News
Financial audit of Jersey City’s 2025 finances identifies $94M in deferred charges
“This audit is a serious document, and it deserves a serious response, not just from the administration, but from the entire governing body. The Chief Financial Officer will submit a corrective action plan to the council and the state Division of Local Government Services, as required. That’s a necessary first step, but it can’t be the last one,” Rutgers’ Center for Urban Policy Research Associate Director Marc Pfeiffer said in a statement.
NJ flooding to get worse, says new study. See areas to be hit hardest
A new research brief by Jonathan Delura, Senior Research Specialist, Center for Urban Policy Research for the New Jersey Climate Change Research Center details a novel approach for estimating the extent and depth of roadway inundation using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) derived roadway surface elevations. A desktop analysis was conducted utilizing this approach to provide a first order assessment of coastal flooding impacts under current and future flood scenarios for New Jersey.
NJSPL: The Potential of Participatory Budgeting Within New Jersey
A state budget itself can be considered a moral document: a statement, made in dollar amounts, which outlines the financial needs that are prioritized by the government. The process of achieving an annual budget is difficult for many residents to follow and can lead to further resentments over the lack of transparency.
Super-rich complain but experts welcome Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax
“In the context of the city doing everything it can to get housing construction happening, the idea that we would be having empty units is hard to justify,” said James DeFilippis, a professor of planning and public policy at Rutgers University.
They tore down New Brunswick’s Memorial Homes. The community survived.
“The building may have imploded, but the community didn’t,” said Sean Connaughton, a rising Bloustein School junior who participated in the project. “This was more than the buildings. This was a very deeply knit, tight-knit community.”
Prof. Andrews and PhD Candidate Lina Moe: Make Room for Robots
Robot-human interactions are becoming more commonplace in urban spaces. Lina Moe and Clinton Andrews have developed a diagnostic that policymakers can use to find the best existing tools for governance and determine when new ones are needed.
New Jersey State Policy Lab Holds 5th Annual Internship Presentations
On Wednesday, August 5th, the New Jersey State Policy Lab hosted the end-of-summer presentations for the 2026 intern cohort at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Soumitra Bhuyan Receives Excellence in Teaching Award from Academy of Management
“Receiving this national recognition is especially meaningful to me,” Bhuyan said. “I view it not only as an individual honor, but also as a reflection of the growing visibility, quality, and impact of our Health Administration programs and our collective commitment to educating, mentoring, and supporting our students.”
Van Horn on NJ Spotlight News: United States Economy Slows as Costs Continue to Climb
In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Rutgers Bloustein School Distinguished Professor Carl Van Horn discusses slowing economic growth, persistent inflation, rising energy costs, and what they mean for workers, employers, and consumers.
Dr. Ignaccolo Receives Best Dissertation in Planning History Award
The 2026 Anthony Sutcliffe Dissertation Award was given to Dr. Carmelo Ignaccolo, Assistant Professor.
Urban Planning Studio: Montclair Center BID Economic Needs Assessment
Partnering with the Montclair Center Business Improvement District (BID), this graduate studio conducted a district-wide economic needs assessment that builds on the 2021 Strategic Plan to evaluate current post-pandemic conditions. The report examines the results of the survey, analyzes the current progress of the goals outlined in the previous 2021 Strategic Plan, and provides placemaking and economic development recommendations for the Montclair Center BID.
Freedom House and Rutgers Democracy Lab Announce New Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Democracy and Freedom Online
“This partnership enables the Rutgers Democracy Lab’s Technology and Democracy Research Hub to bring students and leading researchers together to understand threats that come from a global resurgence in authoritarianism,” said Nicholas Longo, Director of the Rutgers Democracy Lab. “It will build young people’s ability to be engaged democratic citizens.”