Build Communities The Remote Work Challenge: Lessons From 5 Cities

As office building vacancies jeopardize urban fiscal health and downtown vitality, here’s how cities and states are adapting

The Rundown

Sign up to receive Pew’s latest research and recommendations.
Preapproved Building Plans Help Cities Improve Housing Affordability

A growing number of mostly small and midsize cities struggling with new housing production have begun providing preapproved building plans to developers as part of a broader effort to lower the cost of building new homes in their communities. A preapproved plan is a reusable set of design specifications and blueprints that has already been approved by a local government agency and is available for builders to use either free or for a nominal fee. One key goal of these programs is to shorten the preconstruction approval process.

State-Level Tactics to Manage Federal Funding

Grants from the federal government represent a significant but often overlooked part of state budgets. In state fiscal year 2023, federal funds were the second-largest source of state revenue, after tax collections, accounting for 36% of the 50 states’ combined total revenue.

How States Can Better Manage Federal Funds

Federal funds have consistently played an important role in state budgets, accounting for more than a third of state revenue in recent years. However, recent changes in federal priorities—including funding pauses and spending reductions—have introduced uncertainty about how and to what extent federal funds support state programs and activities.

When the Electric Grid Goes Down, One Campus Stays Powered

In this episode of “After the Fact,” join us as we visit Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., to discover how the university is combining clean energy innovation with inclusive design. We hear from technical and policy experts, and one student intern on the project team, who explain how microgrids can make communities more self-sufficient, especially in the face of increasing electric grid failures and extreme weather events.

Our Work

Pew's work spans 7 key topics...

Professional psychologist doctor listening and giving the consult to female patients

Good health is important to everyone. Pew conducts research and provides information and fact-based recommendations to state agencies, hospitals, researchers, and other health partners to help them provide better care. We find and share evidence-based practices to improve Americans’ health and well-being, including services that can prevent suicide, improve mental health care, and treat substance use disorder.

Bustleton Free Library in Philadelphia, PA, on Thursday September 12 2024.

Communities throughout the country share common needs: affordable connections to broadband Internet, modern and reliable energy infrastructure, effective responses to mental health challenges, and ways to resolve legal disputes more quickly and fairly. To address these issues, Pew collaborates with states and local governments to find and promote evidence-based solutions that help provide stability and opportunity.

Sunshine

Economic opportunity is the foundation of American society. Pew supports national, state, and local efforts to expand opportunity and promote financial well-being. Our work helps people pay off student loans, navigate court proceedings such as debt collection, buy or rent a home, access affordable internet, and save for their retirement.

High angle helicopter shot of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. at twilight on a clear evening in Fall, with Pennsylvania Avenue beyond.

Nonpartisan, fact-based improvements in federal policy can create jobs, lower costs, and help the nation prepare for the future. When our research shows that small changes can have a big impact, we work across party lines to improve national challenges like housing affordability, internet access, energy reliability, and health care.

Turkish world record-holder free-diver and divers of the Underwater Federation Sahika Encumen dives amid plastic waste in Ortakoy coastline to observe the life and pollution of Bosphorus in Istanbul,

The global ocean teems with life, and it contributes to the vital cycles that keep people and our planet healthy. But the seas are vulnerable to overfishing, loss of habitat such as seagrasses and mangroves, ineffective fisheries management, plastic pollution, and declining biodiversity. These mounting losses affect the coastal communities that depend on the ocean for food and jobs.

The House Chamber at the Kentucky State Capitol is shown as the legislature tries to wrap up its session

States and cities are the “laboratories of democracy” in America—the places where lawmakers and governors look for new ways to help their communities succeed. Whether in Pew’s hometown of Philadelphia or any of the 50 state capitals, we help elected leaders respond to the needs of their citizens, use public dollars wisely, fix outdated policies, and build a better future for all.

A view of steep cliff, grand canyon and Colorado river from Toroweap overlook.

Conserving natural spaces conveys benefits far beyond the gains to wildlife and their habitats. As scores of studies show, protecting and restoring lands and waters, particularly when done in close partnership with local communities, also improves people’s lives—and local economies—by increasing tourism and outdoor recreation.

How We Work

Pew is committed to generating research, providing technical assistance, and building relationships to advance powerful, positive change. Learn More

Although our projects vary in scale and scope, Pew maintains a consistent investment philosophy for all of our work—an approach driven by our history and values. Learn More

Stay informed through our newsletters, join the conversation on social media, or learn about partnership opportunities—just a few ways you can help us make a difference. Learn More

Fact of the Matter

49,449
AMERICANS
die by suicide in 2022.
18%
OF AMERICANS
with opioid use disorders received any medication to treat them in 2023.
30%
INCREASE IN SUICIDE RATE
in the U.S. from 2000 to 2020.
178,000
DEATHS EACH YEAR
from frequent or excessive drinking.

Sign up for Newsletters

Get the best of Pew: our latest research, recommendations, charts, photos, and survey results.