The MetroBridge experiential learning program embeds real-world projects for municipalities and community organizations into existing courses at BU, enlisting our students and faculty as allies in addressing urban issues. The program cultivates projects by identifying the distinct research needs of cities, towns, and community-based organizations and collaborating with faculty across the university to find the best course match for each project. The program provides tailored research support to local communities while simultaneously providing real-world learning experiences to students from various disciplines to prepare them for their future careers.
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MetroBridge projects completed
municipal & community partners
students participated in MetroBridge projects
students agreed or strongly agreed that projects helped them learn better
students agreed or strongly agreed that projects had potential real-world impact
MetroBridge, the experiential learning program of the Boston University Initiative on Cities, collaborated with 14 municipal and community partners on 17 projects over the 2024-2025 academic year. During the fall and spring semesters, 293 students worked on applied learning projects, gaining real-world experience addressing urban challenges. Municipal and community partners interested in partnering with MetroBridge […]
MetroBridge, the experiential learning program of the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC), is seeking municipal and community project partners for the spring 2025 semester. About MetroBridge MetroBridge embeds the research needs of cities, towns, NGOs, and community organizations into semester-long courses at BU, providing students with experiential learning opportunities through real-world projects that support […]
We are happy to announce Associate Professor of Sociology Joseph Harris will be joining the Initiative on Cities (IOC) as the MetroBridge Faculty Director. His research is situated at the interstices of sociology, political science, and public health and explores the politics of global health. He holds the 2017 Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching, the […]
By Amelia Murray-Cooper In Professor Bruce J. Schulman's History of Boston: Community and Conflict (CAS HI 190) course, students developed six historic walking tours for the City of Chelsea that covered a broad range of topics, including Post-1965 Immigration, Business and Industry, Public Transit, The Fires of 1908 and 1973, Urban Renewal, and Food History. […]
By Amelia Murray-Cooper Lecturer Kaytlin Eldred collaborated with the MetroBridge Program in her spring 2022 course Cultural Humility, Racial Justice, and Health in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SAR HS 349). Undergraduate students supported the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester by performing research and providing recommendations for how to improve the […]
By Amelia Murray-Cooper In Associate Professor and MetroBridge Faculty Director David Glick's 2022 Local Policy Analysis Lab course undergraduate students performed an analysis of Providence’s residential parking permit program and researched how other cities’ policies and programs compare. They explored inequities in car ownership and usage, community participation in overnight parking programs, incentives to reduce […]
By Amelia Murray-Cooper During the spring 2022 semester, students at Boston University partnered with local governments and community-based organizations through the MetroBridge Program to address real-world urban challenges. MetroBridge is the Initiative on Cities’ experiential learning program that enables students to meet the distinct needs of local partners through research on topics like racial equity, […]
The Initiative on Cities’ MetroBridge experiential learning program has been awarded a two-year grant for $25,000 from the Davis Educational Foundation to support urban, place-based experiential learning at Boston University. The Davis Educational Foundation was established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’ retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. MetroBridge is a university-wide […]