“When young people claim their right to education and health – including sexual and reproductive health – they increase their opportunities to become a powerful force for economic development and positive change,” said Nicole Gaertner, of UN Refugee Agency and the U.S. Department of State, quoting Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the Wilson Center.

Recognizing a need to strengthen the ties between urban policymaking and scholarly work on urban development, and to disseminate evidence-based programming, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Comparative Urban Studies Project, USAID’s Urban Programs Team, the International Housing Coalition, Cities Alliance, and the World Bank co-sponsored a third annual academic paper competition, "Reducing Urban Poverty." Join us in a discussion with four of the winning authors as they receive commentary on their work by expert practitioners from the field.

Cities define us. They shape the outlooks, opportunities and lives of over half of the world’s population. Yet most contemporary political thought neglects their role. The Ancient Greeks, by contrast, thought that every city had its own ethos and values that helped to determine its institutions, political systems and the lives of its citizens. Daniel Bell thinks it is time to revive the thinking of the Greeks and rediscover the spirit of cities.

Shifting populations are leading to new challenges and opportunities for cities. Join us for a free webinar series, “Urbanization and Growth on a Finite Planet,” which will introduce a host of challenges faced by cities in light of climate change. This first session will feature partner organizations’ current urbanization projects and present overarching research questions on the effects of climate change that are of particular concern to cities. ***online event only***