Hyperresolution large-eddy simulations for assessing the local impacts of heat mitigation strategies
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: Cities are emerging as the nexus of the energy, water, health, and climate challenges in the 21st century. More than 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, and the urban population continues growing. Urban areas are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Urbanization also modifies the Earth’s surface properties, resulting […]
New Partnership with Community Solutions to Research Homelessness Policy
Community Solutions — a leading nonprofit committed to creating a lasting end to homelessness — and researchers from Boston University and Cornell University will study the landscape of homelessness public policy and its consequences Numerous government agencies at all levels make public policies that are influential to the well-being of people experiencing homelessness in the […]
2022 Early Stage Urban Research Awards
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is pleased to announce the 2022 recipients of our eighth annual request for proposals for early stage urban research. These seed grants support early stage academic research endeavors focused on urban challenges and urban populations, both domestic and global. We received 30 applications from 16 schools and departments […]
Supporting Asian Parents and Children Talking about Race and Racism (ACTRR): A Pilot Ethnic Racial Socialization Intervention Study for Chinese and Vietnamese Families
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigators: Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans have experienced a significant increase in racism across the U.S., including in Boston. They may experience racism directly and/or are indirectly affected by highly publicized anti-Asian incidents across the U.S. Direct and indirect exposure to racism may increase the risk of mental […]
Basti Clearances: Examining the Characteristics of Informal Settlements Experiencing Evictions in India
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: Evictions in bastis (informal settlements) in India leave thousands of people from low-income communities homeless and violate several international human rights. Under India’s national informal settlement policy framework, some states have begun offering tenure rights that protect people from forced evictions. However, it remains unclear how these rights are conferred, given the […]
Small Particles Big Impacts: Using Novel Low-Cost Monitors to Characterize Air Pollution Exposure in Urban Communities
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigators Aerosol particles are ubiquitous in ambient air and are of great importance to human and environmental health. However, not all particulate matter is the same; the type and severity of health effects depend on particle characteristics, including the particle size, shape, concentration, and composition. While the United States has adopted distinct […]
Indoor air quality, thermal comfort, energy use, and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 engineering controls in Boston Public Schools
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Schools have many competing interests to keep their buildings operational and healthy for students and staff, including maintaining thermal comfort, good indoor air quality (IAQ), and minimizing energy consumption. Poor IAQ is associated with school absenteeism and health outcomes such as asthma exacerbations, while poor thermal comfort has been linked to […]
Climate finance and climate justice in small and midsize cities in the United States
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Cities have been important sites of climate action for more than two decades, and thousands of cities globally have adopted climate action plans. Implementing these climate mitigation efforts is already imposing additional costs to cities and urban governments are facing the challenge of identifying new revenue streams or redirecting existing sources […]
PES Portal: A Community Engaged Research Project
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator During the pandemic, children (0-17) were presenting in emergency departments with higher levels of acuity/severity, requiring more intensive psychiatric care. Psychiatric emergency services (PES) are designed to stabilize patients and prepare them for treatment following discharge. As part of that process, guardians and clinicians engage in shared decision making (SDM) when […]
A Prospective Mixed Methods Study of Maternal and Child Well-being and Risk of Relapse in the First Year Postpartum
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator The year after delivery is a vulnerable period for maternal-infant dyads in substance use recovery. Short and long-term risks include relapse, overdose, death, family dissolution and trauma. In particular, the late postpartum period represents a critical time with high rates of pharmacotherapy discontinuation by 6 months postpartum and the highest overdose […]