How is the Initiative on Cities Making a Difference in Urban Scholarship?

We catalyze early-stage research that deepens understanding of cities and urban populations. Today, with over half the world’s population living in urban areas, it is more crucial than ever for scholars and practitioners to address the complex challenges facing 21st-century cities – and to shape the policies and practices that will shape their future. If you are a member of the BU community and interested in submitting a proposal, we encourage you to review our annual requests for proposals, which typically open in December or January.  
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724 result(s) found.

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    BU’s Contributions to Boston’s Climate Initiatives

    February 13, 2017
    Boston University has played a critical role in contributing to two of Boston’s signature climate initiatives: Climate Ready Boston and the Boston Climate Action Plan. The Boston University Initiative on Cities, the Institute for Sustainable Energy, the Pardee Center, and sustainability@BU co-hosted a discussion of these contributions on Wednesday February 22nd. Event recap coming soon.

  • Building Community and Health Equity through Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Financial Services

    May 19, 2019
    Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Despite the link between income and health, few interventions to reduce health disparities have provided financial services directly targeting the needs of families living in poverty to improve health. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a tax credit for low-income, working families and the most effective anti-poverty policy in the US, […]

  • Building Resilience after Redlining: Understanding the Cumulative Impact of Heat Vulnerability Factors in Massachusetts

    May 8, 2024
    Principal Investigators: Co-Principal Investigators: Extreme heat is becoming more frequent and severe, with deleterious impacts on human health. Populations living in urban areas are at particularly high risk due to overlapping built environment, demographic, and individual-level factors. Decades of racial and economic residential segregation and disinvestment have produced “redlined” neighborhoods characterized by poor housing stock […]
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    Call for Applications for IOC Visiting Scholars

    January 16, 2018
    The Initiative on Cities invites applications for its Visiting Scholars Program for academic year 2018-2019. The program offers scholars the opportunity to spend up to one year at Boston University for independent research on urban challenges and urban populations in the U.S and abroad. Successful candidates benefit from the Initiative’s programs on urban leadership and […]
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    Call for Papers for the 2025 International Conference on Urban Affairs – Triangulating the Urban-H (Housing, Heat, Health) in Cities Session

    July 1, 2024
    When: April 15-19, 2025 Where: Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Organizers: Loretta Lees, Professor of Sociology, and Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Research Associate Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Initiative on Cities, Boston University If interested in being a part of this session, please email your name, institution, paper title, and […]

  • Call for Papers: Rethinking the Media-Gentrification Nexus

    February 12, 2024
    Workshop & Special Issue This Call for Papers (CFP) encourages contributions that rethink the interface between gentrification, displacement, and the proliferation of ‘old’ and ‘new’ media practices. We hope to draw an inter- or trans-disciplinary set of contributions from sociology, geography, political science, media studies, gender and sexualities studies, Black studies, film studies, journalism, literature, […]
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    Call for Spring 2021 MetroBridge Partners

    November 3, 2020
    The MetroBridge program at BU's Initiative on Cities is currently seeking project partners for the Spring 2021 semester. We invite local governments and community-based organizations to submit their own original project ideas or to select one based on the menu of project ideas. The menu includes projects related to COVID, public health, human services, public […]

  • Campbell Taylor: My Summer with the City of Boston Planning Advisory Council

    September 16, 2025
    Working with the City of Boston Planning Advisory Council (PAC) team this past summer was an incredible and transformative experience. I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with the Planners and experts across other departments at City Hall, learning from their expertise on Boston’s neighborhoods and needs. This summer was a particularly exciting time to join the PAC […]

  • Can Cities Stop the Climate Crisis?

    November 13, 2020
    Recap by Claudia Chiappa On November, 19, 2020, the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) and the Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) hosted “Can Cities Stop the Climate Crisis?,” a virtual discussion on the pivotal role cities play in fighting climate change. The discussion featured David Miller, Director of International Diplomacy and Global Ambassador of […]

  • CANCELLED: Tracey Holloway Lecture: Connecting Science with Stakeholders in Health and Air Quality

    September 29, 2021
    Please note that this event has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control. There will still be a panel event on Thursday, October 21st from 3:00pm–4:00pm ET. Click here to learn more and register for "Pushing Boundaries – Women Scientists at the Forefront of Community-Engaged Research."