Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

09/17/2026

On October 20, the Center for Impact Finance at the Lincoln Institute and the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) will cohost the third annual CDFI Research Symposium, held in conjuction with OFN42.

Researchers, practitioners, funders and investors, policymakers, and other leaders in community development finance will gather in New Orleans to share research findings, exchange ideas, network, and deliberate on how research can best inform practice and policy and drive community impact.

Learn more:

On October 20, researchers, practitioners, funders and investors, policymakers, and other leaders in community development finance will gather in New Orleans for the third annual CDFI Research Symposium, held in conjunction with Opportunity Finance Network’s OFN42.

09/16/2026

Reminder: the Consortium for Scenario Planning Advisory Board is looking to fill four open positions for terms beginning in January 2027 and ending in December 2029.

Applications close on September 30, and selected applicants will be notified by October 23. Apply: https://go.lincolninst.edu/l/153411/2026-08-31/ps57xp

09/16/2026

With proper planning, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) can help utilities address the growing demand for electricity in the United States. An upcoming Center for Impact Finance course is designed to equip staff at local energy providers with the complete framework needed to design, develop, and implement a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program. Participants will leave with a strategic implementation roadmap tailored to their service territory. The course begins on October 19. Apply by October 5 for priority consideration: https://go.lincolninst.edu/l/153411/2026-09-01/ps58yw

09/15/2026

Three teams are receiving a research commission from the Lincoln Institute for the 2026–27 International Research for the Study of China’s Urban Development and Land Policy program. This year’s recipients—Rachelle Alterman, Kai Gu, and Xize Wang—submitted proposals for academic and policy research papers addressing land, urban, fiscal, and environmental issues relating to urbanization in China. The recipients are based outside mainland China and each received $35,000 to fund their research. Learn more:

The Lincoln Institute has announced three teams are receiving a research commission for the 2026–27 International Research for the Study of China’s Urban Development and Land Policy program. 

09/14/2026

The design of our latest book, "Building Postcarbon Futures," is more than aesthetic. It embodies two of the book’s central ideas: that thoughtful design has an essential role to play in how we respond to the climate crisis across our cities, communities, and landscapes, and that we need to be able to see possible solutions for ourselves.

The dozens of maps created by designer Ruth Penberthy are integral to bringing these ideas to life. Ruth’s maps provide built environment professionals with concrete, visual points of reference and represent the first time that most of the projects profiled in the book have been documented in spatial terms.

⬇️ Swipe through to explore the maps, and learn more about the book on our website ➡️ https://go.lincolninst.edu/l/153411/2026-08-31/ps58t9

Photos by Cristian Ordóñez

09/14/2026

With a temperate climate and a location adjacent to Washington, DC, Fairfax County, Virginia, is a popular place to live—and increasingly unaffordable. Local officials are making new homes available to residents by redeveloping county-owned land as a site for student housing, senior housing, and more. Learn more in Jon Gorey's article for Land Lines:

With a temperate climate and a location adjacent to Washington, DC, Fairfax County, Virginia, is a popular place to live—and increasingly unaffordable. Officials are making new homes available to residents by redeveloping county-owned land as a site for student housing, senior housing, and more.

09/13/2026

The Lincoln Institute is accepting applications from scholars based outside of mainland China who are researching China’s urban development and land policy. Research topics can include land use, urban regeneration, municipal finance, housing policies, land and water conservation, and more. The deadline for submitting a proposal is November 10: https://go.lincolninst.edu/l/153411/2026-08-31/ps57zp

09/12/2026

A new Consortium for Scenario Planning case study reviews how design researchers incorporated visualizations of land use changes and infrastructure development into the scenario planning process for the Long Beach neighborhood of Rockport, Massachusetts. Check it out:

This case study reviews the efforts of design researchers to incorporate visualization into the scenario planning process for the seasonal Long Beach neighborhood in Rockport, Massachusetts.

09/10/2026

Un nuevo conjunto de herramientas está diseñado para apoyar a departamentos de planificación, profesionales y comunidades que buscan aumentar su resiliencia frente a los riesgos urbanos y mejorar su preparación ante los desafíos del cambio climático y los riesgos ambientales relacionados con el agua en zonas urbanas y costeras. Los dos estudios de caso seleccionados —el barrio Policarpa en Cartagena y la cuenca baja del río Tunjuelo en Bogotá— exploran el potencial de la planificación de escenarios exploratorios (XSP, por sus siglas en inglés) en contextos urbanos distintos: https://go.lincolninst.edu/l/153411/2026-08-31/ps57yw

09/10/2026

The Lincoln Institute is participating in several events as part of Climate Group's Climate Week NYC, including an interactive session for community lenders on affordable energy, a demonstration of an updated Basin Threshold Tool designed to help companies as they set science-based freshwater targets, and a talk with Billy Fleming about his new book "Building Postcarbon Futures."

Learn more about our events below: