Throughout his long life, Lewis Mumford wore multiple hats, including those of a prolific author, accomplished chronicler of urbanism, and social critic. In 1988, a group of scholars from the University of Albany visited Mumford and his wife to discuss a plan for an academic center whose work would be both "comparative and historical in scope." The fruits of this initial idea became the Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research at the University of Albany. Headed by Professor John R. Logan, the Center has a number of research projects, including a global neighborhoods initiative and the research network of professionals concerned with working on the study of urbanization in contemporary China. For those interested on the changing demographics in the United States, the center's research reports, drawing on 2000 U.S. Census, will be particularly useful, as they cover such topics as racial segregation in the Boston region and the Muslim world in metropolitan America.