Two exciting Urban Institute developments

1. There's a neat interactive map detailing metropolitan job growth up on their cite. I note this because it's based on data that I provided from a brief I wrote recently on the same topic. This version is prettier than mine.

2. UI is starting a new Infrastructure Initiative to "inform the public and government officials about the high-stakes choices in developing, operating, maintaining, and financing transportation networks, water and sewer systems, wireless and broadband communications, and the electrical grid. It will examine the fiscal, social, and environmental costs and benefits of policy tradeoffs at the national, state, and local levels." This is very exciting. They had a transportation research center several decades ago, but that was phased out. It's a shame we didn't have this in 2008/2009. It probably could have spoken to a lot of the stimulus debate. Macroeconomic policy is in an awkward position in the Urban Institute. It can be slipped into our work on the budget, taxes, or labor markets, of course - but there's no natural home for it.