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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    Event Recap: Homelessness is a Housing Problem (4/3)

    May 10, 2023
    Watch the full recording here! Full Event Recap forthcoming On April 4, 2023, BU Initiative on Cities and the School of Social Work hosted a discussion on homelessness in America. Why do some cities have higher rates of homelessness than others? What explains that regional variation, and what can local leaders do to reduce and prevent homelessness? […]

  • Event Recap: How Transit Enriches a City with Phil Eng

    March 10, 2026
    By Sasa Ramos | Photos by Onjoli Palmer On Thursday, March 5, the Boston University Initiative on Cities, City Planning & Urban Affairs Program, and the Urban Planning Association hosted a student-focused fireside chat featuring Phil Eng, General Manager of the MBTA and interim Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation. A career civil engineer with decades of […]
  • book cover: Distortion and Subversion: Punk Rock Music and the Protests for Free Public Transportation in Brazil (1996-2011)

    Event Recap: Punk Rock Music and the Protests for Free Public Transportation in Brazil

    October 17, 2022
    Held on Monday, November 14th, 2022 Recap by Dhruv Kapadia A full video recording of the event will be posted here shortly. On Monday, November 14, 2022, the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC), BU Department of Romance Studies, Department of Political Science, City Planning & Urban Affairs Program, Center for Latin American Studies, Center […]

  • Event Recap: Reflections On Public Service

    October 27, 2017
    Last Monday, four BU alumni joined Katharine Lusk, the Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities, to reflect on their lives in public service. Tyler Fields (CAS ‘16), Daniel Lesser (Questrom ‘17), Shari Davis (SAR ‘10, ‘12), and Andrew Vargas (CAS ‘15) discussed why they got started, how they stay motivated, and what young students should do to engage in politics. The event is […]

  • Event Recap: Rockefeller Foundation Implementing Climate Action in America’s Cities

    April 14, 2023
    Event recap by Dhruv Kapadia Watch the full report here! On Tuesday, January 31st, The Rockefeller Foundation hosted “Implementing Climate Action in America’s Cities,” a conversation with local experts on climate justice and how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) might transform front-line communities. Moderated by The Rockefeller Foundation’s Rachel Isacoff, panelists Nathaniel Smith of Partnership […]
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    Event Recap: Sustainable Development in Ghana

    October 2, 2017
    On September 29, His Excellency Dr. Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to the United States, came to the Initiative on Cities to speak about sustainable development in two of Ghana's largest cities, Accra and Kumasi. Adjei-Barwuah noted the difficulty of developing an urban area without suburban expansion, saying government leaders must be […]

  • Event Recap: Territories of Southern Urbanism

    May 1, 2026
    By Sasa Ramos | Photos by Onjoli Palmer On Tuesday, April 22, the Center on Forced Displacement, the Boston Urban Salon, and the Initiative on Cities welcomed Associate Professor Romola Sanyal (London School of Economics) for a lively discussion exploring how displacement – both structural and episodic – shapes people’s lives, identities, and urban spaces. […]

  • Event Recap: The Pointillistic City

    December 16, 2025
    On November 3, 2025, the Initiative on Cities and the Boston University Department of Sociology hosted a special session of the Urban Inequalities Workshop featuring Dr. Daniel T. O'Brien, Director of the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) and Professor at Northeastern University. Dr. Yeşim Sungu-Eryilmaz, Director of City Planning & Urban Affairs at Metropolitan College, […]
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    Event Recap: Transportation Vision to Transformative Reality

    October 10, 2017
    On September 27, the Initiative on Cities hosted two speakers to discuss how urban transportation can shift towards an equitable, sustainable future. Terrance Regan Terrence Regan, from the Boston University Metropolitan College and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center, covered how regional governments are cooperating with private businesses to make large-scale projects more feasible and modern. Companies […]

  • Event Recap: Urban Growth and Citizenship Machines

    December 16, 2025
    By Angelina Baicu On Wednesday, October 15th, the Initiative on Cities hosted a panel titled “Urban Growth and Citizenship Machines,” at which Boston University Professor of Architecture Daniel Abramson discussed his forthcoming book, Designing Citizens. The conversation focused on the urban renewal project in Boston's Government Center from the 1950s to the 1970s. The panel […]