IURD centers work with Bay Area cities, nonprofits and other universities to address a wide range of urban problems through research, planning and innovative collaborations between faculty and community members.

Building Resilient Regions
BRR uses the lens of economic and demographic regional challenges to investigate why regions matter now, what constitutes resilience in the face of these challenges, and what factors (including regional asset bases, governance modes, actor choices and civic practices) help to build and sustain regional resilience.
http://brr.berkeley.edu/

Center for Community Innovation
The Center for Community Innovation (CCI) nurtures effective solutions that expand economic opportunity, diversify housing options, and strengthen connection to place.
http://communityinnovation.berkeley.edu/

Center for Cities and Schools
The Center for Cities & Schools bridges the fields of city planning, community development, and education to re-imagine and re-create policies and practices that support the whole life of a learner. They do so through education, research, and collaborative practice.
http://citiesandschools.berkeley.edu/

Center for Global Metropolitan Studies
The Center for Global Metropolitan Studies (GMS) is a multidisciplinary teaching and research initiative to address metropolitan growth and how it is profoundly affecting nature, the built environment and society.
http://metrostudies.berkeley.edu/

Shrinking Cities International Research Network
The Shrinking Cities Group (SCIRN) forms part of the core of IURD's work in International Metropolitan Studies. Drawing upon long-standing research experience in regional development and networks of international experts in policymaking, the research group studies the forces of globalization thought to be a common denominator of the “shrinking city.” This multidimensional phenomenon encompasses cities, parts of cities, or metropolitan areas that are experiencing dramatic decline in their economic and social bases. Dr. Karina Pallagst coordinates the network’s research and activities at UC Berkeley. The research work is part of the Shrinking Cities International Research Network SCiRN^TM.
http://www.shrinkingcities.org/

Center for a Sustainable California
Over the past two years the State of California has passed two significant laws (AB 32 and SB 375) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Implementation of these laws depends on creative and integrated regional and local transportation, land use, and housing planning. Regional and local planners and policy makers will need to explore and evaluate a variety of new approaches, and involve diverse stakeholders. An initial focus of the Institute for Urban and Regional Development's newly established Center for a Sustainable California is to encourage the greatest realization of these laws through the sharing and evaluation of best practices.