Contact Us
Kerwin Hall, Room 337 on a map
Metropolitan Policy Center 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016 United States2024-2025 Academic Year Events
Wednesday, October 2 at 5:15 pm
MPC will co-sponsor an event at the University of California Washington Center, will feature James R. Jones, Director for the Center on Politics and Race in America at Rutgers University–Newark. Dr. Jones will be discussing his 2024 book The Last Plantation: Racism and Resistance in the Halls of Congress.
Tuesday, October 22nd at 5:30 pm
On Tuesday, October 22 at 5:30 pm in Kerwin 301, MPC will host Gordon Mantler, Greg Squires and Xolela Mangcu for a moderated discussion titled "What Does Chicago Teach Us About Urban Politics in DC and Beyond?”
Slow and Sudden Violence Book Talks
MPC Director Derek Hyra will be discussing his new book, Slow and Sudden Violence, at bookstores and universities across the country and abroad. In Slow and Sudden Violence, Dr. Hyra links police violence to an ongoing cycle of racial and spatial urban redevelopment repression. By delving into the real estate histories of St. Louis and Baltimore, he shows how housing and community development policies advance neighborhood inequality by segregating, gentrifying, and displacing Black communities. Book talks include:
- Heidelberg University, Dec 12 at 6:15 pm GMT+2 (Heidelberg, Germany)
Book Talk Recordings
Past Events
Academic Year 2023-2024 Events
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Thomas J. Sugrue gave the annual Spring lecture, discussing the 2020 BLM protests and the urban uprisings of the 1960s. In unprecedented numbers, protestors took to the streets of cities through the United States and the world after the murder of George Floyd. Dr. Sugrue compared the "long hot summers" of the civil rights and black power era with the social movements of 2020 and beyond.
Thursday, April 4, 2024
The Metropolitan Policy Center concluded it's Spring Urban Speaker Series with Dr. Richard Ocejo. Dr. Ocejo discussed his book, Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City. Sixty Miles Upriver tells the story of how Newburgh started gentrifying, describing what happens when White creative professionals seek out racially diverse and working-class communities and revealing how gentrification is increasingly happening outside large city centers in places where it unfolds in new ways.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Dr. Jeffrey Parker was the second guest speaker for our Urban Speaker Series event. Dr. Parker discussed his book project entitled, Bad Reputation: How We Think We Know What We Think We Know About Cities and Neighborhoods, in which investigates the role of merchants in the social production and maintenance of neighborhood reputation.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
The Metropolitan Policy Center hosted it's first Urban Speaker Series event with guest speaker Dr. Amanda Boston. Dr. Boston discussed her book project entitled, The “New” New York: Race, Space, and Power in Gentrifying Brooklyn, and explores the racial operations of gentrification in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York. In it, she illuminates how histories of race and structural racism and the rise of colorblindness and neoliberalism have shaped the making and unmaking of the borough’s Black communities.
Wednesday, September 27th, 2023
The Metropolitan Policy Center co-sponsored a book discussion event over the book, Corruption Plots. This event featured co-authors Malini Ranganathan and David Pike, with discussant Samantha Agarwal, and moderator Lindsey Green-Simms.
Wednesday, September 6th, 2023
The Metropolitan Policy Center co-sponsored a book event. This event featured author Katie J. Wells, with discussant Dan Kerr, and moderator Malini Ranganathan. This gathering showcased key findings from Wells’ new Princeton University Press book, Disrupting D.C.: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City.
Academic Year 2022-2023 Events
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Urban Speaker Series: Jennifer Cobbina
American University, Kerwin 2, 5:30pm- 6:30pm
There will also be a virtual option for this event.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Urban Speaker Series: Colin Gordon
American University, Kerwin 301, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Thursday, Febuary 23, 2023
Movie screening of Barry Farm: Community, Land & Justice in Washington, DC. The documentary film will be followed by a panel featuring co-directors Sabiyha Prince, Sam George, and Michael Fisher, Jr., who is finishing a book on the development of Barry Farm. American University, Kerwin 301, 5:30pm-7:30pm.
