The Brookings Institution

The Brookings Institution is an influential nonprofit public policy organization and think tank providing recommendations for decision makers based on independent research conducted by leading experts both in government and academia through five initiatives: economic studies, foreign policy, global economy and development, governance studies, and metropolitan policy program (which is the one most relevant to architects, urban planners and designers). Its major goals are: to “strengthen American democracy”, to “foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans”, and to “secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system”. Located in Washington, DC, the Brookings Institution influences a lot of foreign countries through various collaborations with universities around the world (such as Tsinghua University in China).  Professor Christopher B. Leinberger from Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, currently works as a visiting fellow expertise in real estate and downtown redevelopment.

Using open data source from authorities such as the Census Bureau and Economic Development Administration, the high-quality researches on various topics about cities and metropolitan areas conducted by the Brookings Institution serve as very reliable resources for urban studies. Current research topics in the Metropolitan Program include the state of metropolitan America, the metropolitan economy initiative, the walkable urbanism series, and the earned income tax credit series.

For more information, please go to the Brookings Institution website at http://www.brookings.edu

(Picture: President Obama making a speech at the Brookings Institution, 2009, addressing using TARP to stimulate new jobs. Source: www.Washingtontimes.com)

(Paraphrased by the author. Source from The Brookings Institution website: http://www.brookings.edu)