Faculty: Dan Li
Students analyzed the effects of extreme heat and urban heat islands on Boston Housing Authority (BHA) properties to inform the BHA’s efforts to mitigate impacts on their residents. As part of this analysis, students developed interactive maps that display average air and land surface temperatures for all 123 BHA properties, including a ranking of properties based on temperature data. Students also researched the economic, public health, and environmental impacts of climate change and urban heat in public housing, identified best practices for addressing extreme heat, and proposed potential interventions to mitigate heat stress.

Faculty: Jack Weinstein
Students evaluated major issues, including fare policy, governance and oversight, and human capital, affecting the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to inform Transportation for Massachusetts’ work.

Faculty: Katherine Levine Einstein
Students researched efforts to engage youth by analyzing why youth are engaged (or disengaged) in local elections and politics in select cities across Massachusetts, to inform Abundant Housing Massachusetts’ civic engagement work.

Faculty: Loretta Lees
Students conducted research on green gentrification for the Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN), a grassroots network of Boston residents and organizations advocating for policies promoting climate justice at the city and state levels. To inform BCAN’s work, students conducted a comprehensive literature review, examining academic sources alongside media reports, government documents, and reports from community groups and community development corporations. In their report, students offer definitions of green gentrification and other environmental and ecological forms of gentrification, explain how different disciplines measure and approach their understanding of green gentrification, report on the extent of green gentrification in Boston, and review possible mitigation strategies.

Faculty: Joseph Harris
Students examined the health challenges faced by residents of Upham’s Corner and the broader North Dorchester area of Boston in order to inform the work of Upham’s Community Care, a nonprofit providing affordable health care services to neighborhood residents. Through focus groups, interviews, and analysis of patient surveys and demographic data, students worked to identify barriers to accessing healthcare services and understand the role that Upham’s Community Care played in helping residents obtain services. In their report, students detail their findings, identifying challenges that Upham’s Community Care faces and providing recommendations in areas including telehealth and mobile clinic capabilities, food insecurity and nutrition, integrated care and behavioral health, and housing stability for residents.

Faculty: Yeşim Sungu-Eryilmaz
Students conducted an analysis of the existing conditions at the 31-acre Gillette redevelopment site, providing critical insights to inform the development process and aid the Fort Point Neighborhood Association and West Broadway Neighborhood Association in their efforts to ensure their residents’ interests are considered in development plans.

Faculty: Ian Mashiter
As part of a sprint project, students sought to understand why truck operators (and companies that contract with them) operating in the City of Cambridge do not adopt safety measures for bikers and pedestrians, and what could be done to promote the adoption of such measures.

Faculty: Ariel Tichnor-Wagner
In a half-semester course, three groups of students conducted research for the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC), a network of leaders across many sectors who have come together to advance health aging, including at the state and municipal level. To assist, students analyzed how three state tax policies aimed at benefiting aging residents are implemented at the municipal level. Through background research, surveys, and interviews, students were able to identify trends and develop policy insights and recommendations for three regions: Central Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley, and Southeastern Massachusetts.

Faculty: Merav Shohet
Students developed an easy-to-use assessment tool that resident advocates can use to evaluate whether public spaces are age- and dementia-friendly. Working with experts and Brookline residents, students used four civic sites in Brookline as pilot locations for the tool’s preliminary development.

Faculty: Shannon Whittaker
A student examined gentrification as a fair housing issue for the Boston Fair Housing Commission, with a particular focus on Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood.

Faculty: Anne Short Gianotti
Students examined the role that climate and equity-related advisory boards play in advancing climate justice efforts in various cities across the United States in order to inform the efforts of the BCAN as it seeks to advocate for effective policies in Boston.

Faculty: Betty Anderson
Students researched the history of urban renewal in Boston and its impact on communities, gaining a thorough understanding of the stories of both current and displaced West End residents, and analyzed archival materials.

Faculty: Sean Kealy
One student collaborated with the City of Boston to explore policy opportunities for reducing soft costs associated with development.

Faculty: Robert DiAdamo
Students analyzed the operational structure of a recent Equity & Inclusion Cabinet initiative to define and implement equity definitions and frameworks across various departments in Boston City Hall. The class interviewed staff from various departments at City Hall and outlined recommendations for measuring initiative progress and implementing best practices in future programs. Their report is not intended to be a program analysis and does not merely evaluate the effectiveness of the Cabinet’s efforts; rather, it analyzes how the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet’s initiative was organized and executed. Recommendations are intended to help guide the Cabinet as it measures its efforts and ensures the successful implementation of future programs.

Faculty: Luis Santiago
Continuing the work from a fall 204 project, students conducted an existing conditions analysis of the area near the 31-acre P&G Gillette redevelopment site in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood. Based on this analysis and community input, students developed a vision plan for the site’s redevelopment. This analysis and vision plan inform and assist the Fort Point Neighborhood Association and the West Broadway Neighborhood Association in their efforts to ensure that residents’ interests are considered and met during the redevelopment process.

Faculty: Christopher Carter
One group of students assessed the viability of a Merchandise Licensing Program for the City of Boston and proposed a potential structure for the program.

Faculty: Linda Banks-Santilli
Students researched the housing needs and desires of residents in Boston’s Roxbury, Dorchester, and East Boston neighborhoods, with a particular focus on the demand for family-sized housing.