Tammy Dong: Reflecting on my 2023–2024 NLC Menino Fellowship
The Menino Fellowship has been an amazing experience and widened my perspective on the work done by municipal leaders across the country. During the 2023-2024 school year, I was a senior finishing my degree in International Relations. I hadn’t taken any classes in urban policy before, so the research that I did during the course […]
Introducing the Initiative on Cities 2025 Public Impact Scholars Cohort
We’re thrilled to announce the Initiative on Cities 2025 Public Impact Scholars cohort! This year, 21 BU researchers will take part in a multi-day workshop to equip them with skills to translate their research into meaningful policy and societal impact. This group of researchers represents six colleges and 13 departments across the university, sharing a […]
Meet Our New Visiting Scholar: Pinar Çobanyilmaz
We’re excited to announce Pinar Çobanyilmaz as the Initiative on Cities Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar. She is a Turkish urban scholar who is currently researching urban and rural climate resiliency measures and management after forest fires. Her academic research areas include climate change and urban resilience, the right to the city, urban conflicts, the politics of […]
IOC Director Loretta Lees to Receive 2025 Urban Affairs Association “Contribution to the Field of Urban Affairs Award”
The Boston University Initiative on Cities is excited to announce that Director Loretta Lees will receive the 2025 Contribution to the Field of Urban Affairs Award from the Urban Affairs Association (UAA). Director Lees will formally accept this award at the upcoming International Conference on Urban Affairs in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In addition to her […]
We’re Hiring: Postdoctoral Research Associate
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position starting September 1, 2025. This is a two-year appointment. The IOC PDRA will have expertise in urban studies and undertake a research project designed by themselves in relation to an urban issue or challenge in the U.S. and/or abroad. […]
2025 Initiative on Cities City of Boston Summer Internship Applications Now Open
The IOC is excited to offer three paid undergraduate internship opportunities this summer. Interns will work 35 hours weekly in Boston’s City Hall in one of the three roles listed below. Equity & Inclusion Cabinet [Free housing in partnership with the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground]: The intern will advance Boston’s racial equity policy priorities, foster community engagement […]
IOC Fall 2024 Event Highlights
The Two Faces of Fear: Violence and Inequality in the Mexican Metropolis Book Talk & Discussion September 18, 2024 Boston University Initiative on Cities, Center for Latin American Studies, and Department of Sociology held a book talk on Assistant Professor of Sociology Ana Villarreal’s newly published book on the impacts of criminal and state violence […]
Louisville KY Metro Council have voted unanimously for a new Anti-Displacement Tool
By Loretta Lees (Boston University), Kenton Card (University of Minnesota), and Andre Comandon (University of Southern California) Led by the Initiative on Cities at Boston University, Loretta Lees (Boston University), Kenton Card (Boston University, now the University of Minnesota), and Andre Comandon (University of Southern California) developed a new Anti-Displacement Assessment Tool (ADA Tool) to be implemented by the Louisville Metro Government. […]
2024 Greater Boston Housing Report Card
The Initiative on Cities Co-Authors the 2024 Greater Boston Housing Report Card Special Analysis on Using Public Land to Develop Affordable Housing Greater Boston’s well-publicized housing challenges continue, even as communities work to change zoning rules to comply with the state’s new MBTA Communities requirements. A lack of new construction, high interest rates, and changing […]
City Makers: Urban Experiential Learning Open House
When: Friday, November 22, 12 PM – 1:30 PM ET Where: Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road Calling all students! Stop by the BU Initiative on Cities to learn about our urban experiential learning opportunities. From our MetroBridge classroom-based program to our internships and fellowships with Boston City Hall and the National League of […]