects of affordable housing on the working poor of India.

May 30, 2014
Report

The Effects of Moving to Permanent Dwellings on India's Working Poor

In India, low-cost housing projects like the Ashray Affordable Housing Pilot may help the working poor and their families improve their living conditions, while still allowing developers to recover their costs.

May 30, 2014
Project

Pakistan Urban Sector Assessment

RAND is examining the trends and implications of rapid urbanization in Pakistan. The analysis leads to recommendations for policies to enhance productivity and economic growth in urban areas.

Apr 18, 2014

RAND Topic:
Urban Planning

Topic Synonyms:
City Planning

Urban Planning

OnePGH: Supporting Development of Pittsburgh's Resilience Strategy

Urban Responses to Climate Change

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Parks: Research Findings and Policy Implications (2003–2015)

The Olympic Legacy — What Can Rio Learn?

CicLavia: Evaluation of Participation, Physical Activity and Cost of an Open Streets Event in Los Angeles

Expo Line Could Enhance Wellbeing in Santa Monica

Self-Driving Vehicles Offer Potential Benefits, Policy Challenges for Lawmakers

Learning from One City's Effort to Transform Community

Quality of Life Indicators and Policy Strategies to Advance Sustainability in the Pearl River Delta

Associations Between Neighborhood Alcohol Availability and Young Adolescent Alcohol Use

Influence of the Built Environment on Pedestrian Route Choices of Adolescent Girls

Wellbeing Project to Weave Science Into Government Decisions

Building the Best Pittsburgh Possible

Building Urban Resilience: A Look at Challenges Facing the Pittsburgh Region Today and Tomorrow

The Dream Drive: Twists and Turns on the Road to Self-Driving Vehicles

How Smart Are Our European Cities?

Socio-Economic Effects of Affordable Housing on the Working Poor of India

The Effects of Moving to Permanent Dwellings on India's Working Poor

Pakistan Urban Sector Assessment

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