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.

  • Confronting Boston’s Challenges: Recommendations for the City’s Next Mayor

    September 17, 2021
    As the Boston mayoral race heads to the primary on September 14, the Boston Area Research Initiative, in partnership with local academic communities, including Boston University experts, just released a four-part white paper series to help advise the next mayor. The series considers how the City can continue moving forward by learning about the challenges […]
  • Confronting Systemic Racism flyer

    Confronting Systemic Racism: Policing, Mass Incarceration, and Black Lives Matter

    June 19, 2020
    On June 23, 2020 the Initiative on Cities (IOC) hosted Confronting Systemic Racism: Policing, Mass Incarceration, and Black Lives Matter. Kimberly Atkins, Senior News Correspondent for WBUR and MSNBC contributor, facilitated an in-depth discussion with BU experts: Paula Austin, Assistant Professor of History & African American Studies, BU College of Arts & Sciences; Author of Coming […]

  • Congregations in Contested Space: Gentrification and Latinx Churches in East Boston

    May 19, 2019
    Principal Investigator: Boston, like many U.S. cities, is currently experiencing elevated levels of gentrification adversely affecting working class people of color. The manner in which churches are affected by gentrification is particularly important as churches often provide valuable resources within working class communities of color. The investigator hopes to understand how Latinx churches in the […]

  • Constructing City Images through Local Media: An Intermedia Agenda-Setting Analysis of Big Media Data

    May 19, 2019
    Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator: City marketing works as a foundation for local residents to understand and identify with municipal policies and is used to alter the perception of a city among outsiders to encourage external investment, residence, and tourism. Investigators will focus on how local media plays a critical role in communicating the status quo […]

  • Coping with Extreme Heat: Intersecting Vulnerabilities Related to Urban Heat Islands, Homelessness, and Serious Mental Illness

    May 8, 2024
    Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: Periods of extreme heat, which are increasing in frequency due to climate change, have been linked to adverse mental health outcomes, including symptoms related to schizophrenia, substance use, mood disorders, and suicide. At heightened risk for negative effects of extreme heat are individuals experiencing homelessness, who have higher rates of serious […]

  • Cora Funke: My Summer with the City of Chelsea’s Open Data & Digital Communications Initiatives

    October 24, 2022
    By Cora Funke (KHC/CAS '23). Cora was the Initiative on Cities' 2022 City of Chelsea: Open Data & Digital Communications Initiatives Summer Fellow. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work for the City of Chelsea for eight weeks through the BU Initiative on Cities. I worked closely with Cate Fox-Lent, who is the Business […]

  • Corryn Barter: My Summer with the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM)

    September 16, 2025
    When looking for summer internships to complete my practicum, I was drawn to opportunities that focused on improving community health. The recent changes to public health funding greatly impacted the ability of many organizations to offer internships, especially those that provide public services. When I found the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) summer […]
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    COVID-19 & Cities: Multilingual Learners & Families

    June 4, 2020
    On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, the Initiative on Cities (IOC) and Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development hosted a webinar to discuss the challenges of remote learning on multilingual learners and their families, and what's being done to support them. Christine Leider, Clinical Assistant Professor Language Education & Program Director for Bilingual Education […]
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    COVID-19 & Cities: Municipal Fiscal Health

    May 9, 2020
    Recap by Carly Berke On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, the Initiative on Cities (IOC) hosted COVID-19 & Cities: Municipal Fiscal Health, continuing the IOC's ongoing COVID-19 & Cities series. Christiana McFarland, Research Director at the National League of Cities, and Pam Kocher, President of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, joined IOC Director Graham Wilson to […]
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    COVID-19 & Cities: Pollution and the Environment

    May 16, 2020
    Recap by Carly Berke On Wednesday, May 13th, 2020, the Initiative on Cities (IOC) hosted a discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pollution and urban air quality as part of our ongoing COVID-19 & Cities series. David Miller, Director of International Diplomacy at the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and former Mayor […]