Bruce Katz is a vice president at the Brookings Institution and founding director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. The Metro Program seeks to redefine the challenges facing cities and metropolitan areas by publishing cutting edge research on major demographic, market, development and governance trends. Katz regularly advises national, state, regional and municipal leaders on policy reforms that advance the competitiveness of metropolitan areas. He focuses particularly on reforms that promote the revitalization of central cities and older suburbs and enhance the ability of these places to attract, retain and grow the middle class. In 2006, he received the prestigious Heinz Award in Public Policy for his contributions to urban and metropolitan America.