Public Policy Lab

05/01/2026

Real systems change doesn’t happen overnight; it requires intentional design. In the latest essay of our PPL15 series, PPL research director Judy Park Lee reflects on one of her first service design projects with PPL: helping hundreds of NYC community schools connect families to public benefits. The work taught her that designing public services at scale requires showing up where people are, activating what’s already there, offering adaptable recipes, and engaging multiple layers of government.

In our latest PPL15 essay, research director Judy Park Lee reflects on an early fellowship project designing a benefits access program for NYC community schools and what it taught her about scaling public services without losing sight of people. She argues that systems change requires intensely rela...

04/27/2026

On Accountability" brought some powerful perspectives to PPL15 last month. Huge thanks to our speakers who explored themes of power, consent, and transparency. Watch the full recording on our website! https://ow.ly/AzM750YQNEO

04/03/2026

It's official: the affordable housing application forms we redesigned with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and FirstPic, Inc. are now live for 3,000+ agencies serving nearly 5 million Americans. These forms are clearer, easier to navigate, and compliant with new federal requirements – because applying to housing shouldn’t feel overwhelming. Head to the case study page on our website (https://ow.ly/KsFc50YCTL9) to learn more.

Are you a PHA that needs new HOTMA-compliant forms? Be in touch! We’re happy to walk you through these new materials.

03/30/2026

AI offers significant potential to improve health outcomes and system efficiencies, but its integration into primary care settings raises questions about equity, trust, and consent. For our work with The Commonwealth Fund, we’ve been speaking with patients from communities historically underserved by or mistrustful of the healthcare system to better understand how they feel about AI in primary care. Head to the case study page on our website (https://ow.ly/fFNp50Yzn2U) to find out what we heard.

03/23/2026

What does it mean to navigate power in the space between innovation teams and the public?

Join us for a conversation on accountability in public-sector innovation with PPL executive director Chelsea Mauldin, Amira Boland (New America), Rachael Dietkus (Social Workers Who Design), and Terrance Smith (Johns Hopkins University). Drawing on the Public Policy Lab’s essay, “New View of Consent” (https://ow.ly/ok7750YxPJL), they’ll reflect on the realities of working within complex systems—and what it takes to build more equitable, trust-centered relationships with the communities designers aim to serve.

This event is part of PPL15, our series celebrating 15 years of Public Policy Lab. Find past events and blog posts on our website.

Register here: https://ow.ly/TIr850YxPG2.

03/22/2026

"Humans are really essential when people are navigating high stakes, unfamiliar systems, things that really affect the core things that people need in life." — Yasmin Fodil

Thank you to everyone who joined our latest PPL15 webinar on human connection in public-sector innovation! PPL Senior Principal Andrew Eickmann, Emily Osgood (NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD)), and Yasmin Fodil (Code for America) looked back on the development of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development’s community "Housing Ambassadors" program — launched as a pilot in 2014 and now active in nearly 50 organizations across all five boroughs.

Even the best tools can’t replace that human connection.

Check out the full recording here:

Public systems often invest in better data, clearer interfaces, and smarter tools — but tools alone rarely change people’s lives for the better. Drawing on lessons from Public Policy Lab’s latest blog post, Good Tools Aren’t Enough, this event explores what truly enables effective public ser...

03/19/2026

This week, Aaron Landsman, theater artist and Perfect City (https://perfectcity.org/) founder, led our team in an ‘avoidance mapping exercise,’ visualizing how we navigate the city and circumvent key places—from the dark corner of the park with no street lamps to the block where an ex lives. The exercise sparked a rich discussion about access and belonging and how public infrastructure and services can facilitate (or inhibit) these feelings. We’re looking forward to incorporating these new ways of thinking and mapping into our work!

03/11/2026

For our latest PPL15 essay, we revisit a pivotal moment in our organization’s history when we realized our research consent processes were insufficient. With an updated foreword from PPL research director Judy Park Lee, this piece reflects on the unequal power dynamics that can shape research and how we’ve worked to redesign consent practices to center participant agency, transparency, and care. https://www.publicpolicylab.org/resources/ppl15-new-view-of-consent/

02/23/2026

Join us on March 5 for a virtual conversation between Andrew Eickmann (Public Policy Lab), Emily Osgood (NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development), and Yasmin Fodil (Code for America) on the importance of human connection in public-sector innovation.

Public systems often invest in better data, clearer interfaces, and smarter tools — but tools alone rarely change people’s lives for the better. Drawing on lessons from Public Policy Lab’s latest blog post, Good Tools Aren’t Enough, this event explores what truly enables effective public service delivery: trust, relationships, and the human work that connects residents to systems.

This event is part of PPL15, a series celebrating the Public Policy Lab's 15th anniversary. You can find past blog posts and virtual events on our website.

https://good-tools-arent-enough.eventbrite.com

Join us for a conversation on the importance of human connection in public-sector innovation.

02/13/2026

What makes public services work isn’t just better tools—it’s trust and human connection.

In the second essay of our PPL15 series, Andrew Eickmann—former planner with NYC Housing—reflects on improving the affordable housing application process and what it taught him about sustaining change in government. Through human-centered design, and his first fellowship with PPL, he learned that clear information and tools rarely succeed alone; meaningful change requires agencies to take thoughtful risks and invest in real relationships within communities.

Read the full essay here: https://www.publicpolicylab.org/resources/good-tools-arent-enough/