Event Recap: Boston’s Hidden Histories

On November 14th, three experts across biology, archaeology, and American studies converged at the Initiative on Cities to present on Boston’s hidden histories, whether physically hidden under the ground or figuratively hidden from documentation. Ian Stevenson, a Ph.D. candidate in American & New England Studies Program at Boston University, presented on the class war behind […]

NLC Menino Fellow Augustine Jimenez Attends the City Summit in Charlotte

Our 2017-2018 National League of Cities Menino Fellow, Augustine Jimenez, recently attended the NLC City Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina. More than 4,000 attendees participated in hands-on workshops, learned from seminars by city leaders, and networked with other delegates in local government.

In the News: Professor Rotjan’s Urban Coral Project

Congratulations to Professor Randi Rotjan for receiving media coverage by WPRI 12 and ecoRI News on her urban coral project. Rotjan received an IOC Urban Research Award in 2017 to support her project, which analyzes the impact of microplastics and microbial films on urban coral. Concerned about the 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons of […]

Introducing the New IOC Associate Director, Stacy Fox

We’re so excited to introduce Stacy Fox as our new Associate Director. Prior to joining the Initiative, Stacy was a Planner with the Cambridge Housing Authority, where she managed the rehabilitation and capital improvement plans for several multifamily developments in Cambridge Housing’s portfolio. Stacy also served as an Associate with the Technical Assistance Collaborative, a […]

Virtual Reality & Urban Ecology Teleport to Experience Urban Infrastructure on Dorchester Avenue

On October 25th, PhD candidates Yaxiong Ma and Jessica Wright demonstrated their virtual reality project on urban underground infrastructure. With the guidance of BU Earth & Environment professors Sucharita Gopal and Nathan Phillips, the two explored how to create a coordinated infrastructure system. Through a virtual reality headset created by Ma, users can teleport to four different views of Dorchester Avenue in […]

IOC Partners with Questrom and Arup for Executive Program

The Boston University Initiative on Cities partnered with the Questrom School of Business and Arup to develop and host a six-month experiential program for urban executives. Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists, working across every aspect of today’s built environment. Twenty-five students from major global cities convened in […]

Professor Perspectives: Gentrification in Boston: Are You a Gentrifier?

On October 25th, Sociology Professor Japonica Brown-Saracino and PhD candidates Taylor Cain and Sarah Hosman discussed gentrification in Boston through a historical lens and through specific case studies in Allston, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury. Professor Japonica Brown-Saracino took the audience through the origins of gentrification; Ruth Glass coined the term in 1964 when she noticed the […]

Thank You, Mayor Menino

Today marks three years since the passing of our co-founder, Mayor Tom Menino. He believed in the power of mayors to improve lives and take bold steps toward protecting the environment. He believed in the importance of cities as welcoming places devoted to fairness, equity and justice. He believed in the power of youth to […]

Event Recap: Reflections On Public Service

Last Monday, four BU alumni joined Katharine Lusk, the Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities, to reflect on their lives in public service. Tyler Fields (CAS ‘16), Daniel Lesser (Questrom ‘17), Shari Davis (SAR ‘10, ‘12), and Andrew Vargas (CAS ‘15) discussed why they got started, how they stay motivated, and what young students should do to engage in politics. The event is […]