Georgia Tech’s Center for Urban Research Charts Ambitious Path Toward Thriving and Equitable Cities

The Center for Urban Research at Georgia Tech has only been around for a couple of years. Still, the joint urban policy initiative of Georgia Tech and the City of Atlanta has already started to make a regional impact on issues such as tax policy, public safety, sustainable energy, and transportation solutions.

The Center boasts a network of affiliated urban studies scholars from Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, Emory University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Now, with a new co-director on board in Assistant Professor Brian Y. An, the School of Public Policy-housed Center wants to expand its footprint, becoming a national model for encouraging collaboration among researchers and policy practitioners in areas that affect the health of our cities.

“Our goal is for the Center to be at the heart of how urban studies scholarship can inform practice in urban management — housing, education, health, public infrastructure, energy, and sustainability — all the things that cities need to thrive,” said David Edwards, the Center’s founding director.

We asked Edwards and An to sit down for a conversation about the Center’s future. Their comments were edited for length and clarity.

What’s the mission of the Center for Urban Research?

David Edwards: Our goal is to connect urban studies research being done across the entire academic community and apply it to the problems facing our cities. The gap we're trying to fill is the inadequate job the public and nonprofit sectors do in leveraging academic expertise and research, and vice versa, with academics not always prioritizing the application of their work. We're trying to bridge this gap by providing a platform for collaboration in a sustainable way that drives real changes.

The genesis of this project came from conversations with former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Atlanta developer and civic leader Egbert Perry about closing racial equity gaps. When we discussed this with Georgia Tech, they were very supportive, and the School of Public Policy turned out to be the perfect place to house this work. School Chair Cassidy Sugimoto’s vision for increasing the visibility and impact of the School of Public Policy has been instrumental in making this happen.

Where do you think the Center has the greatest opportunity to make an impact?

Edwards: We’re already making an impact in areas such as tax policy, public safety, energy sustainability, public health, and next-generation transportation solutions. Every time we explore a new area, we find opportunities to use academic work that practitioners in the public and nonprofit sectors aren't aware of or aren't taking advantage of.

Brian Y. An: We see a growing need for data-driven, evidence-based research from public agencies and nonprofits alike. For example, Atlanta Housing wants to understand how their work impacts the community, particularly in areas such as affordable housing and economic development. We’ve also worked with Georgia state house members, a group of county chief appraisers, and the City of South Fulton, which wants to know how our research can inform their policies improving rental housing and neighborhood conditions. It’s through collaborations such as these that we can be at the forefront of providing relevant research and expertise that makes a positive impact on the lives of Georgia residents.

What are some of the challenges you face?

An: The research community is highly fragmented, with experts spread across different universities and departments, often competing for limited resources and status. However, we are building an extensive network that can pull resources from various institutions and the community in a unified direction. We want to make scholarly work more visible and accessible to practitioners and policymakers. That’s where our work can make a difference.

What’s on tap for the coming year?

Edwards: We’re planning to build a full-time staff whose job will be to connect academic work in urban studies with the practitioners in the field. The secret sauce is having a dedicated team that knows how to apply academic research and expertise into practice and sustain it over time. The team will likely be a mix of people who can bridge the academic and practitioner spaces effectively, not necessarily based on credentials but on capabilities.

What is your greatest ambition for the center?

An: As a primary researcher, I want the center to be a valuable and necessary resource for policymakers across Georgia and beyond. 

Edwards: Our ambitions are national. We want to create a model for how cities can address the legacy of racialized policies that have created segregation and social equity gaps in our cities. Atlanta is the right place to solve this problem because of its history, its leadership, and the impressive academic research being done here. We’re excited to showcase this kind of thinking with our upcoming first meeting of the Healthcare Initiatives Task Force, which we are assembling at the direction of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a group that advises Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. Led by Grady Health System CEO John Haupert, the task force will develop strategies that policymakers can use to improve education, public safety, economic mobility, and health for all. We dream of providing a blueprint that can be used across the country.

David Edwards, co-director of the Center for Urban Research and Senior Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, is the Center’s founding director. An is co-director of the Center and an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy. His work has been cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WSB-TV, WABE, GPB, and the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

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