Event Recap: Urban Growth and Citizenship Machines

On Wednesday, October 15th, the Initiative on Cities hosted a panel, “Urban Growth and Citizenship Machines,” where Boston University’s Professor Daniel Abramson discussed his forthcoming book, Designing Citizens. The panel also included prominent urban enthusiasts Lauren Mattioli, Anne Gatling Haynes, and Billy Dean Thomas. The conversation focused on the urban renewal project in Boston’s Government Center […]

Event Recap: Designing and Using Transit Maps

On Monday, October 27, 2025, the Initiative on Cities and the Metropolitan College City Planning & Urban Affairs Program co-hosted a discussion exploring the design and implementation of transit maps. This session of Transportation & The City featured Ken Dumas, Manager of the Central Transportation Planning Staff at the Boston MPO, and Mark Ovenden, broadcaster, […]

Event Recap: Boston University City Hall Day

By Danielle Mulligan Photos by Ting Wei Li On December 3rd, the Initiative on Cities (IOC) hosted the inaugural BU City Hall Day, building on the success of three cohorts of the IOC’s Public Impact Scholars (PIS) program. The goal of this event was to build relationships between BU faculty and City Hall leaders to […]