Seed Funding Opportunity: Pilot Partnerships in Massachusetts
GUDL is launching a special, time-limited pilot program to support the development of partnerships addressing gentrification and displacement in Massachusetts. We invite local organizations and individuals to submit requests for collaboration for a chance to receive seed funding in early 2026. This pilot aims to foster new, cross-sector partnerships that bridge local knowledge, research, and policy to […]
Meet Josh Lown, Postdoctoral Research Associate
We’re excited to introduce and welcome our new Postdoctoral Research Associate, Josh Lown! Josh was born and raised in Michigan and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Michigan State University. Soon after finishing his master’s program in social work, he moved to the Boston area to begin his PhD in social work, where his […]
Age and Homeownership Drive the Local Turnout Gap
In this article, we use a national voter file to compare turnout in general, midterm, and off-cycle local elections in over 500 cities. We provide novel estimates of turnout gaps by race, age, and homeownership status in local elections, and identify stark inequalities compared with national and state elections. We find sizable turnout gaps both by age and homeownership status at the local levels, far exceeding those in national contests.
IOC Releases 2025 Annual Report
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is proud to share our 2025 Annual Report, marking 11 years of impact. This past year, we deepened our role as an interdisciplinary hub for urbanists — bridging research and practice, leading place-based experiential learning programs, and expanding connections with partners locally, nationally, and globally. Together, these efforts […]
How Do Crises Impact Policy Debates? The shifting national landscape of discourse on rental housing in the USA
How do crises impact national policy debates? We find that the crisis of COVID-19 expanded and changed the structure of discourse: from a smaller conversation pre-COVID-19 in which public and subsidized housing prevailed toward an explosion during the pandemic on eviction protections and rent controls, followed by a larger emphasis on discrimination.
Association Between Racial Equity Plans and Political and Sociodemographic Factors in US Cities
Understanding cities’ approach to addressing inequities is important for measuring progress and developing effective strategies. From May to August 2023, we implemented topic and regression modeling approaches to assess how the 200 largest cities in the USA were planning to implement strategies to address racial inequity.
The Initiative on Cities Joins Leading Global Institutions in Launching Alliance to Advance Human-Centric Urban Research
By Singapore Management University July 2, 2025 (Vienna, Austria) – Five globally respected academic institutions have come together to launch the Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies – a pioneering initiative that places people at the heart of urban research and policymaking. The partnership was announced today at the Singapore Management University (SMU) City Dialogues […]
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.
The Response of a Northeastern Temperate Forest to Future Scenarios of Climate Change and Energy Policies Through the 21st Century
Simulations suggest that carbon storage in forest ecosystems will continue to increase throughout the 21st century, but the increase will become increasingly limited by nitrogen availability. The energy policy scenarios are projected to continue a decline in atmospheric nitrogen deposition, which will slow carbon accumulation and further accelerate the ongoing nitrogen oligotrophication. Therefore, future management may need to consider the effects of increasing nitrogen limitation on the carbon sequestration potential and the structure and function of northeastern temperate forests.
Developing Place-Based Learning Opportunities to Support Climate Change Education in Somerville Public Schools
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: This project aims to support meaningful learning in climate science and increase student agency regarding climate change impacts and resilience, with a focus on urban students in communities affected by extreme heat. Boston University researchers, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), and Somerville Public Schools (SPS) will partner to explore and […]