Three Decades of Cityscape

Three Decades of Cityscape

PD&R's Cityscape features original research on housing and community development matters, with each issue focusing on a topic of interest, such as Community Development Block Grants or Opportunity Zones.

For 30 years, HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) has advanced its goal of providing objective and reliable research through Cityscape. PD&R created this free peer-reviewed journal in 1994 as a source of scholarly information for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. Published three times per year, the journal features original research on housing and community development subjects, with each issue focusing on a topic of interest. Cityscape encourages researchers from a broad array of fields impacting housing and community development to submit papers, including: urban planning, public policy, architecture, engineering, economics, consumer research, demography, ethnography, law, political science, sociology, urban studies, and finance, among others.

Cityscape generally opens with a symposium of articles on the issue's selected topic, which are curated by a guest editor or editors selected for their expertise on the topic. The Refereed Papers section, in contrast, features articles that do not share a common theme. Submitted articles or outlines are first reviewed by the managing editor to determine their suitability and are selected for publication following a timely double-blind review process conducted by highly qualified referees. Recurring sections include Data Shop, which presents short articles or notes introducing readers to new and underutilized data sources as well as improved techniques for analyzing well-known data; "SpAM" (Spatial Analysis and Methods), which includes articles on the use of spatial analytics techniques for housing and community development research; Graphic Detail, which features maps that convey findings; and Industrial Revolution, which highlights advances in housing technology. Some issues feature a Point of Contention section, in which subject matter experts argue opposing positions on a topic. 

For the Refereed Papers section and the recurring sections, submissions are accepted at any time on a rolling basis. PD&R may also publish specific calls for entries in other sections. All submissions must adhere to certain guidelines.  

The most recent issue of Cityscape, "Federalism and Flexibility: Fifty Years of Community Development Block Grants," examines the Community Development Block Grant program, which provides HUD funds that state and local governments can devote to a range of community development activities. This issue analyzes the program's economic, financial, and social impacts and addresses some of the challenges in evaluating a broad program that offers such immense flexibility. Another recent edition, published in 2022 and titled, "An Evaluation of the Impact and Potential of Opportunity Zones," assesses the early impacts of the 2017 federal tax incentive that allows developers to defer, sometimes indefinitely, capital gains taxes on funds invested in designated low-income census tracts. In this issue, researchers examine how Opportunity Zone designation impacts development activities, housing prices, and gentrification and provide suggested reforms in their design and implementation. In "Regulatory Reform and Affordable Housing," released the previous year, researchers study how land use regulations, building codes, and inclusionary zoning programs affect the supply and affordability of housing. Other recent Cityscape issues include "Local Data for Local Action," "Housing Technology Projects," and "Measuring Blight."

Research papers often cite Cityscape articles. As of 2023, the most frequently cited article was John M. Quigley and Larry A. Rosenthal's 2005 analysis of the relationship between land use regulation and housing prices, which, according to Google Scholar, has been cited in more than 500 articles. The next most frequently cited Cityscape article, Edward Glaser's 1995 piece on the role urban areas play in economic development, has been referenced nearly 400 times.

PD&R staff members edit the journal, and many guest editors are experts from HUD or other federal agencies. The journal's advisory board consists of 14 scholars from academic and other research institutions. 

To learn more about Cityscape and view and download articles from current or past editions, visit the Cityscape home page. To electronically subscribe to the journal, sign up on the HUD User subscription page.