After the Votes are Counted, What’s Next for America’s Cities?
Nearly two out of every three Americans live in urban areas. Cities are responsible for 75% of the US GDP. Mayors are among the most innovative and creative leaders in politics. And yet, our cities will undoubtedly be impacted by the 2016 Election and the incoming Trump administration. The Boston University... More
What’s at Stake for Cities in the US Presidential Election?
Last week, our team wrote about the stakes for cities in this year's U.S. Presidential Election. How as the Obama administration supported mayors? What are the Presidential candidates saying about cities this campaign season? And what are mayors looking for from the new President? Check out Urban nation: What's at Stake for Cities... More
Faculty Friday – Katherine Levine Einstein
Each week, Faculty Friday will highlight a member of our IOC Faculty Advisory Board by exploring their work at BU and their thoughts on cities. We're excited to start this series with Katherine Levine Einstein, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. Katherine, one of the lead authors on our annual Menino... More
Boston Public Schools’ Assignment Plan
By Patricia Cahill On February 4, 2016, The Initiative on Cities held a panel discussion that brought together Boston Public Schools (BPS) and Boston University community members to discuss the newest BPS Assignment Plan that was rolled out in 2014. This new plan reorganized Boston schools into tiers and normalized the... More
IOC Publishes White Paper: Engaging Youth in Local Government
There is widespread consensus that young people have a right to be directly involved in decisions that affect them, and an understanding that adults are the ones who must create formal pathways of engagement. Yet there remains limited empirical information about the best ways to do so. The latest IOC white... More
Promoting Resilience and Racial Inclusion: Lessons from the City of Boston
What is the City of Boston doing to address racial disparities? Boston Mayor Martin Walsh has challenged the city and his administration to take on racial inequity as a key economic, social and moral imperative. Senior members of his leadership team will come together at BU to share plans and lessons learned from... More
Reducing Disparities and Promoting Well-Being in Boston: The Role of the BU Community
How is the Boston University community helping mitigate racial inequity in Boston? Join us on Wednesday, October 26th from 4-5:30pm for the second event in our Racial Equity series, Reducing Disparities and Promoting Well-Being in Boston: The Role of the BU Community. Featuring program leaders from across the University, The Role of the... More
Reducing Disparities: Advancing Toward Racial Equity
Across the country, urban universities are embracing new roles and expanding their varied contributions to the well-being of the communities they call home. Research universities are also uniquely positioned to evaluate and understand the challenges confronting residents in their region, and support programs and evidence-based interventions to help improve outcomes... More
Gentrification: Good or Bad for the Urban Poor?
Join us on Friday, October 7, from 2:30-4:00pm at our office (75 Bay State Road) for a workshop lecture featuring Professor Jackelyn Hwang from Princeton University. Professor Hwang will share her forthcoming co-authored paper, Moving Down: Gentrification, Displacement, and Residential Destinations in Philadelphia, and talk about her current research with... More
IOC Urban Seminar: Understanding the Economic Development Gap
Why have some cities experienced an economic development boom, while others have struggled? What can cities do to recover from decades of decline? This panel will focus on exploring and understanding the urban development gap, especially as it applies to Gateway and Legacy cities in the U.S. Join us for... More
Upcoming IOC Events
We have a busy slate of events coming up - be sure to check our Events Calendar to see upcoming talks and seminars. We hope to see you there!
IOC Summer Fellow Yulan Sun Reflects on Work in City of Providence Innovation Department
Shiny Apps for Service and Youth Crime: My Summer in the Providence Department of Innovation This summer I worked as the Boston University Initiative on Cities Fellow for the City of Providence’s Department of Innovation. I completed many interesting projects during my Fellowship, including a 311 service request data analysis and... More
Tackling Racial Inequities in Boston: What’s BU Learning?
The Initiative on Cities is honored to join the Boston University Research Office in co-hosting the next Research on Tap, Tackling Racial Inequities in Boston: What's BU Learning? on Monday, September 26th from 4pm-6pm at the BU Hillel House, 213 Bay State Road, Boston, 4th floor. What is BU Learning? will bring together... More
Dan Lesser: My Summer with the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics
Lessons from Boston’s Streets: My Summer as a MONUM Fellow Cities around the world are rapidly growing. By 2050, experts expect 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, up from 50 percent today. As cities become more densely populated, municipal governments will need to grow and adapt city... More
Jakarta: Making a Megacity a Smart City
With a population of nearly 10 million, Jakarta stands as one of the largest cities in the world. As the city government attempts to manage its massive population, overcome a history of corruption, and implement Smart City technology, what are the chief challenges and the biggest opportunities for progress? On September... More
IOC Director Graham Wilson Speaks on Brexit
Earlier this summer, voters in the United Kingdom elected to leave the European Union in a decision that reverberated throughout the world. What does "Brexit" mean for the future of the UK, the European Union, the United States, and the greater global environment? What is the purpose of the European... More
IOC Sponsors Open Access Research
In partnership with the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, the Initiative on Cities is excited to fund open-access research by Boston University Earth & Environment Professors Sucharita Gopal and Nathan Phillips. Professors Gopal and Phillips used a data-driven approach to define sustainability, resiliency, and metabolism metrics that... More
Professor Goldfarb Awarded Fullbright for IOC-Funded Project
Jillian Goldfarb, Research Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, recently received a Teaching/Research Fulbright Award for her project: “Global Insights into Sustainable Energy Engineering and Sustainable Solutions for Municipal Solid Waste Management.” Professor Goldfarb will complete her Fulbright appointment at the University of Trento, Italy in... More
Overview of 2016 Early Stage Urban Research Awards
The IOC is dedicated to supporting urban research by Boston University faculty and students. Our Early Stage Urban Research Awards provide seed funding across campus, distributed each year through a spring RFP. Want to learn about all of our 2016 Awards Winners? Click here to see a complete list! This year, More
Developing a Citywide Greenhouse Gas Inventory in Providence, RI
Principal Investigators This past spring, with a grant from the Initiative on Cities, Earth and Environment Associate Professor Lucy Hutyra and Postdoctoral Researcher Conor Gately completed a comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions for the City of Providence, Rhode Island. The City of Providence had approached the team as part of... More