Academic Year 2020-2021 Events
Thursday, June 10, 2021
A Right To The City Author Talk: Shirikiana Aina and Merawi Gerima
Virtual Program, 6:30pm - 8:15pm
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
A Right To The City Author Talk: Byron Hurt
Virtual Program, 7:00pm - 8:45pm
Thursday, March 11, 2021
A Right To The City Author Talk: Samuel George and Sabiyha Prince
Virtual Program, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Thursday, November 5, 2020
A Right To The City Author Talk: Andrea S. Boyles
Virtual Program, 5:30pm - 6:45pm
Watch here.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
A Right To The City Author Talk: Brandi T. Summers
Virtual Program, 5:30pm - 6:45pm
Watch here.
Thursday, September 3, 2020
A Right To The City Author Talk: Lauren Pearlman
Virtual Program, 5:30pm - 6:45pm
Watch here.
Academic Year 2019-2020 Events
Saturday, September 7, 2019
A Right To The City Author Talk Series: Lance Freeman
Woodridge Library,
Saturday, October 19, 2019
A Right To The City Author Talk Series: Lawrence J. Vale
Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library,
Saturday, November 16, 2019
A Right To The City Author Talk Series: Susanna Schaller
Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library,
Saturday, January 18, 2020
A Right To The City Author Talk Series: Theodore Greene
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum,
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
She Leads: Leadership and Governing from City Hall
Saturday, February 22, 2020
A Right To The City Author Talk Series: Stephen Danley
Anacostia Smithsonian Museum,
Academic Year 2018-2019 Events
May 29, 2018
Derek Hyra, MPC Director, American University
Howard Theatre's Crucial Role in the Community Before & After the 1968 Riots
WTD Meeting Room, Shaw Neighborhood Library, 7:00pm
June 9, 2018
ACM 50th Anniversary Program: Author Talk with Dr. Derek Hyra - "Race, Class, and Politics in the Cappuccino City"
Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
August 2, 2018
Annie E. Casey Gentrification Seminar
Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD, 8:00am - 5:00pm
September 18, 2018
Ernesto Casteneda, American University
A Place to Call Home: Immigrant Exclusion and Urban Belonging in New York, Paris, and Barcelona
Busboys and Poets, 5th & K, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
September 21, 2018
Blair Ruble, Maurice Jackson, Carolyn Gallaher, Clarence Lusane
DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, D.C.
SIS Founder's Room, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
September 26, 2018
Michael Bader, Sabiyah Prince, Parisa Norouzi
Gentrification in Washington, DC: A Conversation on Improving Equitable Outcomes for Children and Families
SIS Founder's Room, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
October 10, 2018
Eva Rosen, Georgetown University
Taking Stock: What Drives Landlord Participation in the Housing Choice Voucher Program
American University, Kerwin Hall, 2:30pm - 4:00pm
October 24, 2018
Aaron Williams, The Washington Post
Using Data and Code to Report on Demographics in America
American University, Kerwin Hall, 2:30pm - 4:00pm
October 31, 2018
Sangeetha Madhavan, University of Maryland
Urban Hotspots of Vulnerability and Resilience:Food Insecurity and Kinship in a Nairobi Slum
American University, Kerwin Hall, 2:30pm - 4:00pm
November 14, 2018
Solomon Greene, Urban Institute
Inclusive Recovery in US Cities
American University, Kerwin Hall, 2:30pm - 4:00pm
November 28, 2018
Blair Ruble, Woodrow Wilson Center
Clarence Stone, GWU & UMD
Urban Policy in the 21st Century
American University, Kerwin Hall, 2:30pm - 4:00pm
January 30, 2019
Theodore Greene, Bowdoin College
Making Dupont Gay Again: Place Re-Activation and the Rise of the Vicarious Citizen
American University, Kerwin Hall, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
February 13, 2019
Jean Beaman, Purdue University
Citizen Outsider: Children of North African Immigrants in France
American University, Kerwin Hall, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
February 27, 2019
Gordon Douglas, San Jose State University
Help-Yourself City: Legitimacy and Inequality in DIY Urbanism
American University, Kerwin Hall,4:00pm – 5:00pm
March 1, 2019
AU Latino Public Affairs Forum
Co-sponsored with the Center for Latin American & Latino Studies
American University, SIS Founder’s Room, 1:00pm - 5:30pm
March 3, 2019
Author Talk with Samuel Stein: "Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State"
In conjunction with the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum’s “A Right to the City” exhibition.
