We seek to understand and address the most pressing challenges facing local leaders in relation to the contemporary state of cities and their future, both nationally and globally. We bring together academics, elected officials, policymakers, practitioners, businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders to learn from one another and co-create solutions.
When: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET Where: Virtual; Register here Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for a webinar exploring how small and midsize cities are advancing climate action – and the creative strategies they are using to fund and implement it. The event will spotlight findings from a […]
By The Boston Foundation, November 12, 2025 Boston, MA – A new report on the current state of housing in Greater Boston presents a picture of strong construction, a concerning trend in building permits, and critical affordability challenges in the region. The mixed signals are the focus of the 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card, […]
The Boston University Initiative on Cities and the School of Hospitality Administration released a new brief examining how Boston's short-term rental (STR) regulations are working in practice. The brief summarizes key insights on how the rules have reshaped the size and characteristics of the city’s STR market, as well as what the data reveal about […]
Where: Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. When: January 15-17, 2026 Conference Co-Chairs: Karen Chapple (School of Cities, University of Toronto), Loretta Lees (Initiative on Cities, Boston University), and Jesse M. Keenan (Center on Climate Change and Urbanism, Tulane University) Conference Sponsors: Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant and Tulane […]
The Boston University Initiative on Cities is excited to launch Third Spaces: an interdisciplinary, student-led zine that brings together diverse stories on urbanism. Third Spaces celebrates the rich diversity of city life. We foster relationships across communities and hold civic leaders accountable to public needs. Through an interdisciplinary approach, Third Spaces addresses urban inequalities to […]
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 […]
When: Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 4:00 – 5:30 PM Where: Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215 Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities and City Planning & Urban Affairs Program at Metropolitan College for our annual Careers in Transportation Information Session! This session provides a direct venue for students and aspiring […]
When: November 3, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:30 PM ET Where: Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215 Join the Boston University Department of Sociology and Initiative on Cities for a special session of the Urban Inequalities Workshop featuring Dr. Daniel T. O’Brien’s (Northeastern University) latest book, The Pointillistic City (MIT Press, […]
