The recent emergence of large-scale administrative data sets, or “big data,” has inspired much attention and discussion in the sciences as well as society more broadly. One of the metaphors for this event has been the “data deluge.”  This metaphor seems apt on a number of levels; not only does the amount of newly available […]

In December 2014, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard brought together 40 scholars from a wide range of disciplines in the social and natural sciences to talk about the future of “big data” in social science research. Major technical advancements have given social scientists access to new forms of data and sophisticated analytical […]

Can we design the fair or “decent” city? This question has taken on urgency in recent years as income inequality has risen sharply. Housing in particular has come in for scrutiny and urban planning has taken on new meaning. In this essay, I place the quest for equity against the backdrop of existing evidence. Although […]