IOC Releases 2026 Annual Report
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is proud to share our 2026 Annual Report, highlighting another year of work to connect urban research, learning, and practice. For more than a decade, the IOC has brought together scholars, students, policymakers, and practitioners to better understand and address the challenges facing cities. More
Metis Christodoulou: My Summer with the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics
I brought a unique background to my internship with the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM). My undergraduate degree from Northeastern University is in Game Design, and I worked as a games professor at Bunker Hill Community College for many years. I also ran testing sites... More
Briannya Evans: My Summer with the City of Boston Equity & Inclusion Cabinet
It’s not an exaggeration to say that my experience serving as the Racial Justice Intern for the City of Boston’s Equity and Inclusion Cabinet was nothing short of transformative. This internship provided an invaluable opportunity to gain firsthand experience in local government while contributing to initiatives designed to improve the... More
Dominic Muratore: My Summer with the City of Boston Planning Advisory Council
I have aspired to work in government and public service since a fourth-grade lesson on local, state, and federal government. I remember being inspired by the opportunity to serve others and improve my community, to lift people up while helping create a better future for the generations that come after... More
Iliana Colie: My Summer with the City of Boston Streets Cabinet
When I applied to intern with the City of Boston Streets Cabinet, I knew I was interested in cities, communications, and public service, but I didn't fully understand what it meant to actually work in city government. Eight weeks later, I left the intricate concrete mass that is Boston City... More
A Conversation with Rich Davey, CEO of Massport
When: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 4:00 – 5:30 PM ET Where: Boston University Initiative on Cities | 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215 Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities and the Metropolitan College City Planning & Urban Affairs Program for our first Transportation & the City event this fall, welcoming... More
Urban Mobility & Infrastructure Learning Community Applications Open
Mobility is not a transportation problem. It is a public health problem, a housing problem, a climate problem, and an equity problem. Yet the people working on each of those pieces rarely sit in the same room: This learning community changes that. A small, cross-disciplinary cohort of BU graduate students, More
The Global Fight to Reclaim the “Right to the City”
When: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 AM Eastern Time (Boston/New York City time) Where: Virtual Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for a virtual discussion on the Global Fight to Reclaim the "Right to the City." The "right to the city" has become a powerful framework for urban social... More
GUDL Awards Third Pilot Partnership Seed Grant Between Boston University and Lowell Community Organizations
The Boston University Initiative on Cities Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) is proud to announce the third recipient of our pilot partnership seed grant program. This award supports a collaboration between Lowell Alliance, the Merrimack Valley Project, and Yeşim Sungu-Eryilmaz, Assistant Professor and Director of the Boston University Metropolitan... More
2025-2026 MetroBridge Recap
MetroBridge, the experiential learning program of the Boston University Initiative on Cities, collaborated with 19 municipal and community partners on 20 projects over the 2025-2026 academic year. During the fall and spring semesters, 410 students worked on applied learning projects, gaining real-world experience addressing urban challenges. Municipal and community partners interested... More
Meet Reuben Danyali, 2026 Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library Summer Research Intern
We are excited to share that Reuben Danyali (CAS/KHC '28) is the inaugural Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center Summer Research Intern at the Boston Public Library! Reuben will contribute to geospatial research and data analysis of historic housing patterns, evictions, and property ownership in Boston and across Massachusetts... More
Meet Iliana Colie, 2026 City of Boston Streets Cabinet Intern
We are excited to share that Iliana Colie (CAS '27) is our inaugural City of Boston Streets Cabinet Intern! Iliana will aid in the Streets Cabinet's community engagement and outreach initiatives for transportation projects and mobility programs, including creating social media content, designing communications materials, and working on the ground... More
Meet Dominic Muratore, 2026 City of Boston Planning Advisory Council Intern
We are excited to share that Dominic Muratore (Pardee '28) is this year's City of Boston Planning Advisory Council (PAC) Intern, representing the Initiative on Cities and Boston University this summer at the City of Boston Planning Department. Dominic will work under the Executive Director of PAC Katharine Lusk, who... More
Meet Briannya Evans, 2026 City of Boston Equity & Inclusion Cabinet Intern
We are excited to share that Briannya Evans (Pardee '27) is this year's City of Boston Equity & Inclusion Cabinet Intern! Briannya will be contributing to efforts to address racial equity policy priorities in the City of Boston, to community engagement with stakeholders and residents of Boston, and to developing... More
Meet Metis Christodoulou, 2026 City of Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) Fellow
We are excited to share that Metis Christodoulou (WED '26) is this year's City of Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) Fellow representing Boston University and the Initiative on Cities! Metis will join a cohort of fellows to develop, research, or implement innovative, actionable prototypes, policies, and experiments... More
BU Artists Featured in Icons of Franklin Park Poster Competition
Inspired by classic Works Progress Administration (WPA) poster designs, the Icons of Franklin Park Poster Competition invited artists to submit original works highlighting the park's physical and cultural icons, past and present. The City of Boston, the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, and the Franklin Park Coalition sponsored the competition. Franklin... More
GUDL Awards Second Pilot Partnership Seed Grant
The Boston University Initiative on Cities Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) is proud to announce the second recipient of our pilot partnership seed grant: a collaboration between the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) and Shomon Shamsuddin, Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy... More
2026 Early Stage Urban Research Award Recipients
The Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) is pleased to announce the recipients for our 12th request for proposals for the 2026 cycle of the Early Stage Urban Research Awards. These seed grants support early-stage academic research focused on urban challenges and urban populations across various disciplines and scopes. Research... More
Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) Awards First Community-Centered Collaborative Pilot Partnership Seed Grant
[BOSTON, MA] May 19, 2026 — The Boston University Initiative on Cities Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) is proud to announce the recipients of our first pilot partnership seed grant between the City of Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA), City of Cambridge Economic Opportunity and Development Division (EODD), and the... More
The Right to the City: Visualizing Home, Resistance, and Belonging
When: Friday, June 12, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 PM Where: Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for a discussion highlighting work from our upcoming exhibition, Right to the City. Henri Lefebvre coined the “Right to the City” in 1968 to... More