IOC Releases 2023 Annual Report
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is proud to release our 2023 Annual Report. While it has been an exciting year of change and transition, our pillars of Research, Learning, and Practice continue to guide our activities towards sustainable, just, and inclusive urban transformation. Over the past year, the IOC: ... More
Livable Streets in Oslo, Norway
When: Thursday, September 28, 2023 Where: Virtual For our first Transportation & the City series of Fall 2023, hear from Victoria Farr (CAS '10), a BU alum who works as a mobility planner at the Agency for Urban Environment, Oslo, on her efforts to make the city a more sustainable place to... More
#BUandBoston: Interview with Advocacy Director of Boston Climate Action Network Hessann Farooqi
This post is part of our #BUandBoston series, highlighting the work and research of BU students, faculty, and staff throughout the City of Boston and the Greater Boston region. Interested in having your Boston-related work featured? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter (@BUonCities) using the #BUandBoston or send us an... More
Alumni Spotlight: Dan Lesser
Alumni Spotlight is a series highlighting former affiliates of the Initiative on Cities (IOC). We catch up with our alumni to feature their current work, updates, and accomplishments. Today, we highlight Dan Lesser, a former IOC Fellow with the Initiative on Cities. Dan is currently the Director of Operations for the... More
Alumni Spotlight: Conor LeBlanc
Alumni Spotlight is a series highlighting former affiliates of the Initiative on Cities (IOC). We catch up with our alumni to feature their current work, updates, and accomplishments. Today, we highlight Conor LeBlanc, a former Associate Director with the Initiative on Cities. Conor is a Senior Development Manager at the Massachusetts Port Authority... More
Policy Brief: Policing and the Punitive Politics of Local Homelessness Policy
Authors: Alisa Dewald (Research Assistant; Boston University Initiative on Cities), Dr. Katherine Levine Einstein (Boston University Initiative on Cities; Department of Political Science), and Dr. Charley Willison (Cornell University Public Health) In this brief, the Boston University Initiative on Cities, Cornell University, and Community Solutions investigate the involvement of the police in responses to homelessness in cities across... More
Stacy Fox Promoted to Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities
We are delighted to announce the promotion of Associate Director Stacy Fox to the position of Executive Director at the Initiative on Cities (IOC). In the past 5 years as the Associate Director of the IOC, Stacy has been a driving force behind the Initiative’s operations and strategy, managing the... More
Meet Andrea Catania, 2023 Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics Fellow
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is happy to announce Andrea Catania (MET Gastronomy) has been selected as the 2023 City of Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) Fellow. This fellow will have the opportunity to explore an interest in public service and civic innovation while positively impacting... More
Meet Zakaria Elkawa, 2023 Climate Ready Boston Intern
The Boston University Initiative on Cities is happy to announce that Zakaria Elkawa (CAS, Pardee '23) has been selected for the summer internship with the City of Boston’s Environment Department Climate Ready Boston team on heat resilience projects and communications and community engagement work. The intern will have the opportunity to work in... More
Meet Destiny Perkins, 2023 City of Boston’s Equity & Inclusion Cabinet Summer Intern
The Boston University Initiative on Cities and the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground are happy to announce that Destiny Perkins (Pardee '25) has been selected as this year's summer intern with the City of Boston’s Equity & Inclusion Cabinet. The Intern will work directly with the Senior Advisor on Racial Justice, Ms. More
Meet Our Postdoctoral Research Associate: Kenton Card
The Initiative on Cities is pleased to announce our Postdoctoral Research Associate, Kenton Card! Kenton will be joining us on September 1, 2023 conducting independent urban research under the mentorship of Director Loretta Lees. Kenton Card is an urban planner, filmmaker, and Ph.D. candidate slated to receive his doctorate at UCLA... More
Event Recap: Homelessness is a Housing Problem (4/3)
Watch the full recording here! Full Event Recap forthcoming On April 4, 2023, BU Initiative on Cities and the School of Social Work hosted a discussion on homelessness in America. Why do some cities have higher rates of homelessness than others? What explains that regional variation, and what can local leaders do to reduce... More
Co-Director Katharine Lusk Departs The Initiative on Cities To Take On Role as Executive Director of the Boston Planning Advisory Council
On May 1, 2023, Co-Director and Founding Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities (IOC), Katharine Lusk, left her role at the IOC to assume the role of Executive Director in the newly created Boston Planning Advisory Council as the central authority for initiating, reviewing, and implementing city planning. The... More
Gendered Differences in Mobility and the Demand for Transport: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Urban Ethiopia
Principal Investigator: Africa’s cities are the most rapidly growing in the world; current estimates indicate that by 2050, African cities will grow by an additional 900 million inhabitants and will be home to more than two-thirds of the continent’s population. While urban expansion in Africa will offer opportunities for growth and... More
Event Recap: When Cities Lobby Book Talk & Panel (3/29)
Event recap by Dhruv Kapadia Watch the full recording here! On Wednesday, March 29th, the Initiative on Cities (IOC) and the American Politics Seminar Series hosted a discussion titled “Cities, Lobbyists, and Power” that investigated why mayors rely on professional lobbyists to amplify their voices and represent their city’s interests in state... More
Alumni Spotlight: Daniel Daponte
Alumni Spotlight is a series highlighting former affiliates of the Initiative on Cities (IOC). We catch up with our alumni to feature their current work, updates, and accomplishments. Today, we highlight Daniel Daponte, a former NLC Menino Fellow with the Initiative on Cities. Daniel Daponte is a Research Assistant at the American Institutes... More
#BUandBoston: Maggie Kormann and Boston’s Racial Justice Office
#BUandBoston: Maggie Kormann & Boston’s Racial Justice Office This post is part of our #BUandBoston series, highlighting the work and research of BU students, faculty, and staff throughout the City of Boston and the Greater Boston region. Interested in having your Boston-related work featured? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter (@BUonCities)... More
Alumni Spotlight: Augustine Jimenez
Alumni Spotlight is a series highlighting former affiliates of the Initiative on Cities (IOC). We catch up with our alumni to feature their current work, updates, and accomplishments. Today, we highlight Augustine Jimenez, a former NLC Menino Fellow with the Initiative on Cities. Augustine Jimenez is a Program Associate in Achieve Atlanta's Scholarship... More
Event Recap: Rockefeller Foundation Implementing Climate Action in America’s Cities
Event recap by Dhruv Kapadia Watch the full report here! On Tuesday, January 31st, The Rockefeller Foundation hosted “Implementing Climate Action in America’s Cities,” a conversation with local experts on climate justice and how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) might transform front-line communities. Moderated by The Rockefeller Foundation’s Rachel Isacoff, panelists Nathaniel... More
2023 Early Stage Urban Research Awards
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of our ninth annual request for proposals for early stage urban research. These seed grants support early stage academic research endeavors focused on urban challenges and urban populations, both domestic and global. This year's seed grant... More