Should you have to pay for your resident parking permit?

The politics and policies of public street parking vary wildly in Greater Boston. Some communities, including the state’s largest city, allow residential parking for free. Others charge fees, but the amounts are all over the map. Some charge $10 for 10 months of parking and offer free residential parking for the other two months, while in one affluent suburb, renting a municipal overnight spot could cost you $1,200 a year.

Mass. Transportation Boss Joins Initiative on Cities to Chat Transit with City Planning & Urban Affairs Students

Just how does public transit enrich a city? On Thursday, March 5, the Metropolitan College City Planning & Urban Affairs (CPUA) programs, the BU Initiative on Cities, and the student-run Urban Planning Association hosted Phil Eng—MBTA general manager and interim Massachusetts secretary of transportation—for a lively “fireside” conversation that sought to unearth some of the answers. Held at the Kilachand Center, this student-centric discussion touched on the ways public transit shapes urban lives and those who work, live in, and visit cities—with Boston serving as the main example.

Being Boston’s University

BU’s place in Boston is a big reason students choose to study here. And the city embraces the University. Besides its arts, culture, sports, history, food, and recreation, Boston offers endless educational, research, and service opportunities to faculty, staff, and students. Internships at city hall. Partnerships with nonprofits. Meaningful experiences with Boston Public Schools.

This engagement was established in the early 20th century, as the University grappled with the example it intended to set. Lemuel Merlin, BU’s third president, determined that the institution would thenceforth be “in the heart of the city, in service of the city.” That mission remains true today.

Exploring the West End Museum Archives

Students in the CAS Engineering Boston class explored the West End Museum archives March 18, with the aim of using documents, photos, magazines, and maps to construct a curriculum about urban renewal in Boston. While the archives are digitized, CAS History Professor Betty Anderson brings her students, among them Mona Zhang (CAS’29) (left) and Yishan He (CAS’28), to the museum for the tactile experience of exploring documents, photos, magazines, and maps. Once they find an aspect of Boston’s West End to focus on, the students will work in teams to construct a curriculum about urban renewal in Boston.

‘That’s selective enforcement’: BU professors mobilize after University removes pride flags during spring break

Faculty are speaking out against Boston University’s signage policy amid ongoing disagreements over the removal of public-facing pride flags in office windows, an issue faculty say is an unnecessary breach of free speech. Several faculty members sent letters to BU President Melissa Gilliam after pride flags were stripped from the windows of three campus locations, including the office of one professor who has a storied history with the signage policy, while Commonwealth Avenue was vacant for spring break.

BU faculty decry removal of pride flags from campus offices

According to the letter addressed to campus president Melissa Gilliam, the flags were pulled from windows in the women’s studies program and some professors’ offices. These acts “suppress free speech on campus” and are “just one of a growing number of disappointing choices by the administration to contradict the values it purports to champion,” wrote associate professor Joseph Harris, who co-leads the BU chapter of the of the American Association of University Professors.

How Transit Enriches a City

A student-focused fireside chat with Phil Eng, MBTA general manager and interim Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation, was held March 5 at the Kilachand Center. Panelists explored how public transit shapes urban lives and those who work, live in, or visit cities, with a focus on the Boston region and the MBTA. The event was hosted by BU’s Initiative on Cities, the Metropolitan College City Planning & Urban Affairs program, and the Urban Planning Association.

Boston University Hosts Fireside Chat on Public Transit’s Impact

Boston University recently hosted a student-focused fireside chat exploring how public transit enriches cities, with a focus on the Boston region and the MBTA. The event, held at the Kilachand Center, featured a panel discussion with Phil Eng, the MBTA general manager and interim Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation, and was organized by BU’s Initiative on Cities, the Metropolitan College City Planning & Urban Affairs program, and the Urban Planning Association.