The Center for Cities & Schools bridges the fields of city planning, community development, and education to re-imagine what it takes for all students and families to succeed.

To achieve systems-change, we conduct research, provide education, and facilitate collaborative policy making between local governments and school districts to help improve urban and metropolitan communities and public education.
We focus on:

• Cultivating Leadership in Collaborative Policy Making
• Connecting Schools, Housing, and Neighborhood Change
• Engaging Students and Schools in Urban Planning

Our work explores two inter-related questions:

• How can neighborhoods, cities, and regions promote high quality public education?
• How can public education promote healthy, vibrant neighborhoods, cities, and regions?

Schools can't do it all alone. Housing, transportation, health care, employment and safety - and the lack of them - all profoundly impact young people. Educators need support from communities and civic agencies to prepare students to become active, healthy, and engaged.

We challenge and support local governments and school districts to develop integrated and mutually beneficial policies and practices that enable all students – from all communities – to participate and excel in our democracy.

The Center for Cities & Schools is an action-oriented think-tank housed at the University of California-Berkeley’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD). We’ve been bringing educators, students and urban planners together to create stronger, more equitable schools and communities since 2004.