Constructing City Images through Local Media: An Intermedia Agenda-Setting Analysis of Big Media Data
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator: City marketing works as a foundation for local residents to understand and identify with municipal policies and is used to alter the perception of a city among outsiders to encourage external investment, residence, and tourism. Investigators will focus on how local media plays a critical role in communicating... More
The Impact of Tourism on Environmental Sound Levels in Urban and Park Environments
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Sound pollution in urban areas can cause physical and mental health problems which disproportionately affect poor and underserved communities; it can reduce the cultural vitality of outdoor areas; and it can harm wildlife. The investigators will study the impacts of tourism on a city’s environmental soundscape to better... More
Locked Out: Examining the Use of Urban Housing Admissions Policies to Systematically Exclude Poor Renters
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investiator: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidizes about 4.8 million households throughout the country. Motivated by previous research and practice with individuals facing barriers to affordable housing, the team of investigators will examine how affordable housing providers’ admissions policies create barriers to housing for individuals... More
Congregations in Contested Space: Gentrification and Latinx Churches in East Boston
Principal Investigator: Boston, like many U.S. cities, is currently experiencing elevated levels of gentrification adversely affecting working class people of color. The manner in which churches are affected by gentrification is particularly important as churches often provide valuable resources within working class communities of color. The investigator hopes to understand how... More
Evictions and Substandard Housing in Boston: The Unfulfilled Promises of the Public Health and Legal System
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Collaborator Boston is one of the least affordable housing markets in the country. Policymakers have focused largely on new housing supply, but existing housing - much of which is substandard and located in low-income neighborhoods and in communities of color - is often overlooked. As neighborhoods are squeezed by... More
Dislocated Gods, De-territorialized Bodies: Temples, Space and Social Resilience in Urbanizing China
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: China has been undergoing extremely rapid urbanization, and millions of people have been resettled in the process—being displaced both physically and socially. The investigators will examine the lives of the resettled people, in what used to be five rural townships at the edge of the wealthy city of... More
Building Community and Health Equity through Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Financial Services
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Despite the link between income and health, few interventions to reduce health disparities have provided financial services directly targeting the needs of families living in poverty to improve health. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a tax credit for low-income, working families and the most effective anti-poverty policy... More
Reducing Identity-Based Harassment for Marginalized Youth: An Evaluation of the Anti-Defamation League’s Peer Leader Program among Urban Youth
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigators: One of the most pressing societal problems facing youth is identity-based bullying and harassment, which is on the rise in the United States. Although all forms of bullying and harassment are destructive, identity-based bullying and harassment are associated with even worse health and educational outcomes than other harassment... More
Urban Refuge: Access to Information and Access to Aid for Syrian Refugees in Istanbul
Principal Investigator The investigator aims to address the challenge of coordinating aid among diverse service providers that seek to target vulnerable populations in dense urban centers (especially refugees and other migrants who may not have a secure legal status). Two-thirds of refugees worldwide are now located in cities. Refugees have widespread... More
Community Engagement to Explore Heat Exposure for Urban-Dwelling Older Adults in Boston
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator The investigators seek to understand the heat exposure-related needs and experiences of older adults living in Boston, MA, a population that is vulnerable to health effects of heat. They will use a participatory action method, Photovoice, in combination with exposure and biometric measurements, to document and communicate participant exposures, More
Partnering with Families with Limited English Proficiency to Promote Language Justice and Equity in Education Settings
Principal Investigators: Co-Principal Investigators: Youth of color whose first language is not English are the fastest growing segment of the youth population in the United States. Families with limited English proficiency are often restricted from the many opportunities available in urban cities like Boston, leading to inequities in education. In partnership with... More
A White Paper: “Effective Community-University-Industry Collaboration Models for Smart and Connected Communities Research.”
Uncovering How to Work Together In 2017, the Hariri Institute for Computing, along with the Initiative on Cities, held two workshops titled “Effective Community-University-Industry Collaboration Models for Smart and Connected Communities Research.” Attendees at these events included principal investigators, research directors, city officials, community partners, National Science Foundation (NSF) program managers, and federal agency... More
2019 Summer Fellow Interview: Imani Roberson
By: Doruntina Zeneli Imani Roberson is a rising senior at Boston University majoring in Public Relations and Political Science. She's also a proud Detroiter. On campus, Imani is heavily involved in the Inner Strength Gospel Choir and is the incoming president of Boston University's Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society... More
Are Today’s Frontiers Inside Cities? A Lecture by Saskia Sassen
By: Doruntina Zeneli On Tuesday, April 30, Saskia Sassen joined the Initiative of Cities to speak about increased competition for housing, rising rent, and how housing is deemed as a commodity for financial firms. Sassen first highlighted the capabilities society has today: “We have capabilities that are rather simple, but how... More
2019 Summer Fellows
The Boston University Initiative on Cities is proud to share the 2019 class of Summer Fellows. Chosen from a group of competitive BU graduate and undergraduate students, the 2019 Summer Fellows will closely with local governments on projects that demonstrate a commitment to urban leadership. Imani Roberson - Mayor's Office of... More
Urban Studies Student Spotlight: Noah Gordon
Noah is a sophomore in CAS majoring in Sociology and minoring in English and Urban Studies. Noah is currently a part of BU's Theatre Group, Wandering Minds. Why did you choose to minor in Urban Studies and how did you hear about the minor? I was always interested in urban planning, urban... More
What Will It Take to End Homelessness in Boston & Beyond? Insights From Policy, Research & Advocacy
By: Doruntina Zeneli On Wednesday April 17, Tom Byrne, Laila Bernstein and Joe Finn joined the Initiative of Cities to speak about how homelessness impacts Boston and other cities throughout the U.S. Each speaker suggested several plans to resolve chronic homelessness through initiatives such as Permanent Supportive Housing and subsidized housing. More
Meeting the Challenge: Global Innovations in Urban Housing
As America’s housing crisis persists, high-cost cities increasingly face three immediate challenges: affordability, public housing, and homelessness. On April 8-9, 2019, the Boston University Initiative on Cities hosted Meeting the Challenge: Global Innovations in Urban Housing, an international conference to address these challenges. Participants featured the High-Cost Cities Housing Forum (HCHF), a... More
Faculty Friday: Noora Lori
Professor Noora Lori is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies. She is also the Founding Director of the Pardee School Initiative on Forced Migration and Human Trafficking Tell me a little bit about yourself. NL: I was born and raised in Bahrain, and I did my... More
IOC’s First External Advisory Board
The Initiative on Cities is proud to present our first External Advisory Board. Our board, made up of leading city officials, urban scholars, and other experts, will provide counsel to the IOC's staff about emerging trends and issues and the Initiative's priorities. The Initiative on Cities is a university-wide effort, drawing... More