The Florida International University Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center is an applied research institute that provides policy solutions to public, private, and non-profit organizations in South Florida.
A Message from our Director
The Jorge M. Perez Metropolitan Center (JPMC) opened its doors in 1997 in downtown Miami as a three-year experiment with seed money from the Office of the Provost. The expectation was that its research, training, and technical assistance would inform decision-making, and improve practice in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors throughout South Florida.
Our recipe is nonpartisan, data-driven analysis grounded in a rich understanding of the communities we serve. The experiment succeeded, and the JPMC has grown in stature and outreach to become the region’s foremost urban thank tank.
Our success is grounded in an amazingly talented and hard working staff. The work of our full-time employees has garnered respect from a wide cross-section of policy makers. The JPMC’s work is made possible by our graduate and undergraduate research assistants. I am extremely proud of the JPMC’s research and take satisfaction in our status as a training ground for future leaders. This reflects FIU’s Carnegie status as a research intensive institution with a commitment to community engagement.
The center’s success would not be possible without the strong, support of the Steven J. Green School, FIU, and the community. On behalf of my colleagues, I send our deepest appreciation while looking forward to another 25 years.
Our Leadership
Howard Frank, Ph.D.
Director
954-438-8613
howardf@fiu.edu
FIU at I-75, Suite 310
Maria Ilcheva, Ph.D.
Associate Director; Research Professor
954-438-8652
milcheva@fiu.edu
FIU at I-75, Suite 339
Ned Murray, Ph.D.
Associate Director
954-438-8603
murrayn@fiu.edu
FIU at I-75, Suite 302
Our Background
Since 1997, our center has provided policy solutions to public, private and non-profit organizations in South Florida, based upon the unique needs of individual communities.
Translating Experience to Results
Our staff combines expertise in a diverse set of fields, from economic and community development, housing and business analysis, to population studies, survey research, and public policy development and feasibility analysis.
Transparent and Evidence-based Research
The center offers customized services and studies while adhering to proven methodologies for applied research. All our data is transparent and readily shareable, with spatial analysis and graphic displays illustrating information for a variety of audiences.
Our Approach to Service
The center offers services and studies tailored to the specific contexts of communities and individuals.
Our Institutional Partners
The Metropolitan Center houses the ongoing South Florida Regional Database Project which includes asset mapping, best-practice research, and full in-house Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) capabilities. The center is also a Census Information Center, which allows for early access to release data and data with restricted use.