George Washington University, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
March 6, 2019
Bottom-Up Politics Forum
Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California
Theda Skocpol, Harvard University
William Spriggs, Howard University
Margaret Weir, Brown University
Co-sponsored with George Washington University and Wilson Center’s Urban Sustainability Lab
Woodrow Wilson Center, 2:00pm - 5:30pm
March 10, 2019
Film and Discussion: What Happened 2 Chocolate City?
In conjunction with the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum’s “A Right to the City” exhibition.
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
March 27, 2019
Derek Hyra, American University
Gentrification and the Great Recession
American University, East Quad Building, 2:30pm – 4:00pm
March 30, 2019
Film and Director Q&A with Dr. Sonya Grier: "DogParks and CoffeeShops: Diversity Seeking in Changing Neighborhoods"
In conjunction with the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum’s “A Right to the City” exhibition.
Mount Pleasant Library, 2:00pm
April 3, 2019
Robert Sampson, Professor, Harvard University
Annual Spring Lecture: Urban Neighborhoods and American Life
SIS Founder’s Room, 4:00pm to 5:00pm with a reception to follow
April 7, 2019
Author Talk with Peter Moskowitz: "How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood"
In conjunction with the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum’s “A Right to the City” exhibition.
Watha T. Daniel-Shaw Library, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
July 6, 2019
Author Talk with Dr. Ashante Reese: Black Food Geographies: Race, Self-Reliance, and Food Access in Washington, D.C.
Deanwood Library, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Academic Year 2017-2018 Events
September 26, 2017
Willow Lung-Amam, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland
Book Panel for Trespassers? Asian Americans and the Battle for Suburbia
Woodrow Wilson Center, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
October 10, 2017
Derek Hyra, Associate Professor, American University
DC's Juanita E. Thornton Library, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
October 26, 2017
Steve Moore, Executive Director, DC's Southwest BID
American University, Kerwin Hall, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
November 1, 2017
Gregory Squires, Professor, George Washington University
Inequality, Occupy, and the Ongoing Financial Crisis
American University, Kogod School of Business, 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
November 9, 2017
Chris Myers Asch, Researcher at Colby College
& George Derek Musgrove, Assistant Professor at University of Maryland
Book Panel for Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital
American University, Mary Graydon Center, 9:30 am to 11:30 am
November 9, 2017
Scott Kratz, Director, DC's 11th Street Bridge Park
Is it a Park or a Bridge?
American University, Kerwin Hall, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
November 28, 2017
Elijah Anderson, Professor, Yale University
The Cosmopolitan Canopy in the Age of Trump
American University, Kerwin Hall, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
March 7, 2018
Jonathan Holloway, Provost, Northwestern University
Race, History, and Higher Education: When Blackness Comes to Campus
American University SIS Founders Room, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
April 4, 2018
Amanda Huron, Assistant Professor, University of the District of Columbia
Book Launch for Carving Out the Commons: Tenant Organizing & Housing Cooperatives in Washington, D.C.
