News List
Homelessness in New Brunswick and Programs to Address It
This report identifies the challenges that emergency service organizations and their clients are experiencing as they attempt to access, or consider accessing, the existing service infrastructure and to identify areas of unmet need.
New Research on Car-Ownership During and After COVID-19
Using a multilevel Hurdle model with month and state random effects, vehicle ownership trends are separately modeled for car-owning and carless households within the same modeling framework, while accounting for endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity.
NJ manufacturing doing better than you think, making these things you’d never imagine
“It’s really been a long-term slide,” Hughes said. “We are one of the most expensive places to live, one of the most expensive places of doing business, and we have a highly unionized labor force, so we have to overcome all those costs to be successful.”
Rent Control Is on the Ballot Again. Here’s What to Know
“We can design smart rent control policies to deliver both affordability and stability for renters while also maintaining a healthy market for people to continue building.”
Promoting Business-Friendly Regulations
“Local governments have been expanding their role into employee benefits and rights,” said Marc H. Pfeiffer, Assistant Director at the Bloustein Local Government Research Center. “In many cases, cities are establishing minimum wages.”
EJB Talks: Irina Grafova on Medical Debt & Provider Burnout
Stuart Shapiro interviews Associate Professor Irina Grafova about her research on medical debt and its impact on family finances, as well as her work on provider burnout, particularly among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flat, falling soda tax revenues have both positive and negative impact
In large cities like Philadelphia, soda tax revenues may stabilize over time and serve as consistent funding sources, as residents who continue to buy soda are unlikely to leave the city limits to stock up, said Michael Lahr, co-author of the 2021 Rutgers University study.
NJSPL Survey: What Policy Issues Interest You Most?
Dockworkers’ fight a warning about the future of work
JD Vance and Tim Walz battled over health care during the debate. Here’s where they stand
Dr. Joel Cantor, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University, in New Jersey, said while transparency is important, it’s unclear how that might reduce drug prices.
Newest Community Development Graduate Fellows
Miranda Alperstein (MCRP ’25) and Saul Ruddick-Schulman (MCRP ’25) were recently selected as 2024-25 Morgan Stanley Community Development Graduate Fellows.
What is your Municipality’s Cybersecurity Posture?
In this latest installment of Tech Fitness for Local Elected Officials and Administrators, Marc Pfeiffer explains that there is no one-size-fits-all set of controls for every technology environment.
Stamato Commentary: Books, back in the crosshairs
The astonishing rise of gray divorce
“Every year you’re out of the workforce, that gets entered into the complex Social Security formula for benefits as a zero — that you basically did nothing that year, even though you were raising your children,” Crowley says. “As you might imagine, when women emerge from a gray divorce, they are hammered in comparison to men.”
Mark Paul – Proposition 33 Would End State Limits on Rent Control
“Most mainstream economists are taught these theoretical models where perfect competition exists, there’s no such thing as market power, you know where landlords have more power than renters”
Who Really Owns The U.S. Housing Market? The Complete Roadmap
According to GSU professor Taylor Shelton and Rutgers professor Eric Seymour, all three of these companies used an “extensive network of more than 190 corporate aliases registered to 74 different addresses across ten states and one territory.”
Dr. Will Payne Examines Consequences of Review Bombing
This article uses spatiotemporal analysis of Yelp review activity to depict and analyze the shifting catchment areas of local businesses, as measured through the locations of their reviewers over time and across review categories (Recommended, Not Recommended, and Removed).
Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity
A new report from the NASEM Health and Medicine Division explores the public health implications of changes in cannabis policy. The report calls for leadership at the federal level, makes specific recommendations for needed research, and more
Redlining helped spur disinvestment in Wichita’s urban core. How much is an in-fill plan changing that legacy?
“Redlining, broadly understood and not limited to the use of HOLC maps, is an important but partial part of the story, one that has shaped continuing processes of racialized disinvestment and marginalization,” Seymour said of the demolition trend in Wichita.
