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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    The Dynamic City: Futures for the Past

    January 25, 2016
    The Initiative on Cities is delighted to open registration for The Dynamic City: Futures for the Past. Co-hosted alongside Historic New England and the Boston University American and New England Studies Program, this two-day conference will explore the unique role preservation plays in 21st-century cities. As cities grow and innovate, preserving historic character while balancing sustainability, […]

  • The Effects of Civil Service Reform on Local Government: Evidence from the Progressive Era

    May 31, 2020
    Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator: As populations grew throughout the early 1900s, questions of city governance grew in importance and complexity. How were the cities of the early twentieth century managed and governed? Early in the 19th century, traditional patronage systems reigned and were seen as an important tool for voter mobilization. However, by 1920, over […]

  • The Effects of Ethnically Segregated Urban Neighborhoods: Evidence from Malaysia’s New Villages

    August 5, 2018
    Principal Investigator Economics Ph.D. candidate Jia De Gedeon Lim will conduct a study of the impact of the “New Village Program” in British Malaya on the current urban prosperity and interethnic preferences of urban dwellers in Malaysia. Specifically, he will examine the effects of long-run ethnic segregation from The New Village Program, which was an […]

  • The Effects of Social Housing on Neighborhoods: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Copenhagen

    May 31, 2020
    Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: Collaborator: Providing affordable social housing for socially and economically disadvantaged households is crucial for sustainable and equitable city management. However, little is known about the impacts of social housing for disadvantaged households on urban neighborhoods. Our project studies this question using a research design that takes advantage of a fixed assignment […]

  • The Future of Cities: A Conversation with David Miller and Tom Bridges on the Future of Cities, Climate Change, and Resiliency

    November 5, 2018
    On Wednesday, October 31, former Mayor of Toronto David Miller and Arup Director of Cities Advisory Tom Bridges joined the Initiative on Cities to discuss city resiliency and inequality in the face of climate change. Miller and Bridges explored the implications of rapid urbanization and the increasing social, economic, and environmental pressure of the growth […]

  • The Global Fight to Reclaim the “Right to the City”

    July 7, 2026
    When: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 AM Eastern Time (Boston/New York City time) Where: Virtual Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for a virtual discussion on the Global Fight to Reclaim the "Right to the City." The "right to the city" has become a powerful framework for urban social movements and has […]

  • The Impact of Racism on Urban Belowground Biodiversity

    May 22, 2021
    Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: Healthy soils are a key measure of urban green space quality. In particular, soil microbial diversity is a crucial ecosystem service provided by urban green spaces, providing nutrients to urban plants, sequestering carbon in soil, and suppressing pathogens. Urbanization can reduce soil microbial diversity and increase the abundance of human pathogens, […]

  • The Impact of Tourism on Environmental Sound Levels in Urban and Park Environments

    May 19, 2019
    Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Sound pollution in urban areas can cause physical and mental health problems which disproportionately affect poor and underserved communities; it can reduce the cultural vitality of outdoor areas; and it can harm wildlife. The investigators will study the impacts of tourism on a city’s environmental soundscape to better understand how the […]

  • The Initiative on Cities Joins Leading Global Institutions in Launching Alliance to Advance Human-Centric Urban Research

    July 2, 2025
    By Singapore Management University July 2, 2025 (Vienna, Austria) – Five globally respected academic institutions have come together to launch the Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies – a pioneering initiative that places people at the heart of urban research and policymaking. The partnership was announced today at the Singapore Management University (SMU) City Dialogues […]
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    The Last Breath of Sam Yan Film Screening & Discussion

    September 26, 2024
    Date & Time: Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 4:00-6:00pm ET Film Screening: Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities, the Center for the Study of Asia, and the Department of Anthropology for a featured screening of The Last Breath of Sam Yan. This documentary captures the efforts of residents and students trying […]