[BOSTON, MA] May 19, 2026 — The Boston University Initiative on Cities Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) is proud to announce the recipients of our first pilot partnership seed grant between the City of Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA), City of Cambridge Economic Opportunity and Development Division (EODD), and the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN). The pilot partnership award is part of GUDL’s aim to foster new, cross-sector collaborations to advance innovative anti-displacement policy and practice.
“SBAN is grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with Cambridge leaders on locally specific small business anti-displacement strategies. We’re excited to learn more about how the city is creating affordable retail space, how other cities can do the same, and what additional strategies can complement these efforts.”
Following the CRA’s request for collaboration, GUDL facilitated a partnership that connects Cambridge’s local expertise with SBAN’s national leadership in small-business anti-displacement strategies. The collaboration is intended to strengthen Cambridge’s efforts to support small businesses while generating lessons and practices that can inform anti-displacement work in other communities.
The CRA and EODD will work with SBAN to host the Cambridge Small Business Talks at the end of 2026. These talks, facilitated by SBAN Director and Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Maryland, Willow Lung, will include a commercial anti-displacement workshop for Cambridge leaders and members of the City’s primary business associations.
They will also have site visits to the CRA’s Neighborhood Storefronts Project at 1175 Cambridge Street, Central Square, and Porter Square. This program seeks to bridge local knowledge with SBAN’s national expertise in anti-displacement solutions for small businesses. The collaboration also provides opportunities for the City of Cambridge to listen, inform, and support local businesses. Pardis Saffari, Director of Economic Opportunity and Development at the City of Cambridge, looks forward to the new partnership benefiting Cambridge businesses:
“The City of Cambridge is proud to partner with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority in securing support from the BU GUDL program. This grant strengthens our shared commitment to preventing small business displacement and preserving the diversity, creativity, and cultural vibrancy that define our commercial districts. Cambridge’s small businesses are essential to the fabric of our community, and this collaboration allows us to expand the resources, stability, and long‑term opportunities they need to thrive.”
Loretta Lees, Director of the Initiative on Cities, looks forward to GUDL’s reach to go beyond academia and unlock new solutions on the ground: “I am so excited by our new initiative, GUDL, and the convergence of our academic work with non-academic bodies and local communities to co-create solutions to, in this inaugural case, commercial displacement.”
About the Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL)
The Gentrification and Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) at Boston University’s Initiative on Cities brings together researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, and advocates committed to understanding and addressing the forces of gentrification and displacement.
Through cross-sector collaboration, GUDL develops evidence-based strategies and policies to prevent displacement and promote equitable urban development. The Lab convenes diverse partners — from local communities to global networks — to share insights, co-create solutions, and seed-fund projects that combine academic research, grassroots expertise, and policy innovation to deliver measurable impact in cities.
About the Boston University Initiative on Cities
The Initiative on Cities (IOC) at Boston University is an urban research center that serves as an interdisciplinary hub for urbanists, connecting research and practice and leading place-based experiential learning programs for students. We marshal the talents and resources of wide-ranging disciplines across the university and forge ties to cities locally, nationally, and globally – in pursuit of creating more livable and resilient cities.