News & Events
After ex-N.J. mayor’s indictment, city revising rules that could help pay for her defense
But specifically adding criminal matters is “unusual,” said Marc Pfieffer, associate director of Rutgers University’s Center for Planning and Public Policy at Bloustein Local.
“But these are also unusual circumstances in Camden,” Pfieffer said.
Residents compare Clifton council members fighting over seats to preschoolers
A longtime observer of New Jersey’s local governments, Marc Pfeiffer, a researcher at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, said part of the problem can be attributed to the recent member turnover on the City Council, with the exit of James Anzaldi as mayor after more than 30 years and the deaths of members Peter Eagler and Lauren Murphy.
EAC Included in $16 Million Climate Project Funding
University researchers to lead green infrastructure, community engagement, K-12 education and planning initiatives as part of a $72.5 million federal grant Rutgers University researchers will lead several components of a $72.5 million federal initiative to fortify New Jersey's coast against climate change and extreme weather events. The National Oceanic...
American Dream says it’s 87% occupied. But Meadowlands towns are still owed $13 million
“Economic conditions change. Your expectations have to change,” said Marc Pfeiffer, associate director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. “They wouldn’t be able to cut that same type of deal today.”
Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Flooded Into Newark Schools From Covid. Where It All Landed Is Not So Clear
When the federal government allotted $190 billion to school districts throughout the nation in an attempt to address learning loss caused by Covid-19, Newark Public Schools was a big beneficiary of what are called ESSER funds, or Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief. Some of that spending has raised the ire of elected officials in New...
Promoting Business-Friendly Regulations: How to work productively with town officials
And that’s not all. “Local governments have been expanding their role into employee benefits and rights,” said Marc H. Pfeiffer, Assistant Director at the Bloustein Local Government Research Center. “In many cases, cities are establishing minimum wages.”
Marc Pfeiffer Warns of Policy Changes That Will Be Needed as AI is Adopted
“AI is going to drag our management-focused IT administrators more and more into the world of public policy,” Pfeiffer told the group. “It’s an area you may not have had any training or education in, but it’s an area you are going to have to learn about.”
Amid extreme heat, US infrastructure and transportation systems buckle under pressure
Rising temperatures are also taking a toll on transit workers, from rail maintenance staff to ground crews at airports who are exposed to “really life-threatening levels of heat,” according to Andrews. And without them, trains and planes cannot operate
More trucks roll through NY, NJ ports after Baltimore bridge collapse
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore caused a spike in the number of trucks rolling in and out of New York Harbor's seaports, according to Port Authority data. Baltimore’s port closed on March 26 after a cargo vessel struck one of the bridge’s support columns, causing the whole crossing to collapse. Cargo ships were unable to move in...
New Jersey Food System Dashboard Launched
This public tool was co-developed by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Department of Family and Community Health Sciences, NJ Food Democracy Collaborative, community partners from Newark, New Brunswick and Camden, and the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, which is part of the Center for Urban Policy Research at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Recent Products
Monitoring summertime indoor overheating and pollutant risks and natural ventilation patterns of seniors in public housing.
Abstract Indoor heat and air pollution pose concurrent threats to human health and wellbeing, and their effects are more pronounced for vulnerable individuals. This study investigates exposures to summertime indoor overheating and airborne particulate matter (PM2.5)...
First, Do No Harm: Algorithms, AI, and Digital Product Liability
The ethical imperative for technology should be "first, do no harm." But digital innovations like AI and social media increasingly enable societal harms, from bias to misinformation. As these technologies grow ubiquitous, we need solutions to address unintended...
Focus Group Synthesis for Increasing Access to Nature for People with Disabilities
This project is a component of a research-informed white paper focused on the challenges and opportunities associated with access to outdoor recreation for people with disabilities in New Jersey. This report shares the key findings from three focus groups with people...
Research Summary of State Policies for Increasing Access to Nature for People with Disabilities
First, we discuss federal policies that increase public recreation access to the outdoors, in order to understand how states have used this context to inform their own efforts to increase outdoor access. Using policy examples from twelve states (Alaska, California,...