Speaker John Bercow Visits BU Initiative on Cities
On May 29, 2019, the Boston University Initiative on Cities was honored to welcome the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, John Bercow, as part of a series of visits by major public figures. Students from IOC Director Professor Graham Wilson’s British Politics class and members of the BU faculty representing the College of […]
Are Today’s Frontiers Inside Cities? A Lecture by Saskia Sassen
By: Doruntina Zeneli On Tuesday, April 30, Saskia Sassen joined the Initiative of Cities to speak about increased competition for housing, rising rent, and how housing is deemed as a commodity for financial firms. Sassen first highlighted the capabilities society has today: “We have capabilities that are rather simple, but how can we make them […]
What Will It Take to End Homelessness in Boston & Beyond? Insights From Policy, Research & Advocacy
By: Doruntina Zeneli On Wednesday April 17, Tom Byrne, Laila Bernstein and Joe Finn joined the Initiative of Cities to speak about how homelessness impacts Boston and other cities throughout the U.S. Each speaker suggested several plans to resolve chronic homelessness through initiatives such as Permanent Supportive Housing and subsidized housing. Tom Byrne, Assistant […]
Meeting the Challenge: Global Innovations in Urban Housing
As America’s housing crisis persists, high-cost cities increasingly face three immediate challenges: affordability, public housing, and homelessness. On April 8-9, 2019, the Boston University Initiative on Cities hosted Meeting the Challenge: Global Innovations in Urban Housing, an international conference to address these challenges. Participants featured the High-Cost Cities Housing Forum (HCHF), a peer-to-peer group comprised of […]
Book Talk: “The Urban Commons” by Dan O’Brien
By: Doruntina Zeneli On Wednesday March 27, Dan O’Brien, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Urban Affairs and Criminology Northeastern University, spoke about the current 311 system in Boston and illustrated data trends that showcased how Bostonians interact with their neighborhoods and local governments. In his new book, The Urban Commons: How Data and Technology Can […]
Beyond Congestion: Pathways for Mobility
By: Doruntina Zeneli On Tuesday, March 26, panelists discussed how current transportation networks within major cities do not operate efficiently and how future technology will serve a key role in incentivizing change and eliminating congestion. The conversation was initially led by Matthew Raifman, Senior Manager at Ford Smart Mobility. Raifman described congestion as an “excess […]
Book Talk: “The Cities on the Hill” by Thomas Ogorzalek
By Doruntina Zeneli On Friday, March 22, Thomas Ogorzalek, Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University spoke about the divide between urban and rural America and how racial conflict shaped the current political landscape of our country. He illustrated how the divide between these areas originated in his new book, The Cities on the Hill: How […]
Research on Tap: The American City: Promoting Inclusion or Sowing Division?
By Doruntina Zeneli On Wednesday, February 27, professors from various academic fields of political science, global health, economics, and social work presented their findings on current issues surrounding the “American City” and unpacked the question of its impact on inclusivity and division. Research presentations focused on topics ranging from housing wealth effects, aged homelessness, and […]
Research Spotlight: 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors
By Doruntina Zeneli On Wednesday, February 13, Assistant Professors Katherine Einstein and Maxwell Palmer and Associate Professor David Glick joined the Initiative on Cities, sharing key findings from the 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors based on interviews with 110 mayors across 37 states. The three highlighted mayoral views on social mobility, living wage ordinances, the sharing economy, immigration, […]
Urban Health Symposium
On Thursday, December 6th, the Boston University School of Public Health (SPH), the Initiative on Cities, and the Yale Institute for Global Health co-hosted an Urban Health Symposium that examined the intersection of public health and urban development. Over 30 scholars worldwide participated in six panels that discussed the implications of massive global urbanization on […]