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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Project Themes

Year Awarded

724 result(s) found.

  • Closing the Opportunity Gap in Early Education and Care by Recruiting and Training High Quality Literacy Teachers

    July 17, 2017
    Principal Investigator Associate Professor Stephanie Curenton, in collaboration with Paul Leech, Chief Operating Officer of the Boston-based childcare provider Nurtury, Inc., will  analyze cultural competency training and programs for early childhood educators intended to improve outcomes for urban preschool students. Over the course of this research project, Professor Curenton and Nurtury will partner with Jumpstart, […]
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    Co-Director Katharine Lusk Departs The Initiative on Cities To Take On Role as Executive Director of the Boston Planning Advisory Council

    May 9, 2023
    On May 1, 2023, Co-Director and Founding Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities (IOC), Katharine Lusk, left her role at the IOC to assume the role of Executive Director in the newly created Boston Planning Advisory Council as the central authority for initiating, reviewing, and implementing city planning. The creation of the Planning Advisory […]

  • Co-Director Thomas Menino Honored by American Bar Association

    August 14, 2014
    On Friday, August 8, 2014, Initiative on Cities (IOC) Co-Director Thomas Menino was honored by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of State and Local Government Law and presented with the Jefferson Fordham Award for Advocacy. In Boston for the 2014 ABA Annual Meeting, the Section of State and Local Government Law hosted an awards […]

  • CO2 Fertilization in an Urban Green Roof

    August 17, 2017
    Principal Investigator Earth & Environment Ph.D. candidate Sarabeth Buckley will conduct a study on the impact of increased levels of CO2 on green roofs in urban areas. Specifically, Sarabeth will purposefully expose the plants on edible green roofs to increased CO2 by directing waste carbon dioxide (produced by human respiration) from the inside of buildings […]
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    COIVD-19 & Cities: How are they coping?

    April 23, 2020
     By: Carly Berke On Wednesday, April 15th, 2020, the Initiative on Cities held a webinar examining the effects of COVID-19 on cities bearing the brunt of the public health and economic crisis. IOC Director Graham Wilson joined Katherine Levine Einstein, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Faculty Fellow at the IOC, and Bruce Katz, Founding […]

  • Coming Back Better: Building Healthy, Sustainable, and Resilient Cities post-COVID-19

    June 16, 2021
    Held on Thursday, July 1, 2021 By 2050, 66 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities. This panel explored how cities can be structured to support health and what we have learned about the future of urban living from the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-hosted with the School of Public Health Speakers: Oxiris […]

  • Coming of Age in Jim Crow DC: Navigating the Politics of Everyday Life

    January 19, 2021
    Held on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021. Watch a recording and read a recap below. Recap by Claudia Chiappa On February 3, 2021, the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) kicked off its Race, Place, and Space series with a discussion featuring Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies Paula Austin. Austin discussed her book Coming […]

  • Community Archeology on the Urban Periphery: The Tlajinga District at the Nexus of Ancient Teotihuacan and Modern Mexico City

    July 11, 2018
    Principal Investigator Associate Professor David Carballo, who holds a joint appointment in Anthropology and Latin American Studies, will pioneer a new initiative of community-based archaeology at Teotihuacan, Mexico. Teotihuacan is an ancient Mesoamerican city and UNESCO World Heritage site whose urban periphery is being impacted by new construction associated with the sprawl of contemporary Mexico […]

  • Community Engagement to Explore Heat Exposure for Urban-Dwelling Older Adults in Boston

    May 19, 2019
    Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator The investigators seek to understand the heat exposure-related needs and experiences of older adults living in Boston, MA, a population that is vulnerable to health effects of heat. They will use a participatory action method, Photovoice, in combination with exposure and biometric measurements, to document and communicate participant exposures, experiences, and needs […]
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    Conflict and Cleavages in US Cities

    May 2, 2018
    On Wednesday, April 4th, 2018 Peter Bucchianeri, a Ph.D Candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, joined the Initiative on Cities to share research in progress on Conflict and Cleavages Under Democratic One-Party Rule. Democratic Dominance in Big-City Politics Recent trends of increasingly democratic city councils and mayoral leadership have been seen across larger cities in […]