News
2023 Kenneth Jackson Award for Best Book in North American Urban History
Congratulations to URBS Professor Domenic Vitiello for receiving the Kenneth Jackson Award for Best Book in North American Urban History for his 2022 publication The Sanctuary City.
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Broken School Buildings
Alisa Ghura (URBS ’23), researched safety hazards in school buildings in low-income school districts and barriers to change.
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URBS Students Doing The Most This Spring
As we wrap up the year, the URBS department wants to give a shout-out to our wonderful students:
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URBS graduate makes 100 most influential Philly list
Big congrats to Michael Banks (URBS '14) on being one of Philly Mag's 100 Most Influential People in Philadelphia!
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The Statue Podcast
Paul Farber, Monument Lab co-founder and Design faculty, reveals the history and meaning of Philadelphia's Rocky Statue as only an URBS alum can. Listen to the podcast using the link below, or go to…
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Don’t let Philly homes get abandoned. Fix them up instead.
Brand new Urban Studies major Layla Sayed got an op-ed published in the Philadephia Inquirer. Impressive! The idea: Low-income homeowners are losing their homes because they can't afford basic…
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Two college buds spent 19 hours riding 10 NJ Transit buses across NJ
Armed with Cheez-Its, pretzels and a whiteboard to track their journey and fares, Jeremy Zorek and Miles Taylor attempted what few — perhaps no one, at least not voluntarily — have done before.
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New Article from Professor Smith
Capital-Star Opinion Editorial on how PA’s incarcerated are doing their part to fight gun violence from the inside out. Tens of thousands of Americans with criminal records are fighting to restore…
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Students call on Penn to drop discipline against protesters, fully divest from fossil fuels
Students unveiled a petition with more than 850 signatures, calling on Penn to drop the disciplinary charges and refrain from bringing future disciplinary action against peaceful protesters.
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The Sanctuary City
Congratulations to Domenic Vitiello on his newest book, The Sanctuary City, where he talks about immigration and community through the guiding lens of sanctuary city policy.
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Welcome to Urban Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Urban Studies is an interdisciplinary program in the College of Arts & Sciences. It draws on faculty and resources across the university and the city to offer students a multi-faceted approach to the study of urban trends.
Spotlight
Melanie Wolff
"It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J.K. Rowling
Ariel Ben Amos
"Philadelphians want change, so long as everything looks the same when its done." - Rina Cutler
Julia Hansen
“What is the city but the people?” – William Shakespeare
Elizabeth Doi
"Do not be overwhelmed by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Walk humbly, now. Love mercy, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it." the Talmud