Reports of the Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research
Scope and Contents
The Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research at Northwestern University was founded in September of 1968 with a grant of $700,000 from the Ford Foundation. After the urban riots of the late 1960’s, Ford spearheaded the founding of fourteen such centers around the country. Northwestern’s Center, however, is the only one of its kind to have survived with its initial purpose intact. Working with a group of faculty fellows, research associates, visiting scholars and graduate students, the Center initiated its own studies and collaborated with outside groups on research projects, seminars, conferences, workshops and retreats. Center activities were sponsored by the University, grants from local and national foundations, government agencies, corporations, and gifts. The bulk of the Center’s research dealt with social policy and its effects on the people, communities, and institutions that utilize it. The Center paid close attention to policy issues on the urban, suburban, and rural community levels, as well as wider ones of county, state, and national import. The Center published a newsletter, the CUPAR News. Topics researched included: persistent poverty in the inner cities, racism, inadequate housing and schools, rampant crime, joblessness, and the breakdown of the family. In September, 1996, the Center’s name was changed to the Institute for Policy Research. This new title better represents the increasingly broad scope of research in which the diverse group of faculty fellows is involved. The Reports of the Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research fill seven archival boxes and span the years 1970-1995. The bulk of the records consists of reports generated by the Center in conjunction with local agencies. Other records include Working Papers, proposals, messages, “musings” and memoranda that the Center issued. Most reports represent the results of a one-time project or affiliation and are categorized under the title of the finished report. Projects which generated a number of reports include the Chicago Politics Papers, Comparative Urban Studies Program reports, the Reactions to Crime Papers, Research and Policy Papers, Research and Policy Reports, Working Papers and the 1992 World’s Fair Forum reports.
Dates
- 1970 - 1995
Creator
- Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.
Extent
7 Boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research at Northwestern University was founded in September of 1968 with a grant of $700,000 from the Ford Foundation. The bulk of the Center’s research dealt with social policy and its effects on the people, communities, and institutions that utilize it. In September, 1996, the Center’s name was changed to the Institute for Policy Research.
Arrangement
The reports are arranged alphabetically by project title or affiliation, and within folders of multiple reports, by titles of individual reports. A list of publications to 1980 is found in Box 5, Folder 1.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These reports were separated from the University Archives' General Files.
Separated Materials
The 1992 World's Fair Forum reports, originally in box 7, folders 11 and 12, were removed and added to the Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research 1992 Chicago World's Fair Planning collection (series 8/2/15).
- Title
- Guide to the Reports of the Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research
- Author
- Andrew Reinbold
- Date
- 2000-05
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Repository Details
Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635
specialcollections@northwestern.edu