American University, Katzen Arts Center, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
April 10, 2018
Rafael Cestero, CEO, Community Preservation Corporation
& Derek Hyra, MPC Director
& Ali Solis, CEO, Make Room USA
Affordable Housing Symposium
American University, McDowell Formal Lounge, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
April 12, 2018
Clarence Stone, Professor, George Washington University
& Philip Thompson, Professor, MIT Urban Planning
& Philip Caroom, Judge, Anne Arundel County Circuit Court
& Jesse Van Tol, CEO, NCRC
& Gregory Squires, Professor, George Washington University
& Hilary Silver, Professor, George Washington University
Bottom-up Politics
Woodrow Wilson Center, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Academic Year 2016-2017 Events
September 13, 2016
Michael Musheno, Professor of Law, University of Oregon
Youth Conflict: Trust and Control in a High-Poverty School
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
October 3, 2016
Michael Bader, Assistant Professor, American University
& Lynn Addington, Professor, American University
DC Area Survey Report
American University, SIS Founder's Room, 10:00am - 12:00pm
October 11, 2016
Brian Williams, Associate Professor, University of Georgia
Police-Community Dialogues Around Use of Force Policy and Practices: Opportunities Lost and Opportunity Costs
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
October 19, 2016
Adrianne Todman, Executive Director, DC Housing Authority
Public Engagement Series
American University, Kerwin Hall, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
November 3, 2016
Michael Leo Owens, Associate Professor, Emory University
Urban Speaker Series
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
November 15, 2016
James Wright II, Doctoral Student, American University
Urban Speaker Series
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
November 30, 2016
Rashad Young, City Manager, District of Columbia
Public Engagement Series
American University, Kerwin Hall, 11:20am - 12:20pm
January 24, 2017
Andrea Headley, Doctoral Student, Florida International University
Police-Community Relations, Organizational Practices, and Body Cameras
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
February 7, 2017
Charles Menifield, Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia
What Do the Data Show? Law Enforcement Killings in the U.S. in 2014
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
February 28, 2017
Willow Lung-Amam, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland
Somos Langley Park: Equitable Development along Maryland's Purple Line
American University, Mary Graydon Center, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
March 29, 2017
Mindy Fullilove, Professor, Columbia University
Annual Spring Lecture: Promoting a Culture of Health in American Cities
American University, Kerwin Hall, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
April 18, 2017
Dwayne Baker, Doctoral Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Building Inclusive Neighborhoods: Assessing Socio-Spatial Implications of Transit-Oriented Development
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
April 26, 2017
Carolyn Gallaher, Professor, American University
& Garrett Peck, author, historian, & tour guide in Washington, D.C.
Migration & the City: Politics, Poetry, Music in Washington, D.C.
American University, Hughes Formal Lounge, 9:00am - 3:00pm
Academic Year 2015-2016 Events
September 8, 2015
John Carruthers, Program Director, George Washington University
Quality of Life in Korea: Evidence from the Seoul Housing Market
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
September 15, 2015
Scott Allard, Professor, University of Washington
Places in Need: The Changing Geography of Poverty and the American Safety Net
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
October 6, 2015
Lance Freeman, Professor, Columbia University
White Entry into Black Neighborhoods: Advent of an Integrationist Era or Gentrification?
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
October 14, 2015
Amanda Huron, Professor, University of DC
Derek Hyra, MPC Director, American University
Samir Meghelli, Chief Curator, Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum
George Derek Musgrove, Professor, University of Mardland, Baltimore County
Brett Williams, Professor, American University
"Chocolate City" Transformed: Gentrification in DC
American University, Anderson Hall, 10:30am - 12:30pm
October 20, 2015
Constance Lindsay, Professorial Lecturer, American University
Explaining the Contexts that Black and White Middle Class Families Face: Implications for Adolescent Achievement American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
October 22, 2015
Maryann P. Feldman, Professor, University of North Carolina
Corporate Strategy & The Wealth of Regions
American University, Kogod School of Business, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
November 3, 2015
Michael Gusmano, Research Scholar, Hastings Center
Forum on Health, Homelessness, and Poverty
American University, SIS Founder's Room, 12:00pm - 5:30pm
November 5, 2015
George C. Galster, Distinguished Professor, Wayne State University
Driving Detroit: The Quest for Respect in the Motor City
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
November 17, 2015
Liza Weinstein, Associate Professor, Northeastern University
Residential Insecurity and the Right to Stay Put in Urban India American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
January 14, 2016
2016 Greater Washington Economic Conference
Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 7:15am - 11:30am
February 11, 2016
Stefanie DeLuca, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University
American University, 12:00pm - 1:15pm
February 25, 2016
Derek Hyra, MPC Director, American University
Sabiyah Prince, Professor, American University
Book Launch: Capital Dilemma: Growth and Inequality in Washington, DCAmerican University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
March 1, 2016
Carolyn Gallaher, Associate Professor, American University
The Politics of Staying Put: Condo Conversion and Tenant Right-to-Buy in Washington, DC
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
March 15, 2016
Jamila Michener, Associate Professor, Cornell University
Gentrification and Political Destabilization
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
March 17, 2016
Robert McCartney, Washington Post Senior Regional Correspondent
Politics Today in DC and the Region
American University, Kerwin Hall, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
March 24, 2016
Edward Glaeser, Professor, Howard University
Technology and the City
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
March 29, 2016
Sheldon Danziger, President, Russell Sage Foundation, & Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, University of Michigan
April 5, 2016
Laura Tach, Assistant Professor, Cornell University
The Spillover Effects of HOPE IV: Population Dynamics, Neighborhood Change, and Durable Spatial Inequalities
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
April 12, 2016
Bill Crandall, Photographer
Fairy Tales from the Fault Lines: A Visual Journal from DC's Changing Neighborhoods
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
April 14, 2016
Christopher Ballard, Founder, McWilliams | Ballard Real Estate
Transition from Undesirable to Hip DC Neighborhood: Catalysts and Effects of Change
American University, Kerwin Hall, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
May 18, 2016
Book Panel and Discussion: Urban Neighborhoods in a New Era: Revitalization Politics in the Postindustrial City
Wilson Center Boardroom, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Academic Year 2014-2015 Events
October 7, 2014
Derek Hyra, MPC Director, American University
Sabiyah Prince, Professor, American University
Capital Dilemma: Growth and Inequality in Washington, DC
Woodrow Wilson Center, 9:00am - 5:00pm
October 14, 2014
Michael Bader, Assistant Professor, American University
Neighborhood Stigma and the Negative Space of Neighborhood EffectsAmerican University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
October 16, 2014
Robert Burns, President, City First Homes
Vanishing Affordable Housing and Gentrification in Washington, D.C.
