US Mayors Cite Red Tape as One Factor in Slowing Clean Energy Projects, BU Researchers Find
More than half of US mayors—6 out of 10—saw little or no impact from the Inflation Reduction Act in the first year after its passage, attributing the unimpressive imprint of one of President Biden’s signature legislative achievements to the challenging grant application process and the public’s lack of familiarity with its details. That is one of the takeaways in the 2023 Menino Survey of Mayors by Boston University’s Initiative on Cities (IOC).
2023 Menino Survey of Mayors: Building for a Green Future
Passed in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) features unprecedented federal investment in environmental initiatives. It provides around $370 billion in resources for clean energy technology. To better understand local communities’ experience of the IRA, Boston University’s Initiative on Cities surveyed a nationally representative sample of 118 mayors leading cities. These interviews give us insights into mayoral experiences, as well as the experiences of individual households trying to access IRA resources.
There are even fewer affordable apartments in Massachusetts than we thought, according to new data
A new, publicly-available database is backing up what many frustrated Massachusetts residents already know: the state’s shortage of affordable housing is even worse than previously known. The data dashboard was released Tuesday by the nonprofit group Housing Navigator Massachusetts, which also runs an online search tool intended to help renters find affordable housing options.
Gastronomy Student Helps Bring New Life to City Farmers Markets through Mayor’s Office Fellowship
When Andrea Catania first heard about an opportunity to join the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, she didn’t think her Master of Arts in Gastronomy studies would qualify her. But she soon learned the program was open to graduate students of all types, and with the help of the BU Initiative on Cities, she was able to land a summer fellowship that gave her eight weeks to make a difference in the lives of Boston residents.
Muppets from Sesame Workshop help explain opioid addiction to young children
Tevis Simon grew up in West Baltimore back in the 1980s, a neighborhood that lacked attention from the city and investment from the government. From day to day, she was never sure what version of her mother she’d encounter. “I knew that if my mom had her drugs, that she was fun, mommy. And if she didn’t, then she was mean mommy,” Simon says.
ELECTION 2023: Being mayor is a tough job, why do these two want it?
Gentrification is happening in cities all around the globe: an influx of more affluent residents and rising housing prices pushes out existing tenants, changing the character of a neighborhood or community. The process can be driven by a host of factors, from the economics of development to climate change. Thursday, October 26, through Saturday, October 28, the Initiative on Cities and BU’s Department of Sociology are hosting “Gentrification & Displacement: What Can We Do About It? An International Dialogue.”
Four at-large candidates take up the issues at BU Democrats forum
Nestled in womb chairs on a platform, four of the eight candidates seeking at-large seats on the Boston City Council in the Nov. 7 election fielded questions last Tuesday night (Oct. 3) from more than eighty students at a forum organized by Boston University College Democrats. The topics ranged from housing needs to climate change to the city’s ongoing crisis over drug use and recovery.
City council forum highlights need for accountability and transparency at institutions of higher education
Candidates running for Boston City Council At-Large gathered at Boston University on Oct. 3 to participate in a forum hosted by the Boston University College Democrats (BUCD) and the Boston University Initiative on Cities. Candidates fielded questions from a panel, which included Sean Waddington, president of BUCD, and Dhruv Kapadia, BU’s student body president, focusing on college students’ experiences and how candidates plan to hold higher education institutions and their administrations accountable to the public.
BU College Democrats Host City Council Forum
With this year’s Boston City Council election coming up on November 7, BU College Democrats invited candidates running for at-large seats to a candidate forum on October 3 at the Center for Computing & Data Sciences. Candidates Julia Mejia (from left), Erin Murphy, Henry Santana, and Ruthzee Louijuene responded to moderator questions and questions from students. The 13-member City Council is made up of 4 at-large councilors representing the entire city and 9 district councilors representing specific areas.
High prices, years-long wait lists: Massachusetts needs more senior housing
Nearing 70 years old, Mary McPeak had long had a stable home in Greater Boston. But after a breakup four years ago, she suddenly found herself unmoored, couch-surfing at friends’ homes or renting a room while she faced years-long wait lists for affordable senior housing.
Then a break: McPeak “won the lottery,” figuratively and quite literally, when she was selected in 2020 by lottery for a new senior housing complex, the Brown Family House in Brookline run by 2Life Communities.