Housing. Heat. Health.
The Initiative's new tripartite research agenda seeks to connect and engage practitioners, policymakers, governments, and communities to pursue evidence-based and practical solutions.
When: Friday, June 12, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 PM Where: Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for a discussion highlighting work from our upcoming exhibition, Right to the City. Henri Lefebvre coined the “Right to the City” in 1968 to assert that […]
When: Thursday, June 11, 2026, 5:00 - 7:00 PM Where: Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for the opening reception of Right to the City, a new exhibition featuring the work of photographer and advocate Dominic Moulden. Following a brief program, the floor […]
[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 Initiative on Cities (IOC) is excited to announce that Ellie Nakasone-Amaguin (CAS ’26) has been awarded the IOC Student Prize for the 2026 school year. Ellie is an Architectural Studies student and will be pursuing a master's degree in Urban Planning at Columbia University this fall. The $1,000 prize is presented annually to one […]
We are delighted to announce that Loretta Lees, Director of the Initiative on Cities and Professor of Sociology at Boston University, has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Patron's Medal by the Royal Geographical Society. Recognition of Groundbreaking Scholarship The Patron's Medal, one of the Society's two highest honours and requiring approval by His Majesty, King […]
By Sasa Ramos | Photos by Onjoli Palmer On Tuesday, April 22, the Center on Forced Displacement, the Boston Urban Salon, and the Initiative on Cities welcomed Associate Professor Romola Sanyal (London School of Economics) for a lively discussion exploring how displacement – both structural and episodic – shapes people’s lives, identities, and urban spaces. […]
By Angelina Baicu | Photos by Ting Wei Li On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, the Boston University Initiative on Cities, alongside the City Planning & Urban Affairs Program, welcomed BU Urbanist and Lecturer, Jim O'Connell, for a discussion surrounding his new book “Boston and the Making of a Global City.” In it, he highlights Boston’s historical and contemporary […]
When: Tuesday, April 21, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 PM ET (reception: 6:30-7:00pm) Where: Boston University Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215 Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities, Center on Forced Displacement, and the Boston Urban Salon for a discussion exploring how displacement – both structural and episodic – shapes people’s lives, […]