American University, Kerwin Hall, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
November 11, 2014
Brandi Summers, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Santa Cruz
H Street, Main Street, and the Neoliberal Aesthetics of Cool
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
November 14, 2014
Sonya Grier, Associate Professor, American University
Film on Dog Parks & Coffee Shops: Diversity Seeking in Changing Neighborhoods
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
November 19, 2014
Metropolitan Policy Center Kickoff Event
American University, Mary Graydon Center, 4:30pm - 6:30pm
January 27, 2015
Taryn Morrissey, Assistant Professor, American University
Head Start and Children’s School Readiness: Variations by Family and Neighborhood Poverty
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
February 10, 2015
Sonya Grier, Associate Professor, American University
Film on Dog Parks & Coffee Shops: Diversity Seeking in Changing Neighborhoods
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
February 24, 2015
Brian J. McCabe, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University
No Place Like Home: Wealth, Community & the American Dream
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
March 17, 2015
William Julius Wilson, Professor, Harvard University
The Effects of Living in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
American University, SIS Founders Room, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
March 19, 2015
Harry Jaffe, Journalist, Speaker, Consultant
Tom Sherwood, Contributing Writer, Washington City Paper
Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, D.C.
American University, Kerwin Hall, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
March 24, 2015
Bradley Hardy, Assistant Professor, American University
The Effect of the District of Columbia's Supplemental EITC on Poverty, Employment, and Income Growth
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
April 7, 2015
David Pike, Professor, American University
Slum Lore: What Cultural Studies Can Tell Us about Urban Inequality
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
April 14, 2015
Nathan Connolly, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University
A Little Insurance: Landlords, Colored People, and Forgotten Uses of the Federal Housing Administration
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
April 14, 2015
Abeer Mashni, Carnegie Centennial Visiting Fellow, American University
Reforming Local Government and State Building in Palestine
American University, Bender Library, 2:30pm - 4:30pm
April 21, 2015
Willow Lung-Amam, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park
The Right to Suburbia: Redevelopment and Resistance on the Urban Edge
American University, School of International Service, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Academic Year 2021-2022 Events
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Urban Speaker Series: Colin Gordon
American University, Kerwin 301, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Go-Go City: Live Film Screening & Concert
MLK Jr. Memorial Library, 3pm- 6pm
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Coming 'Home' to Cappuccino City: Gentrification & Reentry in the Nations Capital
American University, Kerwin 301, 5:30pm- 7pm
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Urban Speaker Series: Michael Fisher
American University, Kerwin 301, 5:30pm- 6:30pm
Wednesday, March 17, 2022
Annual Spring Lecture with Loretta Lees
Virtual Program, 4pm- 5pm
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Cappuccino City: Gentrification and Criminal Justice in the District of Columbia
Virtual Program, 3pm- 4pm
Watch here
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Urban Speaker Series: Akira Drake Rodriguez
Virtual Program, 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Sine Distinguished Lecturer: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot of Chicago
Virtual Program, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Watch here