We’re excited to share a newly published white paper from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, co-authored by HR&A Senior Principal Ignacio Montojo, Senior Analyst Harman Singh Dhodi, and Juan Sebastián Moreno. This study examines how six Colombian cities use tools that allow local governments to participate in property value increases following public investments like roads or transit, to support new and existing public services and infrastructure.

Today, those same institutions are under pressure from every direction. Public funding remains uncertain. Enrollment costs are rising. Land values around many campuses are climbing faster than HBCUs can capitalize on them. In cities across the country, the neighborhoods HBCUs helped stabilize and shape are now targets of speculative development. That presents both financial and cultural uncertainty. Without intention, we risk watching history repeat itself as Black institutions are surrounded, displaced, or disconnected from the communities they were built to serve.

Millennials — Americans born between the early 1980s and late ’90s — are about to become the nation’s wealthiest generation. Estimates of assets that will move from baby boomers to millennials over the next two decades range from $84 trillion to $124 trillion, a transformation that will have a profound impact on how cities look and function.

Last week, HR&A’s Andrea Batista Schlesinger joined mayors from across the country at the Mayors Innovation Project winter meeting—a gathering that served as both an antidote to the current moment and a reminder of the real, tangible work happening in cities across America.

For too long, the office has been shaped by rigid zoning laws, inflexible lease structures and outdated underwriting standards. These frameworks were designed for a world where work meant sitting in an office from 9 to 5, five days a week.

Rural healthcare in America is at a pivotal moment. Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the multibillion-dollar Rural Health Transformation Program — one of the most significant federal investments in rural care delivery in decades. In a new Route Fifty op-ed, Principal Shawn Daugherty argues that its success depends on something often overlooked: reliable, affordable high-speed broadband.

In celebration of NYC Climate Week, HR&A CEO Jeff Hébert joined the Adaptation Forum, hosted by The Resiliency Company, for a lightning talk alongside Daniel Kaniewski of Marsh McLennan and Janika McFeely of JLL to explore the question: how do we turn climate risk into resilient communities? The discussion underscored the urgent need to move beyond understanding risk toward building resilience in ways that strengthen communities, markets, and infrastructure.

The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity is a sweeping zoning reform aimed at tackling New York City’s housing crisis. Approved by the City Council on December 5, 2024, the initiative aims to enable more housing in every neighborhood by increasing allowances, flexibility, and incentives for diverse and affordable housing types, while reducing regulatory hurdles for development and conversions. The City estimates that over 80,000 units will be created through these changes.

Leaders of HR&A’s Digital Opportunity team recently attended the Net Inclusion conference at the Gila River Indian Community with a clear purpose: to connect with practitioners and organizations who are grounded in community, geared for action, and committed to closing the digital divide.

Take a walk down nearly any street in Lower Manhattan, and you’ll see a startling number of vacant storefronts. One out of every four floor-level retail spaces sits empty. Walking these streets can feel eerie and disjointed — part of a broader shift in our city’s street life that occurred gradually over time and accelerated following the pandemic.  Manhattan’s business districts are particularly troubled.