Hispanic Heritage Month: Maria Del Cid-Kosso, MPAP ’20
Bloustein School alumnus Maria Del Cid, MPAP ’20 is passionate about expanding the educational opportunities available to undocumented youth and amplifying marginalized voices in politics. In 2021 Maria was appointed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy as a Commissioner on the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
EJB Talks: Mi Shih on Urban Development & Density
Stuart Shapiro interviews Professor Mi Shih, the director of the school’s nationally-ranked urban planning program, about her work on urban development globally, with a focus on Taiwan.
Barkha Patel (MCRP ’15) Leads Revival of Jersey City Reservoir
Barkha Patel (MCRP ’15) was interviewed by CBS New York’s Vanessa Murdock about the completion of phase 1 of the historic Jersey City reservoir, which recently reopened to the public.
NJSPL – Addressing the Diverse Support Needs of Nurses
Irina Grafova and colleagues launched two surveys about Virtual Schwartz Rounds, a program offered by the New Jersey Nursing Well-Being Institute to connect with their peers for emotional support.
Dr. Emily Parker Discuses FQHCs with The Daily Targum
“We find very promising evidence in that regard that suggests that (FQHCs) are providing that culturally competent care that matches the language of their country of birth, primarily Spanish speaking.”
Is this the end for NJ’s ‘county line’ ballots?
“[Fighting the challenges] doesn’t seem that it’s a good use of taxpayer dollars, and I suspect that most taxpayers would not want their taxpayer dollars spent that way,” Rubin said. “But I suspect that if more county clerks choose to settle, that it will impact Republicans the same way.
Will the Nation’s Employment Growth Trajectory Follow NJ’s?
In late July, the outlook for the U.S. economy appeared strong, with some observers suggesting that the Fed had indeed nailed the long-awaited soft-landing even in light of recent cooling in the labor market. Just a week later, however, markets panicked, albeit briefly, as the national jobs report for July showed monthly payroll employment growth slowing to 114,000 jobs, well short of the projected 175,000 job gain.
Who’s Protecting WeHo’s Walkable Wonderland?
“West Hollywood, and most gay neighborhoods, are in an urban area, dense… they’re exactly the kinds of places where we see a lot of increase in injury and death from being struck by a car. It’s where people are walking and it’s where people are driving like maniacs.”
Invisible Rides: How Car-Less Americans Access Cars
Respondents got rides, borrowed cars, and used ride-hail to access grocery trips, social/recreational activities, and medical care. While most interviewees intend to purchase a vehicle in the future, they also desire better transit, suggesting that households without cars do not necessarily prefer car ownership.
Review of State Postsecondary Attainment Goals & Progress
NJSDS aims to help the public and stakeholders make data-informed decisions to improve public policies and practices for New Jersey residents. This includes facilitating longitudinal and linked-data research, providing statistical data, and publishing reports on the NJSDS website.
Drs. Walsh, Porumbescu and Hetling Study SNAP and Tech
Cumulatively, our findings demonstrate that efforts to reduce SNAP learning costs are generally effective at improving comprehension recall and that the type of intervention matters, with the video increasing comprehension scores more than the flyer and screening tool.
A Capsule Has Been Propelled Through a Hyperloop Test Tube in a Step Forward for the Transit System
“This is just another example of policy makers chasing a shiny object when basic investment in infrastructure is needed,” Robert Noland, distinguished professor at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, said in comments emailed to The Associated Press. “It costs too much to build,” he added.
New Research on Eye Tracking Measures of Bicyclists
Our review results show that cycling experiments with eye tracking allow analysis of the viewpoint of the cyclist and reactions to the built environment, road conditions, navigation behavior, and mental workload and/or stress levels.
Stamato Commentary: First-time homebuyers need hand up, not handout
In order to help people not earning quite enough to qualify for a private loan, Linda Stamato advocates for the creation of public banks, as promised by Gov. Murphy in Executive Order 91. Public banks would provide capital for affordable housing and assist underserved communities.
Dr. Patti: Hair and Health Among African American Women
Many African American women encounter distinct historical and sociocultural challenges that impede their engagement in physical activity and mental health services because their providers are often culturally uninformed about the significance of Black hair.
