Dr. Andrew Kahrl (University of Virginia) has been selected to receive the 2026 Best Book in the Field of Urban Affairs Award for The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Disposition in America (University of Chicago Press, 2024).
This annual award is given to a book that is well-written and based on rigorous research on an urban issue(s) within any national context. Sixty-eight (68) books were nominated this year from a variety of different disciplines and covering a wide range of urban topics.
AWARD COMMITTEE ASSESSMENT
The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Disposition in America by Andrew W. Kahrl spells out the inequities that have long shaped the nation’s tax systems. This book provides a rich history and contemporary analysis of injustices that have been and continue to be built into the way we tax people and properties in American cities. But these inequities do not just plague tax systems. They generate racial wealth disparities and the uneven development of metropolitan areas in general. Kahrl convincingly demonstrates that the many challenges facing urban communities cannot be effectively addressed until the inequities of our tax systems are ameliorated.
AWARD RECIPIENT BIO
Andrew Kahrl is Professor of History and African American Studies and Director of the Institute for Public History at the University of Virginia. He specializes in the history of race and real estate, land ownership, and tax policy in 20th century urban America, as well as the history of coastal land use, access, and development. Kahrl is the author of three award-winning books: The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America (U. Chicago Press, 2024); Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America’s Most Exclusive Shoreline (Yale UP, 2018); and The Land Was Ours: How Black Beaches Became White Wealth in the Coastal South (Harvard UP, 2012). His work has appeared in the Journal of American History, Journal of Urban History, Journal of Southern History, and other academic journals, and he regularly writes for popular publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Boston Review, and Jacobin.
AWARD PRESENTATION
The formal presentation of this award will be made at the upcoming International Conference on Urban Affairs in Chicago, Illinois. The theme of this year’s conference is No Little Plans: Realizing Urban Futures in Times of Crisis. The conference will convene 1100+ participants from 55+ countries and representing 20+ fields of study. All award recipients will be formally recognized for their achievements during the Awards and Recognition Program on April 29, 2026; 3:00 – 4:15pm.
AWARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Deden Rukmana, University of Texas at Arlington (Chair); Evan Carver, University of Chicago; Laura Dedenbach, University of Florida; David Imbroscio, University of Louisville; Robert Pfaff, Iowa State University; Erin Rugland, University of Bristol; Gregory Squires, George Washington University
ABOUT THE URBAN AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION
The Urban Affairs Association (UAA) is an international professional organization for 1000+ urban scholars, researchers, policy analysts, & public service providers. UAA is dedicated to creating interdisciplinary spaces for engaging in intellectual and practical discussions about urban life. Through theoretical, empirical, and action-oriented research, UAA fosters diverse activities to understand and shape a more just and equitable urban world.
In addition to hosting an annual conference, UAA sponsors ongoing professional development opportunities; Upsilon Sigma: The Urban Studies Honor Society; and two peer-reviewed journals, the Journal of Urban Affairs and the Journal of Race, Ethnicity and the City. You can find UAA on the web, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Facebook, and X.
