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 Two Faces of Fear: Violence and Inequality in the Mexican Metropolis Book Talk & Discussion

    September 3, 2024
    Date & Time: Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 4:00-6:00 PM ET (Talk: 4-5:15 PM; Reception: 5:15-6 PM) Location: Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities, Center for Latin American Studies, and Department of Sociology to discuss Assistant Professor of Sociology Ana Villarreal’s newly published book on the impacts of criminal […]

  • The Urban/Suburban Educational Divide: Racial Inequities and Shifting Landscapes

    May 17, 2021
    Held on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Schools in urban and suburban locations can vary immensely in quality, increasing the importance of where we send our kids to school. But why are some schools better than others? How has America’s notion of a good school deepened educational and racial inequities? The IOC and the BU Wheelock […]

  • The “Aging Disaster” of COVID19: The Association of Social Isolation and Loneliness to Perceived Health, Psychological Wellbeing, and Material Hardship Among Boston Residents Age 60 and Older

    May 1, 2020
    Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigator: This project, in collaboration with the City of Boston’s Age Strong Commission, explores the experiences of Boston residents age 60 and older during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given their risk of severe complications from COVID-19, adults age 60 and older have been told to stay at home and […]

  • Third Spaces Zine: Call for Submissions

    November 4, 2025
    The Boston University Initiative on Cities is excited to launch Third Spaces: an interdisciplinary, student-led zine that brings together diverse stories on urbanism. Third Spaces celebrates the rich diversity of city life. We foster relationships across communities and hold civic leaders accountable to public needs. Through an interdisciplinary approach, Third Spaces addresses urban inequalities to […]
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    Transportation Nudges: Experiments in Improving Urban Mobility

    November 19, 2015
    Cities worldwide are experimenting with new ways to tackle congestion while improving urban mobility, resident health, and safety. Many communities are testing novel, low-cost interventions to change individual behavior, “nudging” their way to fewer and slower drivers, along with more and better cyclists and transit riders. On Monday, December 7th, Transportation Nudges: Experiments in Improving […]

  • Tulane Professor Mirya Holman Shares Her Research

    March 29, 2018
    On Wednesday, April 21, 2018 Tulane University Associate Professor of Political Science, Mirya Holman, joined the Initiative on Cities to share research from her recently published book, Women in Politics in the American City, which explores the influence of gender on urban leadership in the United States. Women in Politics in the American City In […]
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    Tune in Live for The Future of Cities, 10/31 at 4:30pm

    October 31, 2018
    Can’t attend in person? Join us live for The Future of Cities: Arup & C40, a lecture on climate change, resiliency, and the future of cities today at 4:30pm. Our featured speakers are David Miller from the C40 and Tom Bridges from Arup. David Miller is the North American Director of the C40 Climate Leadership Group and the […]
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    Tune in Today: Cities in the Federal System

    October 5, 2017
    Jerry Abramson, Michael Nutter, and Katie King (CAS’06, SPH’13) discuss how mayors and officials at the state and federal levels can work together to identify and achieve common goals.
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    Two IOC Affiliates Receive Urban Affairs Association Awards

    February 15, 2024
    Two Initiative on Cities affiliates will receive awards from the Urban Affairs Association (UAA). IOC Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Kenton Card and Derek Hyra of the IOC External Advisory Board have been recognized for their achievements in urban research and activism. Dr. Card is a filmmaker, teacher, and Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Initiative on […]
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    UK Cities: Coffee and Conversation with Liverpool’s Chief of Staff

    March 28, 2016
    England is undergoing a significant political shift at the municipal level. The creation of metro city governments is ushering in the first wave of directly elected mayors, including Mayor Joe Anderson of Liverpool. This fundamental change in the way cities operate is reviving the importance of local government and changing the power dynamic in English […]