Urban and Local Politics (Section 13)
The purpose of the Section is to promote interest in teaching and research in urban politics and policy. The Section seeks to encourage communication among individuals interested in Urban Politics within the Association and within related disciplines.
Founded: 1986
Public Discussion List: APSA Connect discussion
Social Media: @apsaurban (X) @apsaurban.bsky.social (Bluesky)
Website: connect.apsanet.org/s13
Section Membership Dues
| Student | Regular |
|---|---|
| $0 (Online Journal Only) | $18 (Online Journal Only) $28 (Print and Online Journal) |
Section Officers
Section Officers
Section Awards
Section awards are presented during the APSA annual meeting awards ceremony. To learn more about any award listed, contact the award committee chair for the award.
All section 13. Urban and Local Politics awards to-date »
Dennis Judd Best Book Award
The Best Book Award recognizes the best book on urban politics published in the previous year. Hard copies of nominated books should be sent to each committee member. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Farris | Texas Christian University | e.farris@tcu.edu |
| Michael Javen Fortner | Claremont McKenna College | mfortner@cmc.edu |
| Veronica Herrera | University of California, Los Angeles | vherrera@luskin.ucla.edu |
Best Dissertation Award
The Best Dissertation Award is given annually for the best dissertation on urban politics accepted in the previous year. The award comes with a $250 prize. Electronic or hard copies of dissertations completed and approved in the previous year should be sent to each committee member. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Melissa A. Lyon | University at Albany, SUNY | mlyon@albany.edu |
| Matthew D. Nelsen | University of Miami | mdn475@miami.edu |
| Elisa Wirsching | London School of Economics and Political Science | e.m.wirsching@lse.ac.uk |
Byran Jackson Dissertation Research on Minority Politics Award
The Byran Jackson Award recognizes the outstanding scholarship by a graduate student studying racial and ethnic politics in an urban setting. The award is for a dissertation in progress rather than a completed dissertation. The award comes with a $500 prize. Electronic or hard copies of approved dissertation proposals should be sent to each committee member. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Justin de Benedictis-Kessner | Harvard University | jdbk@hks.harvard.edu |
| Sharon Denise Austin | University of Florida | polssdw@ufl.edu |
| Michael Hankinson | George Washington University | hankinson@gwu.edu |
The Urban Affairs Review Best Paper Award
Urban Affairs Review is sponsoring a $250 award for the Best Paper in Urban or Regional Politics presented at the previous year’s American Political Science Association conference. We encourage panel chairs to nominate papers. We also welcome self-nominations. Papers presented on any panel associated with the conference are eligible for this award. The award will be made by a three person panel: one editor of Urban Affairs Review, one member of the UAR editorial board, and one member of the executive council of the Urban and Local Politics Section. The committee will evaluate the version of the paper at the time of the APSA conference.The award will be announced on the APSA Urban and Local Politics section website and the UAR website. The recipient will be invited to submit the paper to the Urban Affairs Review for fast-track review and publication. This is an annual award. Awards may not be made every year, depending on the number and quality of submissions. Deadline for nominations: October 31, 2025
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Weaver (Chair) | SUNY – University at Albany | tweaver@albany.edu |
| Christina Greer | Fordham University | cgreer@fordham.edu |
| Adrienne LeBas | American University | lebas@american.edu |
Norton Long Career Achievement Award
The Norton Long Career Achievement Award is presented annually to a scholar who has made distinguished contributions to the study of urban politics over the course of a career through scholarly publication, the mentoring of students, and public service. Nominations and two (2) supporting letters should be submitted electronically to all committee members.
Nomination Instructions: Nominations and two (2) supporting letters submitted to all committee members by the deadline.
Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Kogan | Ohio State University | kogan.18@osu.edu |
| Sarah E. Reckhow | Michigan State University | reckhow@msu.edu |
| Paru Shah | Rutgers University | paru.shah@rutgers.edu |
Susan Clarke Young Scholars’ Award
The Susan Clarke Young Scholars’ award recognizes scholars who completed their Ph.D. within the last three years (or are ABDs) and submitted a paper proposal for the 2025 APSA meeting to the 2025 program chairs. Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah F. Anzia | University of California, Berkeley | sanzia@berkeley.edu |
| Tabitha Bonilla | Northwestern University | tabitha.bonilla@northwestern.edu |
| Michael Leo Owens | Emory University | michael.leo.owens@emory.edu |
Clarence Stone Scholar Award
The Clarence Stone Scholar Award recognizes up to two young scholars who are making a significant contribution to the study of urban politics. The award is to be given to up to two post-PhD scholars who are in their career (pre-tenure, or recently advanced within the last 3 years). Deadline for nominations: March 15, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Andra Gillespie | Emory University | andra.gillespie@emory.edu |
| Mirya Holman | University of Houston | mrholman@central.uh.edu |
| Jeremy Wallace | Johns Hopkins University | jeremywallace@jhu.edu |