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.

  • Reentry, Employment and Persisting Inequality: Understanding the experiences of formerly incarcerated jobseekers with employment reentry programs

    May 22, 2021
    Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: Today in the United States, 50% of formerly incarcerated people remain unemployed in the year following their release. Over the past decades, prisoner reentry programs have increasingly provided formerly incarcerated jobseekers with services such as job training, job-placement assistance and other job-search related resources. When examining the dynamics and outcomes of […]
  • photo of Faith Rynda

    Reflecting on my 2020 Fellowship with the Boston Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity

    November 6, 2020
    By Faith Rynda (Undergraduate, Political Science) This past summer, I was granted the opportunity to participate in the Initiative on Cities (IOC) and Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground undergraduate fellowship with the Boston Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity (MORRE). With all the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, I was extremely grateful that […]

  • Refugee Livelihood and Work Permits in Urban Areas: The Case of Jordan

    June 29, 2016
    Principal Investigators Assistant Professor Noora Anwar Lori and Pardee Master's candidate Vicky Kelberer, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, will develop an impact assessment of work permits on the livelihoods of Syrian refugees living in Jordan. Jordan has recently taken a leadership position among refugee host countries by adopting work authorization […]

  • Refugee Resettlement as an Urban Development Tool in Deindustrialized Cities: A Case of Pittsburgh, PA

    June 22, 2016
    Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Sociology Ph.D. candidate Jake Watson, under the advisement of Sociology Professor Julian Go, will examine the socioeconomic impact of refugee resettlement on local community and micro-economies through an in-depth case study of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He seeks to identify evidence-based best practices for the use of refugee settlement as […]

  • Release of Leading the American City

    June 5, 2018
    The Initiative on Cities is proud to release Leading the American City, a five-part video history of American mayoral leadership, governance, and power. The series features personal interviews with eight transformative mayors, who reflect on their time in office and offer insight into the job of mayor. The featured mayors include: Karl Dean, Mayor of Nashville, TN […]
  • Default image

    Release of the 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors

    January 22, 2019
    On January 22, 2019, the Boston University Initiative on Cities released its fifth annual Menino Survey of Mayors, the only scientifically valid and representative survey of American mayors. The 2018 Menino Survey was built on interviews with 110 mayors from 37 states, and was supported by Citi Community Development and The Rockefeller Foundation. Initiated in June 2014 and […]

  • Remembering Mayor Menino (1942-2014)

    October 30, 2014
    We are heartbroken by the loss of our founder and devoted public servant, Mayor Tom Menino. He was a boss, a mentor, and a friend to us as well as to thousands of Bostonians throughout the years. He cared about his city, his adopted university community, and everyone around him. Working with him daily, we […]

  • Request for Proposals Now Open: 2021 Early Stage Urban Research Awards

    December 23, 2020
    The Initiative on Cities (IOC) is pleased to announce our annual Request for Proposals is now open for our annual Early Stage Urban Research Awards. Proposals are due by 8:00am on Monday, March 15, 2021.  These seed grants, with awards of up to $10,000, support research addressing urban challenges and urban populations in the U.S. […]

  • Research on Tap: The American City: Promoting Inclusion or Sowing Division?

    March 5, 2019
    By Doruntina Zeneli On Wednesday, February 27, professors from various academic fields of political science, global health, economics, and social work presented their findings on current issues surrounding the “American City” and unpacked the question of its impact on inclusivity and division. Research presentations focused on topics ranging from housing wealth effects, aged homelessness, and […]

  • Research Spotlight: 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors

    February 15, 2019
    By Doruntina Zeneli On Wednesday, February 13, Assistant Professors Katherine Einstein and Maxwell Palmer and Associate Professor David Glick joined the Initiative on Cities, sharing key findings from the 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors based on interviews with 110 mayors across 37 states. The three highlighted mayoral views on social mobility, living wage ordinances, the sharing economy, immigration, […]