Dr. Rushing Selected as Rutgers LHS STAR NJ Scholar
The program supports protected time for research scholars to receive a well-rounded training experience through a carefully curated program of research, didactic, experiential, and professional development training and expert tailored mentorship.
Stamato Commentary: Freedom of expression through Rutgers lens
Linda Stamato explains that Rutgers University and many other institutions have historically upheld a principle of institutional neutrality in political matters, a stance dating back to the Vietnam War era. Presidents like Mason Gross and Edward J. Bloustein maintained that while the university as an entity should not take official positions on public issues, it would support individual freedoms of expression.
Dr. Parker Examines Migrant Healthcare Public Policies
We examine whether and how an immigrant-inclusive federal program, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), shaped health care access and use among farmworkers over nearly three decades, paying particular attention to disparities at the intersection of nativity and legal status.
Research on Impacts of Working From Home During COVID-19
Results suggest those with higher educational attainment, higher incomes, and prior experience working at home are likelier to do so in the future.
Sustainable Healthy Futures Webinar Series – Extreme Heat
As extreme heat events become more frequent and severe, vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected, facing heightened health risks and limited resources for adaptation. This webinar will focus on community-led efforts to address extreme heat and promote health equity. You will hear from local leaders and activists developing and implementing heat resilience strategies tailored to their community’s unique needs.
MPP Lily McFarland Selected as APPAM Equity & Inclusion Fellow
At the Bloustein School, Lily McFarland’s policy interests lie at the intersection of economic justice and the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and families, particularly those living in poverty.
Promoting Business-Friendly Regulations
Municipal ordinances can touch business operations in a remarkable number of ways. A partial list includes taxation, business licensing, zoning laws, street and traffic patterns, parking regulations, building design and signage, environmental and health regulations and even the installation of unsightly utility poles and cell phone towers.
MCRP Ian Murphy Receives APTA’s William Millar Scholarship
Congratulations to Ian Murphy on Receiving the American Public Transportation Foundation’s William Millar Scholarship.
Morris County warehouse currently leased to Amazon trades hands for $29 million
A former Sam’s Club warehouse leased to Amazon recently sold, marking a shift in the region from large suburban office spaces to warehouses. The transaction reflects a broader trend in New Jersey, where warehouse construction surged during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the growing demand for e-commerce.
Rutgers Report Seeks to Reconnect Newark Students with Educational Opportunities
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, total postsecondary enrollment in colleges and universities in New Jersey fell 6.7% from the spring of 2022, higher than the national drop of 4.1%.
Bloustein School welcomes three new faculty members in 2024
The Bloustein School is pleased to welcome three new faculty members to the teaching ranks in the fall of 2024.
NJSPL – Reengaging COVID-Disconnected College Students
The New Jersey State Policy Lab, in collaboration with the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC), has released a new report that examines barriers and opportunities to reengaging COVID-disconnected college students ages 18 to 26 in Newark, NJ.
Unilever to move headquarters out of Englewood Cliffs next year
Suburban office campuses more broadly have switched to urban corporate centers in places like Manhattan, Jersey City and Hoboken, a reversal of the trend seen in the 1980s, said James Hughes, dean emeritus of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Kathe Newman Joins Provost Leadership Research Fellowship
Kathe Newman has been selected to join the Provost Leadership Research Fellowship at the Chancellor-Provost Office for the Fall ’24 and Spring ’25 terms.
Bloustein public policy undergrad named to New Brunswick BOE
Ashley Caldwell, a public policy at the Bloustein School, has been tapped to fill a vacant seat on the New Brunswick Board of Education after serving as a student representative during her senior year of high school.
NJSPL – Is Property Assessed Clean Energy a White Windfall
As part of an ongoing clean energy research project, Dr. Winecoff will be examining California’s Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, first developed and launched in 2009, to identify policy recommendations that can inform New Jersey stakeholders and policymakers as the Garden State begins to implement their own recently approved PACE program.
