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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    Urban Earth Science: Understanding the Potential of a Growing Field

    November 29, 2016
    Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities and the Boston Area Research Initiative on Wednesday, November 30th, from 12-1:30pm for a panel discussion featuring BU faculty members and researchers working in the growing subfield of urban earth science. This panel will examine empirical examples of the work being done and the broader potential such research […]

  • Urban Growth and Citizenship Machines

    September 23, 2025
    Where: Boston University Initiative on Cities | 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215 When: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET Join the Initiative on Cities for a conversation with Boston University Professor Daniel Abramson, who will share insights from his forthcoming book, Designing Citizens. Abramson’s work explores postwar federal government complexes – from […]

  • Urban Health in Africa

    October 21, 2025
    When: Thursday, November 6, 10:00 - 11:30 AM ET (Boston) Where: Virtual via Zoom Join us for a virtual discussion of Urban Health in Africa, co-edited by Boston University Associate Professor of Global Health, Elaine Nsoesie. The event will feature contributing authors highlighting case studies from the volume and a panel conversation on Africa’s rapid […]

  • Urban Health Symposium

    December 17, 2018
    On Thursday, December 6th, the Boston University School of Public Health (SPH), the Initiative on Cities, and the Yale Institute for Global Health co-hosted an Urban Health Symposium that examined the intersection of public health and urban development. Over 30 scholars worldwide participated in six panels that discussed the implications of massive global urbanization on […]

  • Urban Heat Exposure, Cooling Demand and Electricity Consumption under Future Climate Change: an Empirical Approach

    May 31, 2020
    Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigators Can cities adapt in sustainable ways to the impacts of climate change? Different cities across the world will face different health risks due to rising temperatures, and urban populations will have varied adaptation options over the time-frames in which temperatures will increase. Such heterogeneity suggests the need for differentiated approaches to […]

  • Urban Innovation: Exploring the Future of Buildings

    November 29, 2016
    Rebuilding our urban infrastructure means more than simply replacing old with new. It will require new ways to thinking about the design, performance and economics of the places where we live, work and play. Join us this evening, Tuesday November 29th, at 6pm in the Questrom School of Business (Room 426), for a presentation by […]

  • Urban Parks and the Public Realm: Equity and Access in Post-COVID Cities

    April 22, 2021
    Held on Friday, April 30, 2021. Watch a recording or read a recap below. Recap by Claudia Chiappa On Friday, April 30, 2021 the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) and The Trust for Public Land hosted an event on the future of urban parks in a post-COVID world featuring IOC Co-Director Katharine Lusk, Mayor […]

  • Urban Policing and Racial Health Inequities

    May 19, 2019
    Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator The United States is characterized by inequities that are particularly striking with regard to race. While there are many studies documenting factors associated with racial inequities in health and that policing may be associated with worse mental health and well-being, there are few causal studies of policies that drive structural changes […]
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    Urban Power: Democracy & Inequality in São Paulo & Johannesburg

    October 10, 2024
    When: Wednesday, November 13, 4 PM – 6 PM ET Where: Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road Join us for a book discussion featuring Benjamin Bradlow, Assistant Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University. His new book, Urban Power: Democracy & Inequality in São Paulo & Johannesburg, explores why some cities are more effective […]

  • Urban Refuge: Access to Information and Access to Aid for Syrian Refugees in Istanbul

    May 19, 2019
    Principal Investigator The investigator aims to address the challenge of coordinating aid among diverse service providers that seek to target vulnerable populations in dense urban centers (especially refugees and other migrants who may not have a secure legal status). Two-thirds of refugees worldwide are now located in cities. Refugees have widespread access to mobile devices […]