Applications Open for Spring 2018 RFP
The Initiative on Cities is pleased to announce our Spring 2018 Request for Proposals (RFP) for our Early Stage Urban Research Awards. These seed grants support research addressing urban challenges and populations in the US and abroad. The Awards are open to all faculty and graduate students of Boston University Schools, More
Event Recap: Assessing and Planning for Neighborhood-Based Resiliency
On February 13th, Cambridge City Councilor Craig Kelley visited the Initiative on Cities to discuss his advice and experience with the Cambridge Mayor’s Special Committee on Neighborhood-Based Resilience. His seminar, moderated by BU City Planning and Urban Affairs Director and Associate Professor of the Practice Dr. Madhu Dutta-Koehler, explored his challenges when... More
2017 Menino Survey of Mayors
On January 23, 2018, the Boston University Initiative on Cities released its fourth annual Menino Survey of Mayors, the only scientifically valid and representative survey of American mayors. The 2017 Menino Survey was built on interviews with 115 mayors from 39 states and was funded by Citi Community Development and... More
2017 Menino Survey of Mayors Reveals Top Challenges
On January 23, 2018, the Boston University Initiative on Cities announced the results of its 2017 Menino Survey of Mayors, a nationally representative survey of mayoral thoughts and challenges on today’s top issues. Three BU political science professors, Katherine Einstein, David Glick, and Maxwell Palmer, led the research by interviewing... More
Event Recap: When Tokyo Went Electric
On December 6th, the Boston University Initiative on Cities co-sponsored the lecture “When Tokyo Went Electric: Electricity Theft and the Materiality of Modern Life” with Professor Ian Miller of Harvard University. Miller describes Japan’s journey to become one of the most “electrified” places on Earth through fossil fuels and the... More
Call for Applications for IOC Visiting Scholars
The Initiative on Cities invites applications for its Visiting Scholars Program for academic year 2018-2019. The program offers scholars the opportunity to spend up to one year at Boston University for independent research on urban challenges and urban populations in the U.S and abroad. Successful candidates benefit from the Initiative’s... More
Join us in DC for the 2017 Menino Survey of Mayors Final Report Launch
Join the Initiative on Cities in Washington, DC, on January 23, 2018 at 9:30am for the release of the 2017 Menino Survey of Mayors Final Report. The Menino Survey is the only systematic survey of American mayors. Based on interviews with 115 mayors, this year’s Survey delves into how our mayors... More
Submit Proposals for BARI Conference at BU on 4/27
The BU Initiative on Cities is partnering with the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) to host their spring conference, Confronting Inequality and Economic Mobility: Data-Driven Lessons From Boston, For Boston. We are looking for faculty, students, and members of the private and public sectors to submit ideas for panels, presentations, More
Former Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf Speaks at IOC
On November 27th, former Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf visited the Initiative on Cities to discuss her efforts on sustainability and innovation within London’s electricity industry. Woolf began to speak on a Lord mayor’s numerous responsibilities, one being a “champion of the city brand” to creating opportunities within the city. More
IOC Co-Hosts UK-International Metro Mayors’ Summit in London
From December 4th to 6th, the Boston University Initiative on Cities co-hosted the first-ever UK-International Metro Mayors’ Summit with the Centre for Cities, a UK think tank, and Citi, the global founding partner. Five mayors from the United States and six metro mayors from the UK met in small round-table... More
Event Recap: Boston’s Hidden Histories
On November 14th, three experts across biology, archaeology, and American studies converged at the Initiative on Cities to present on Boston’s hidden histories, whether physically hidden under the ground or figuratively hidden from documentation. Ian Stevenson, a Ph.D. candidate in American & New England Studies Program at Boston University, presented on... More
NLC Menino Fellow Augustine Jimenez Attends the City Summit in Charlotte
Our 2017-2018 National League of Cities Menino Fellow, Augustine Jimenez, recently attended the NLC City Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina. More than 4,000 attendees participated in hands-on workshops, learned from seminars by city leaders, and networked with other delegates in local government.
In the News: Professor Rotjan’s Urban Coral Project
Congratulations to Professor Randi Rotjan for receiving media coverage by WPRI 12 and ecoRI News on her urban coral project. Rotjan received an IOC Urban Research Award in 2017 to support her project, which analyzes the impact of microplastics and microbial films on urban coral. Concerned about the 4.8 to 12.7... More
Executive Director Katharine Lusk Co-Authors Paper On Youth-led Participatory Budgeting
Katharine Lusk, Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities, co-authored a paper published last week by the Journal of Youth Studies. Lusk collaborated with Associate Dean Mary Elizabeth Collins, Professor Astraea Augsberger, and PhD Candidate Whitney Gecker, all from the Boston University School of Social Work, to explore youth-led participatory... More
Introducing the New IOC Associate Director, Stacy Fox
We're so excited to introduce Stacy Fox as our new Associate Director. Prior to joining the Initiative, Stacy was a Planner with the Cambridge Housing Authority, where she managed the rehabilitation and capital improvement plans for several multifamily developments in Cambridge Housing’s portfolio. Stacy also served as an Associate with the... More
Virtual Reality & Urban Ecology Teleport to Experience Urban Infrastructure on Dorchester Avenue
On October 25th, PhD candidates Yaxiong Ma and Jessica Wright demonstrated their virtual reality project on urban underground infrastructure. With the guidance of BU Earth & Environment professors Sucharita Gopal and Nathan Phillips, the two explored how to create a coordinated infrastructure system. Through a virtual reality headset created by Ma, users can teleport to four different... More
IOC Partners with Questrom and Arup for Executive Program
The Boston University Initiative on Cities partnered with the Questrom School of Business and Arup to develop and host a six-month experiential program for urban executives. Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists, working across every aspect of today’s built environment. Twenty-five students from major... More
Professor Perspectives: Gentrification in Boston: Are You a Gentrifier?
On October 25th, Sociology Professor Japonica Brown-Saracino and PhD candidates Taylor Cain and Sarah Hosman discussed gentrification in Boston through a historical lens and through specific case studies in Allston, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury. Professor Japonica Brown-Saracino took the audience through the origins of gentrification; Ruth Glass coined the term in 1964... More
Thank You, Mayor Menino
Today marks three years since the passing of our co-founder, Mayor Tom Menino. He believed in the power of mayors to improve lives and take bold steps toward protecting the environment. He believed in the importance of cities as welcoming places devoted to fairness, equity and justice. He believed in... More
Event Recap: Reflections On Public Service
Last Monday, four BU alumni joined Katharine Lusk, the Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities, to reflect on their lives in public service. Tyler Fields (CAS ‘16), Daniel Lesser (Questrom ‘17), Shari Davis (SAR ‘10, ‘12), and Andrew Vargas (CAS ‘15) discussed why they got started, how they stay motivated, and what young students should do to engage... More