Brief History of the Urban Affairs Association

The Urban Affairs Association (UAA) is the international professional organization for urban scholars, researchers, and public service providers. UAA exists to:

• Encourage the dissemination of information about urbanism and urbanization
• Support the development of university education, research, and service programs in urban affairs
• Provide leadership in fostering urban affairs as a professional and academic field

UAA is the successor organization to the Council of University Institutes for Urban Affairs, formed in Boston in 1969 by a group of directors of university urban programs. As urban affairs developed as a professional and academic field, the need for an organization that welcomed urban faculty, professionals, and students as well as urban program directors and deans became increasingly apparent. In recognition of this need, in 1981 the organization's name was changed to the Urban Affairs Association. Today, UAA includes almost 600 institutional, individual, and student members from colleges and universities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Among its other activities, UAA sponsors the Journal of Urban Affairs, a refereed annual journal, publishing manuscripts related to urban research and policy analysis of interest to both scholars and practitioners. All UAA members receive the Journal of Urban Affairs as part of their membership fee.

The Urban Affairs Association holds an Annual Meeting each spring in an urban center. Recent conferences have taken place in Los Angeles, California; Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington D.C., Salt Lake City, Utah; and Montreal, Canada. Upcoming conferences will occur in Seattle, Washington and Baltimore, Maryland. These yearly conferences are an integral part of UAA's efforts to improve communications among urban programs. They provide an excellent opportunity for members to exchange ideas, information, and experiences. The conference program features both topics of institutional concern and those related to urban issues. Although formal papers are presented,with selected papers published, the conference format is relatively informal and is designed to foster discussion and participation.

Through its secretariat, UAA provides these services:

• A clearing house of information and materials on urban affairs programs
• Technical advice on university urban program development and review
• A newsletter, Urban Affairs, featuring information from both institutional and individual members.
• Surveys on such topics as the organization and staffing of centers, enrollment, and student placement
• Liaison with other professional and educational organizations