Stamato Commentary: Colleges and universities should maintain neutrality amid campus protests
Linda Stamato explains that Rutgers University and many other institutions have historically upheld a principle of institutional neutrality in political matters, a stance dating back to the Vietnam War era. Presidents like Mason Gross and Edward J. Bloustein maintained that while the university as an entity should not take official positions on public issues, it would support individual freedoms of expression.
Murphy Waives NJ Transit Fares Aug 26 to Sept 2
Gov. Phil Murphy announced a transit fare holiday for all customers from Monday, Aug. 26 through Monday, Sept. 2.
Compare Electricity Rates in New Jersey
“Not everyone bothers to take advantage of the opportunity to switch,” said Clinton Andrews, professor of urban planning and policy development at Rutgers University and director of its Center for Urban Policy Research (which has research contracts with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities).
After ex-N.J. mayor’s indictment, city revising rules that could help pay for her defense
But specifically adding criminal matters is “unusual,” said Marc Pfieffer, associate director of Rutgers University’s Center for Planning and Public Policy at Bloustein Local.
“But these are also unusual circumstances in Camden,” Pfieffer said.
NJSPL – Introducing the Promising Practices Project
The Promising Practices Project (PPP) aims to identify and document innovative teaching and learning practices that have successfully accelerated learning in K-12 schools across New Jersey. This project seeks to catalog and disseminate innovative, impactful, and replicable strategies that can enhance student learning statewide.
Maria Connolly (MCRP, ’03) Joins The Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation (LHTC) Board of Trustees
In addition to her service at the state level, Connolly is currently the vice chair of the Lawrence Township Planning Board and is active with Miriam’s Heart, advocating for reform of the foster care system
Geronimo PhD ’24 receives ACSP Best Dissertation in Planning
Laura Geronimo Ph.D. ’24 is the recipient of the 2016 ACSP Barclay Gibbs Jones Award for Best Dissertation in Planning. Her thesis explores the political economy of coastal climate adaptation, or the struggle for power and resources between competing interest groups.
GenAI, Ingenuity, the Law, and Unintended Consequences
Andrews begins by asking the age-old question: “If people want the benefits of innovations, must they simply accept the unintended adverse consequences”? He implies that there
are certain tools and techniques that could assist designers in addressing challenges before they take root, so that the challenges may be easily preventable before diffusion of an innovation into the market.
Herts Named New Superintendent of Civil Rights Monument
The National Park Service (NPS) has announced the selection of Rolando Herts, Ph.D. Planning and Public Policy ’11, as superintendent of Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and Freedom Riders National Monument in Alabama, effective Sep. 9.
Residents compare Clifton council members fighting over seats to preschoolers
A longtime observer of New Jersey’s local governments, Marc Pfeiffer, a researcher at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, said part of the problem can be attributed to the recent member turnover on the City Council, with the exit of James Anzaldi as mayor after more than 30 years and the deaths of members Peter Eagler and Lauren Murphy.
EAC Included in $16 Million Climate Project Funding
Funding will support NJ projects such as enhancing the New Jersey Resilience Toolkit for municipal-level planning, a $2 million project headed by Lucas Marxen at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
American Dream says it’s 87% occupied. But Meadowlands towns are still owed $13 million
“Economic conditions change. Your expectations have to change,” said Marc Pfeiffer, associate director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. “They wouldn’t be able to cut that same type of deal today.”
Extreme Heat Means Tough Choices for NYC Building Owners
Aside from thermal cracks, a related focus for structural engineers are gaps between dissimilar materials that respond to heat differently. For both of these reasons, New York City buildings will likely see an uptick in thermal cracking and weathering this century, according to Rutgers’ Andrews.
NJSPL – Examining New Income Distribution Data from the U.S. BEA
The United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently began publishing state-level data on the distribution of personal income across households. Newly released data offer an opportunity to examine the distribution of income and income inequality in New Jersey compared to the nation and other states over the last decade, with the possibility of eventually incorporating these measures into the R/ECON state economic forecast.
New Income Distribution Data from the U.S. BEA
Based on the BEA data for 2022, New Jersey’s median personal income ranked 4th in the nation at $137,252, about 23% higher than the national median.
