Highlights

Discover the latest insights and solutions for making Greater DC a place of opportunity for all.

 

Evaluating the DC school voucher program

By:
Matthew Chingos, Megan Gallagher
The only federally funded school voucher program in the country is up for reauthorization this week. What does the evidence say about the program?
Strengthening public education and the labor force

Who is open data for in DC?

By:
Jonathan Schwabish, Kathryn L.S. Pettit

We are excited about the recent reinvigoration of open data efforts in the District of Columbia. DC has positioned itself as a laboratory for the intersection of data, technology, and public policy.

Building strong, inclusive neighborhoods

Addressing the costs of chronic violence in DC

By:
Susan J. Popkin, Elsa Falkenburger

The Urban Institute’s new analysis on crime in Washington, DC paints a picture of a city of contrasts— vibrant neighborhoods that are enjoying a remarkable reduction in crime and a smaller set of struggling neighborhoods where violent crime remains stubbornly high and homicide rates appear to be spiking.

Creating healthy and safe communities
Building strong, inclusive neighborhoods
Advancing racial equity

What data tell us about public safety in DC

By:
Samuel Bieler

Public safety is the focus of the latest chapter of the Urban Institute’s Our Changing City interactive web feature, which tells the story of change in the District of Columbia.

Creating healthy and safe communities

Gentrification and business changes: A lack of data for sound policy

By:
Christina Plerhoples Stacy, Brett Theodos, Carl Hedman

Many DC neighborhoods have undergone massive growth in businesses over the past few decades, but certain areas of the city remain under-resourced and underserved, as we discussed in our last blog post. To build a vibrant economy, DC policies must encourage development that includes all of the District’s neighborhoods and residents. In addition, neighborhood changes should be monitored to ensure that long-term residents are benefiting from growth rather than displaced by it.

Building strong, inclusive neighborhoods
Advancing racial equity

Inequality in the District: not just income but businesses too

By:
Christina Plerhoples Stacy, Brett Theodos, Carl Hedman

The District of Columbia is, by almost any measure, among the most unequal in the country. In both 2012 and 2013, DC ranked fifth in terms of income inequality among the 50 largest cities in the country, surpassed only by Atlanta, San Francisco, Boston, and Miami. DC is also highly unequal in terms of its racial and ethnic geographic distribution.

Advancing racial equity
Building strong, inclusive neighborhoods

How benefit cuts affect vulnerable DC families

By:
Susan J. Popkin, sade adeeyo, Jasmine Simington

DC has been enjoying a prolonged economic boom. Young professionals are flocking to the city and there are dozens of new restaurants, shops, and a thriving arts scene. But many DC residents, especially African American families living in poor communities east of the Anacostia River, face a different reality, one where unstable jobs and shrinking federal benefits leave them at risk of hunger and homelessness.

Meeting basic needs
Advancing racial equity
Building strong, inclusive neighborhoods

Reimagining life for Relisha Rudd

By:
Sarah Gillespie, Mary K. Cunningham, Lionel Foster

Last year, an eight-year-old girl went missing from Washington, DC’s largest homeless shelter.

Creating healthy and safe communities
Meeting basic needs

DC's economic recovery: an unequal distribution

By:
Jonathan Schwabish, Gregory Acs

As Mayor Bowser settles into her office, she leads a city that is growing more prosperous. Unfortunately, too many DC residents are not sharing in that prosperity, resulting in uneven economic progress across the city.

Following the most recent recession, economic progress in DC has been mixed: median income rose, but so did unemployment.

Strengthening public education and the labor force
Meeting basic needs
Advancing racial equity

Mapping economic challenges in DC

By:
Jonathan Schwabish, Gregory Acs

With a new DC mayor in office, Urban Institute experts prepared memos offering evidence-based recommendations for tackling many of the city’s challenges. Our memo on policies and practices to promote social and economic mobility in DC focused on disparate economic success across different gender, age, and racial and ethnic groups.

Building strong, inclusive neighborhoods
Strengthening public education and the labor force
Creating healthy and safe communities
Advancing racial equity