Urban Seminar: The Cultural City
Cultural images of Boston range from its venerable arts and music institutions to the seamy underworld portrayed in the film The Departed. As in many cities, these polar extremes mask a rich spectrum of urban cultures. Featuring, from left to right, Rebecca Ostriker (Arts Editor, The Boston Globe), Associate Professor Charles Merzbacher (Film, College of […]
Teaching the City
The Initiative on Cities is excited to host Teaching the City as part of its Urban Seminar Series. This conversation with BU faculty and experts will focus on engaging students with Boston. Urban universities experience all of the benefits and many of the challenges of cities. Teaching about the city seems to be a critical […]
Urban Seminar Series: Policing the City
The Initiative on Cities is excited to host the next edition of our Urban Seminar Series, Policing the City: a conversation on race, municipal leadership and public safety moderated by BU Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore on Monday, February 23rd, from 2:30 pm -4:00 pm at the Florence & Chafetz Hillel House, 213 Bay State […]
National Survey of Mayors: Research Spotlight
What are the most significant obstacles facing 21st-century mayors? Which policy areas do mayors care most deeply about? With federal support diminishing as urban populations steadily rise, how can mayors lead their cities toward a more stable and sustainable future? In a first-of-its-kind National Survey of Mayors, the Initiative on Cities examined how America’s most […]
IOC Urban Seminar: The Inclusive City
On Thursday, December 4, 2014, Boston University students, faculty, and area practitioners gathered for The Inclusive City, the third edition of the Initiative on Cities’ Urban Seminar Series. Coming on the heels of widespread public unrest over the Eric Garner case in New York City and the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri, the Seminar’s […]
The Rewards and Risks of Big Data: Urban Seminar Panelists Discuss the Open City
The inaugural IOC Urban Seminar, The Open City, examined a key question facing urban communities: How can cities take the massive influx of raw data into knowledge and turn that knowledge into a better city? Speakers from Boston University, Northeastern University, and the City of Boston explored the ways in which big data can be […]
IOC Hosts Israeli Delegation from Haifa
On Wednesday, May 14, 2014, Initiative on Cities Co-Director Thomas Menino hosted over two dozen community leaders from Boston and Haifa, Israel, for a conversation on social justice and community activism. The visitors participated in a Boston-Haifa Learning Exchange program through the Jewish Community Relations Council. The Learning Exchange program connects social advocacy and community […]
IOC Hosts First Speaker Series with Senator Elizabeth Warren
On April 14, 2014, the Initiative on Cities hosted Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for a roundtable discussion on the need for greater federal investment in health research. Senator Warren and IOC Co-Director Tom Menino hosted a roundtable discussion with leading medical researchers and hospital leadership. Participants highlighted the long-term repercussions of diminished federal funding, including the […]
IOC Cohosts Symposium on the Latin American Urban Experience
On April 9th, the Initiative on Cities co-hosted a mini-conference, together with the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future, on “The Latin American Urban Experience: Crisis, Creativity, and Renewal.” The symposium featured two panels, including BU Faculty and students, discussing major issues and everyday life in Latin American Cities. IoC Co-Director Tom […]