With all this talk of “Joe the Plumber” in this election campaign, I must add my two cents from “Joe the Urbanist.” Regardless of who wins tomorrow, the real campaign begins early in 2009 when congress convenes and the new president takes office. The next president and congress must have an urban agenda. We urban professionals have a major role to play in informing this agenda.

One important source of research for future urban policy decisions is the Blueprint for American Prosperity at the Brookings Institution. I had the pleasure of interviewing Bruce Katz, vice-president of policy and founding director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, during the Summit for American Prosperity this past June. The interview appears in the October issue of Urban Land magazine, but you can read Q & A With Bruce Katz here.

Another place to look is T4America, an advocacy group calling for an enlightened transportation reauthorization bill in 2009. It is critical that transportation investments be linked to sustainable urban communities.

It is important that we continue to promote strong, educated and mobile metropolitan regions in this country. After all, metro areas are where most of us live and where a majority of our economic power is generated.

Even though the election will be over tomorrow, the real urban work has only just begun. Keep updated with the policy work and research of the Brookings Institution, and join the T4America cause today. And stay involved at the local level, too.

Sure, the world needs plumbers, but even more than that, right now it needs urbanists.