The Small Cities Lab builds upon local knowledge to develop best practices, policy frameworks, and scalable solutions for small cities that are chronically under-studied and under-resourced.

Cities face significant challenges from worsening climate conditions, mass migration, rising income inequality, deteriorating infrastructure, and fragile ecosystems that impact and strain local communities. These pressures are most acute in small cities, where even modest shifts and tension can have significant and dramatic impacts. Addressing these challenges requires smaller cities to understand the dynamics of change and develop effective and tailored strategies for action. Despite this need, small cities remain under-studied, under-resourced, and under-served by researchers and institutions that predominantly focus on large metropolitan areas. As a result, small cities have historically adopted practices designed for larger cities, rarely suited for their specific needs.

Focusing on the unique challenges of small cities, Lab projects grow out of both community-based partners’ and affiliated faculty members’ work, and deliberately combines local knowledge with quantitative and qualitative analyses of broader trends and relevant case studies. This allows the Lab to most effectively address local challenges; to foresee issues and implement preventative interventions; and to understand the mechanics of urban change at a national scale to create models with broader application.

The Small Cities Lab mobilizes teams of university faculty, students, municipal officials, nonprofit leaders, community stakeholders, and representatives from allied industries to create socially relevant projects that reflect the interconnected nature of urban spaces. The Lab supports research that connects theory to practice across a broad range of disciplines, including architecture and urban design, urban planning and policy, public humanities and social sciences, community and economic development, urban and environmental health, and climate change. The Lab integrates these perspectives and expertise while working conjointly with community partners at every stage to build projects that contribute to fostering inclusive and resilient communities.

Through place-based solutions that are both locally relevant and nationally scalable, the Lab bridges critical gaps in research and strengthens the capacity of U.S. municipalities to respond to and proactively manage urban challenges.