How does New Jersey benefit from tax incentives given to film, TV and AI industries?
“It’s simply because AI is such a hot topic right now, such a hot term, I’m not sure how this would necessarily differ from any of the targeted industries they already identify, which are mostly high-tech industries,” Irving said.
How a major hurricane could upend Cape and Islands’ economy
“The houses that were affected by Sandy that suffered damage, for three years they were worth less than neighboring houses, but by year four the market had forgotten. And they were worth just as much as neighboring houses,” Andrews said.
Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Flooded Into Newark Schools From Covid. Where It All Landed Is Not So Clear
Some of that spending has raised the ire of elected officials in New Jersey–most recently a $50,000 “Superintendent Fun Day” that paid for staff and their families to party at an upscale suburban wedding venue. “The type of outing they do is often found in the private sector,” said Marc Pfeiffer
Linking Broadband Availability and Education to Digital Skills
This latest report explores the effects of broadband availability on perceived digital skills and the moderating role of education.
Mian: Affordable housing in God’s backyard
100,000 churches may close in the next few decades. Some are repurposing their property to provide affordable housing, as the housing crisis intensifies across the country.
Do you have one of the most common jobs in New Jersey?
As the baby boomer population ages out and becomes and becomes one of the health care and nursing sector’s biggest group of consumers, nursing and healthcare jobs will continue to increase according to James Hughes.
Why President Biden’s rent stabilization proposal won’t solve the housing crisis
President Joe Biden proposed legislation on July 16 aimed at implementing nationwide rent stabilization for the next three years, targeting units overseen by landlords with 50 or more units to prevent annual rent increases exceeding 5%.
NJSPL – The New Jersey Induced Travel Calculator
The calculator also provides a way to check the quality of existing forecasts of increased travel. Forecasts of travel should be included in environmental assessments of specific projects, and for large projects an environmental impact report is usually required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
NYC lawmaker wants to require landlords to provide air conditioning during the summer
Clinton Andrews co-authored a recent study on senior apartments in public housing units in Elizabeth, N.J. found that cooling centers could “significantly reduce morbidity and mortality rates during heat disasters, especially among socially isolated and physically frail low-income seniors,” and recommended mandatory cooling requirements for all renters in its findings. He applauded the move by NYC lawmakers.
Kelly O’Brien (MCRP ’09) Named Fairfax City Hometown Hero
Kelly O’Brien (MCRP ’09) was Named Fairfax City Hometown Hero by Fox 5 DC.
What Biden’s “Rent Cap” Is, and Isn’t
“We have policies in place that have helped build the middle class through federal support for housing,” Paul says. “However, that federal support for housing is really only applied to the segment of Americans that can afford to own a house.”
For recent NJ college grads, the job search has been rough as firms eye inflation
After COVID-19, “it was a really great time to be a college graduate, because firms were trying to build up staff,” Hughes said. “But now they’re filled up.”
Winecoff: Working Paper on Health Insurance Enrollment
Enrollment in one public benefit program often affects enrollment in others. We study life-course spillovers by examining how access to publicly subsidized health insurance prior to age 65 affects public benefit choices at the age of Medicare eligibility.
$21.1 million Awarded for the Safe Routes to School Program
The Murphy Administration announced $21.1 million for 23 grants under the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program on July 10, 2024.
Promoting Business-Friendly Regulations: How to work productively with town officials
And that’s not all. “Local governments have been expanding their role into employee benefits and rights,” said Marc H. Pfeiffer, Assistant Director at the Bloustein Local Government Research Center. “In many cases, cities are establishing minimum wages.”
Deanna Moran Named MA Chief Coastal Resilience Officer
Deanna Moran, AICP (MPP/MCRP ’16) was named the Chief Coastal Resilience Officer by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to address climate change impacts along Massachusetts’ coastline in May 2024.
Extreme heat broke a New York City bridge. Expect more infrastructure mishaps like this
Cities all over the world that lie closer to the equator than [New York] build infrastructure to a more heat-resistant standard,” Andrews says. “We have to adapt ours in that direction, over time.”
