Initiative on Cities Releases 2021 Annual Report

The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is proud to release our 2021 Annual Report. It reflects on the research, learning, events, and people that have empowered the next generation of civic leaders at Boston University and advanced inclusive urban transformation.

As IOC Co-Directors Graham Wilson (now retired) and Katharine Lusk wrote of the 2020–2021 academic year, “COVID-19, nationwide protests against racial injustice, and attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 Presidential election and Constitutional procedures made the year a period of exceptional challenge and political reckoning.”

Over the past year, the IOC:

• Continued to lead the Menino Survey of Mayors, with the 2020 survey exploring mayoral responses to COVID-19, attitudes towards police reform, and efforts to reclaim the public realm
• Catalyzed and sponsored impactful urban research through our Early Stage Urban Research Awards, awarding 14 projects
• Continued the MetroBridge experiential learning program, which embeds real-world projects for municipalities and community organizations into existing courses at BU, completing 10 projects in collaboration with 7 Massachusetts cities
• Hosted critical conversations and reached out to a global audience through our seminar series, convening experts from BU and beyond, ranging from Accra to Oakland to Paris, including:
  • The Black Boston series, featuring Boston’s transformative Black leaders, along with WBUR CitySpace and BU Diversity & Inclusion
  • A series on Race, Place, and Space, with the BU Arts Initiative and BU Diversity & Inclusion
• Created the Public Impact Scholars program, which brought BU faculty together with like-minded peers to learn how to influence urban policy
• Supported students in their academic and professional development by continuing paid student fellowships with the National League of Cities and the City of Boston, and beginning a new fellowship with City of Chelsea

As Co-Directors Wilson and Lusk wrote, “As we reflect back on our first seven years, we are in awe of how much our modest team has accomplished. As we look ahead, we continue to marvel at the engagement and enthusiasm of BU leadership, faculty, staff and students for our work, and remain confident in a vibrant urban future.”