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.  
View

Project Themes

Year Awarded

724 result(s) found.

  • Meet Iliana Colie, 2026 City of Boston Streets Cabinet Intern

    June 2, 2026
    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 to learn from and hear […]

  • Meet Jessica Bajada-Silva, 2018 Racial Equity Summer Fellow

    May 14, 2018
    The Initiative on Cities and the Howard Thurman Center are delighted to welcome Jessica Bajada-Silva as its Undergraduate Student Fellow for the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity this summer. Jessica Bajada-Silva is a junior studying Environmental Analysis and Policy in the College of Arts and Sciences. She currently works as […]

  • Meet Joseph Harris, Metrobridge’s New Faculty Director

    October 12, 2023
    We are happy to announce Associate Professor of Sociology Joseph Harris will be joining the Initiative on Cities (IOC) as the MetroBridge Faculty Director. His research is situated at the interstices of sociology, political science, and public health and explores the politics of global health. He holds the 2017 Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching, the […]

  • Meet Josh Lown, Postdoctoral Research Associate

    September 12, 2025
    We're excited to introduce and welcome our new Postdoctoral Research Associate, Josh Lown! Josh was born and raised in Michigan and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Michigan State University. Soon after finishing his master's program in social work, he moved to the Boston area to begin his PhD in social work, where his […]
  • Kimberly Rhoten (they/them)

    Meet Kimberly Rhoten, JD, the summer 2021 MONUM Fellow

    May 15, 2021
    The Initiative on Cities (IOC) is proud to announce that Kimberly Rhoten (they/them) has been selected as the summer 2021 MONUM Fellow. Kimberly will spend the summer working with the City of Boston, within the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics(MONUM). MONUM is Boston’s civic innovation team, responsible for promoting participatory urbanism, along with smarter city infrastructure and […]

  • Meet Levi Chen, 2025 City of Boston Office of Climate Resilience Intern

    May 30, 2025
    The Boston University Initiative on Cities is happy to announce that Levi Chen (CAS '27) is this year’s City of Boston Office of Climate Resilience Intern. The Office of Climate Resilience is a newly designated office of the Environment, Energy, and Open Space (EEOS) Cabinet. Its work focuses on enhancing the city’s preparedness for climate […]

  • Meet Maggie Kormann, the 2022 MORRE Summer Fellow

    May 20, 2022
    By Amelia Murray-Cooper The Initiative on Cities (IOC) and the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground are proud to announce that Maggie Korman has been selected as the 2022 MORRE Summer Fellow. Maggie will spend the summer working with the City of Boston’s Chief Resilience Officer, Ms. Lori Nelson, in the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and […]

  • Meet Metis Christodoulou, 2026 City of Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) Fellow

    June 2, 2026
    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 that benefit Boston residents. MONUM […]

  • Meet Natalia Chavez, 2019 Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics Fellow

    May 23, 2019
    By: Doruntina Zeneli Natalia Chavez is the Communications and Outreach Director at Urbanability, a Boston-based non-profit organization that focuses on empowering underserved communities from an urban planning perspective. She recently worked at the Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, where she worked on democracy programming and the legislative negotiation project. Previously, Natalia served […]

  • Meet Nayeli Quiles, 2025 City of Boston’s Equity & Inclusion Cabinet Summer Intern

    May 30, 2025
    The Boston University Initiative on Cities and the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground are happy to announce that Nayeli Quiles (CAS ’26) has been selected as this year’s summer intern with the City of Boston’s Equity & Inclusion Cabinet. Nayeli will work directly with the Senior Advisor on Racial Justice, Ms. Lori Nelson, and the team to […]