NJSPL – Financial Literacy in New Jersey
Financial literacy is integral for empowering entrepreneurs towards obtaining favorable financing, driving innovation, and ultimately achieving stronger business growth.
Voorhees Transportation Center seeks new Executive Director
The Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) seeks a new Executive Director who will oversee the center’s research program, technical services and other initiatives, including external relations, communications, business development, and fundraising.
How the heat will continue to affect your commute
Clinton Andrews discusses how the ongoing heat wave is affecting transit infrastructure in and around New York City.
What would you do to try and avoid a layoff?
Families striving to move up the economic ladder may also be at risk, he said. “People may have made investments that, if they lose their job, they may lose their car, they may lose their house.”
Political earthquakes rock New Jersey’s Democratic machine
“In New Jersey, there was a machine that was really powerful and if you went up against it, you lost. Through Norcross losing power, the county line lawsuit and Menendez’s indictment … all these events have created this window, and people are stepping into it,” Rutgers political science professor Julia Sass Rubin said.
Chen et al. Leverage GPS Data for HIV Prevention
By asking participants carried a GPS device for 2 weeks, researchers constructed networks of venues connected together through participants’ co-attendance patterns among young Black sexually minoritized men.
Marc Pfeiffer Warns of Policy Changes That Will Be Needed as AI is Adopted
“AI is going to drag our management-focused IT administrators more and more into the world of public policy,” Pfeiffer told the group. “It’s an area you may not have had any training or education in, but it’s an area you are going to have to learn about.”
Report Release: R/ECON Forecast Summer 2024
R/ECON’s economic forecast for New Jersey as of June 2024 continues to show a slowing trajectory, though the decline in annual GDP growth is not as pronounced as in the prior forecast.
Biden outlines regulatory plans for the rest of his term
“The time frames listed there are usually ambitious, and administrations rarely complete anything near their complete list of intended actions,” Shapiro told POLITICO’s E&E News. “I find it is best seen as signaling to interest groups, ‘This is what we want to do.’”
Amid extreme heat, US infrastructure and transportation systems buckle under pressure
Rising temperatures are also taking a toll on transit workers, from rail maintenance staff to ground crews at airports who are exposed to “really life-threatening levels of heat,” according to Andrews. And without them, trains and planes cannot operate
More trucks roll through NY, NJ ports after Baltimore bridge collapse
“An important dimension of this potential impact from the increased truck traffic is what you might call a microclimatic impact,” Andrews said. “In other words, more intense pollution levels directly along the streets that are bearing the brunt of the traffic and not much difference further away.”
Dean Shapiro: Reflections on the Chevron Decision
American trust in government has declined. It is tempting to argue that the growth in regulation has played a role in fueling this negative public perception of government. But digging underneath the data reveals that the relationship is far more complicated. Agency actions may be one of the few things about government that people do like.
Samuel Editorial: AI Education & Governance
Professor Jim Samuel co-authored this editorial for Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. A new era of artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged, profoundly influencing various aspects of human life while presenting new socio-technical challenges and risks across domains like medicine, education, law, governance, and the military.
Experts Respond To Biden’s Rent Cap Comments
“Biden et. al are finally taking the housing crisis seriously. Going on offense to increase supply AND cap rent increases is precisely the type of intervention we need to drastically improve housing affordability & stability.”
Parker: Poverty Governance in the Delegated Welfare State
Dr. Parker argues that privatization of the safety net may quell the stigma of government programs among the poor while simultaneously disentitling individuals from their rights of social citizenship.
Covid’s enduring lesson: The U.S. has no federal system to protect public health
When disease prevention is done right, we don’t notice. When it isn’t, disease spreads, people get sick, and they die. Then, we pay close attention. After the threat passes, stock is taken, and, oddly enough, investment in public health declines.
Muazzam Toshmatova Wins Best Health Equity Paper
Muazzam Toshmatova, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. Her paper, co-authored with Marina Lovchikova, titled “Immigration Enforcement and Health Insurance Choices: Evidence from Secure Communities,” won the ward in the Health Equity program area. The 13th annual conference was held June 16-19 in San Diego, California.