Hariri Institute Develops Multi-Party Computation Software to Support Boston Pay Equity Efforts
In 2013, Mayor Tom Menino launched a first-of-its-kind initiative to close the gender wage gap in Boston. A central component of the initiative, dubbed 100% Talent, was a voluntary employer, “Compact,” wherein major Boston area employers would agree to take steps to support and promote women in the workplace. The... More
Fiscal Leadership and the Modern City
One of the greatest modern threats facing cities lies on the balance sheet, leaving many wondering: how will we pay for cities in the future? Fiscal Leadership and the Modern City, the third city leadership summit hosted by the Initiative on Cities at Boston University, will examine how communities are tackling... More
Urban Seminar: The Cultural City
Cultural images of Boston range from its venerable arts and music institutions to the seamy underworld portrayed in the film The Departed. As in many cities, these polar extremes mask a rich spectrum of urban cultures. Featuring, from left to right, Rebecca Ostriker (Arts Editor, The Boston Globe), Associate Professor... More
2015 IOC City of Boston Summer Fellow Announced
The Initiative on Cities is proud to announce that Molly Lawrence (SPH, '15) has been selected as the 2015 City of Boston Summer Fellow. A Masters in Public Health candidate concentrating in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences at Boston University's School of Public Health, Molly will work with Mayor Martin... More
Teaching the City
The Initiative on Cities is excited to host Teaching the City as part of its Urban Seminar Series. This conversation with BU faculty and experts will focus on engaging students with Boston. Urban universities experience all of the benefits and many of the challenges of cities. Teaching about the city... More
Urban Seminar Series: Policing the City
The Initiative on Cities is excited to host the next edition of our Urban Seminar Series, Policing the City: a conversation on race, municipal leadership and public safety moderated by BU Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore on Monday, February 23rd, from 2:30 pm -4:00 pm at the Florence & Chafetz... More
National Survey of Mayors: Research Spotlight
What are the most significant obstacles facing 21st-century mayors? Which policy areas do mayors care most deeply about? With federal support diminishing as urban populations steadily rise, how can mayors lead their cities toward a more stable and sustainable future? In a first-of-its-kind National Survey of Mayors, the Initiative on... More
IOC Urban Seminar: The Inclusive City
On Thursday, December 4, 2014, Boston University students, faculty, and area practitioners gathered for The Inclusive City, the third edition of the Initiative on Cities’ Urban Seminar Series. Coming on the heels of widespread public unrest over the Eric Garner case in New York City and the Michael Brown case... More
Looking Back – A Quick Overview of Sea Level Rise and the Future of Coastal Cities
From November 13-14, 2014, the Initiative on Cities and the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future co-hosted Sea Level Rise and the Future of Coastal Cities, a two-day City Leadership Summit at Boston University. Over 200 attendees participated in a conversation about the impact of... More
Remembering Mayor Menino (1942-2014)
We are heartbroken by the loss of our founder and devoted public servant, Mayor Tom Menino. He was a boss, a mentor, and a friend to us as well as to thousands of Bostonians throughout the years. He cared about his city, his adopted university community, and everyone around him. More
IOC Co-Director Menino Announces Release of Memoir: “Mayor for a New America”
Co-Director of the Initiative on Cities and former Mayor of Boston, Tom Menino, this week announced the release of his new book, Mayor for A New America. This personal memoir, co-authored with Jack Beatty, charts his rise to political office and thirty-year tenure as an elected official in Boston. Famed... More
Initiative on Cities Releases First National Survey of Mayoral Priorities
In October 2014, the Initiative on Cities released a ground-breaking survey of American Mayors, which has since been dedicated to the annual Menino Survey of Mayors. Based on interviews with over seventy mayors from cities with over 1 million to those with as few as 50,000 residents, it offers the... More
The Rewards and Risks of Big Data: Urban Seminar Panelists Discuss the Open City
The inaugural IOC Urban Seminar, The Open City, examined a key question facing urban communities: How can cities take the massive influx of raw data into knowledge and turn that knowledge into a better city? Speakers from Boston University, Northeastern University, and the City of Boston explored the ways in which... More
IOC Releases Report on Lessons from the One Fund Boston
The Initiative on Cities is proud to announce the release of its first City Insight publication. This inaugural report, One Fund Boston: Lessons for Leaders, focuses on the factors that contributed to the success of the One Fund. Based on interviews with key community, corporate, and government stakeholders as well... More
Co-Director Thomas Menino Honored by American Bar Association
On Friday, August 8, 2014, Initiative on Cities (IOC) Co-Director Thomas Menino was honored by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of State and Local Government Law and presented with the Jefferson Fordham Award for Advocacy. In Boston for the 2014 ABA Annual Meeting, the Section of State and Local Government... More
Pardee Graduate Summer Fellows Meet with the IOC
Initiative on Cities Co-Director Tom Menino hosted the Pardee Graduate Summer Fellows for lunch on Wednesday, July 16, 2014. The conversation centered on the Fellows’ diverse summer projects at the Pardee Center. The former Mayor of Boston heard from each of the Summer Fellows about their research, with topics ranging from food... More
IOC Executive Director Katharine Lusk Participates in White House Summit
On June 23rd, IOC Executive Director Katharine Lusk participated in the White House Summit on Working Families. The one-day summit was designed to highlight policy interventions that provide better support to working women and families and innovative remedies cities and states have deployed in the absence of federal action. Speakers... More
IOC Meets with Mayor of Rome Ignazio Marino
On Saturday May 31, the Initiative on Cities was honored to host Mayor Ignazio Marino of Rome, Italy, Consul General Giuseppe Pastorelli, and their staff for breakfast and a conversation about the challenges facing cities like Rome and Boston. An ancient city flush with historic archaeological sites and ruins dating... More
IOC Hosts Israeli Delegation from Haifa
On Wednesday, May 14, 2014, Initiative on Cities Co-Director Thomas Menino hosted over two dozen community leaders from Boston and Haifa, Israel, for a conversation on social justice and community activism. The visitors participated in a Boston-Haifa Learning Exchange program through the Jewish Community Relations Council. The Learning Exchange program... More
New Orleans Conference: Preservation Matters
On April 16, Mayor Thomas Menino traveled to New Orleans to serve as a keynote speaker for the “Preservation Matters: The Economics of Authenticity.” Co-sponsored by the Tulane School of Architecture and the Preservation Resource Center, “Preservation Matters” convened public officials, preservation organizations, and academics from around the nation to... More