Through its research, education, and public outreach programs, the center helps leaders in government, business, and the civic sectors make decisions that effectively address the needs of cities and communities.

The center was formed in 1959 under the leadership of Martin Meyerson, its founding director, as the Harvard–MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies, to address intellectual and policy issues confronting a nation experiencing widespread demographic, economic and social change.

[1] Its research was based on the premise that the resolution of these issues called for imaginative interdisciplinary approaches to the study of urban problems and issues, and required cooperation among universities, government and industry.

An annual lecture in honor of John Thomas Dunlop is administered by the Joint Center for Housing Studies.

[3] Notable keynotes include: Herbert Kohler Jr. (2001); Angelo Mozilo (2002); Henry Cisneros (2003); Kim B. Clark (2004); Jack Kemp (2005); Lewis Ranieri (2008); Shaun Donovan (2009); Marc Morial (2010); Jonathan Reckford (2011); Mel Martínez (2012); Ron Terwilliger (2013); Jonathan F. P. Rose (2014); Marty Walsh (2017); Raphael Bostic (2018); Kim Dowdell (2019); and Michael Maltzan (2020).