Integrated tree canopy expansion and cool roofs can optimize air temperature and heat exposure reductions in Boston
Tree canopy expansion and albedo management represent pathways to reduce urban heat. Here we develop a statistical model to downscale coarse resolution estimates of air temperature and estimate marginal impacts of tree canopy and cool roof solutions across southern New England during 2021–2022. We quantify how tree canopy and cool roof solutions can be integrated to maximize heat exposure reduction, given feasibility and cost constraints.
Validation of an Electronic Health Record Algorithm for Identifying Housing‐Related Needs in a Safety‐Net Health System
Accurate, efficient identification of housing-related needs, including homelessness or housing instability, is crucial for health systems addressing health-related social needs (HRSN). We developed and validated a novel, pragmatic electronic health record (EHR)-based algorithm to identify patients with housing-related needs.
2026 Early Stage Urban Research Awards: Request for Proposals
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) Early Stage Urban Research Awards is accepting project proposals for the 2026 cycle from Boston University faculty members and graduate students. This year, we invite research proposals that explore pressing challenges and solutions facing cities—past, present, and future. Projects may focus on urban places and populations at the […]
2026 Initiative on Cities Summer Internship Applications Now Open
Calling all Boston University students: IOC’s 2026 summer internship applications are now open! This year, the Initiative on Cities is offering four full-time, paid summer internships in the public sector. You can now apply: all information related to the internships is on their respective pages. Please note that, to apply, you must be in good […]
Effects of a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program on Community Violence in Boston, Massachusetts: A Target Trial Emulation
For these reasons, we used observational data from the HVIP at Boston Medical Center (BMC), one of the longest-running HVIPs in the United States, to emulate target trials on the HVIP’s effectiveness for violence prevention. The goal of the study was to answer the causal question of whether HVIP engagement reduced future violent reinjury and violence perpetration among young adults hospitalized for violence-related injuries. We estimated the observational analogues of per-protocol effects for 2 treatment strategies selected in consultation with BMC HVIP staff: a) engaging with the HVIP within 1 month of the initial violence-related injury (“index injury”) and b) sustained engagement with the HVIP over the first 2 months post–index injury (engaging >4 of the first 8 weeks).
Toward ‘multiplied displacement’: Theorizing at the intersections of migration and urban studies
In this article, we analyze and then conceptually combine separately developed frameworks of displacement in urban and migration research. We consider internationally displaced migrants’ continued and multiplied experiences of displacement in cities and urban areas as an entry point through which to explore the intersections between international and urban displacement. In doing so, we move beyond disciplinary divides and take some preliminary conceptual and analytical steps toward developing a more rigorous, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive framework of displacement: one that enables us to see connections, similarities, and differences between a variety of displacement processes, forms, and experiences.
Development and validation of a 1-item very low food security screen
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has made screening for health-related social needs (HRSNs) mandatory since 2024. Patients screening positive for HRSN food insecurity (FI) are connected with Supplemental Nutrition Services using 1115 Demonstration waivers. With a shift in funding, Massachusetts adopted a more stringent FI-level screening protocol (very low food security [VLFS]). To date, there is no screening tool that identifies VLFS alone; thus, we developed a sensitive, specific, and valid screen to determine risk for VLFS.
Defending the innovation district: Violence, urban entrepreneurialism, and the privatization of public security in Monterrey, Mexico
Drawing on and extending this line of work, this article examines how a private sector can leverage the local state, an anchor institution (a university), and district residents to create what we call a defended entrepreneurial district—an entrepreneurial district receiving priority public–private policing from above and heightened neighborhood vigilance from below to secure a territory for capital gain in a high-violence context. Our case study is the Distrito Tec, a private university-led innovation district launched in 2014 in Monterrey, Mexico in the aftermath of a major metropolitan security crisis.
Modeling the Distribution, Impacts, and Mitigation of Anthropogenic Heat in Los Angeles
Anthropogenic heat emissions from human energy consumption contribute to the urban heat island (UHI) effect, yet their spatiotemporal distributions and impacts remain uncertain. In this study, we develop a 100 m resolution, hourly anthropogenic heat flux (AHF) dataset for Los Angeles (LA) County and we use the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to quantify both meteorological impacts of AHF and heat mitigation potential of electrification and energy efficiency (EE) measures.
#BUandBoston: Urbanism Club at Boston University
This post is part of our #BUandBoston series, highlighting the work and research of BU students, faculty, and staff throughout the City of Boston and the Greater Boston region. Interested in having your Boston-related work featured? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter (@BUonCities) using the #BUandBoston or send us an email at ioc@bu.edu. By Sasa […]