Meet Natalia Chavez, 2019 Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics Fellow
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 […]
Constructing City Images through Local Media: An Intermedia Agenda-Setting Analysis of Big Media Data
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator: City marketing works as a foundation for local residents to understand and identify with municipal policies and is used to alter the perception of a city among outsiders to encourage external investment, residence, and tourism. Investigators will focus on how local media plays a critical role in communicating the status quo […]
The Impact of Tourism on Environmental Sound Levels in Urban and Park Environments
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 […]
Congregations in Contested Space: Gentrification and Latinx Churches in East Boston
Principal Investigator: Boston, like many U.S. cities, is currently experiencing elevated levels of gentrification adversely affecting working class people of color. The manner in which churches are affected by gentrification is particularly important as churches often provide valuable resources within working class communities of color. The investigator hopes to understand how Latinx churches in the […]
Evictions and Substandard Housing in Boston: The Unfulfilled Promises of the Public Health and Legal System
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator Collaborator Boston is one of the least affordable housing markets in the country. Policymakers have focused largely on new housing supply, but existing housing – much of which is substandard and located in low-income neighborhoods and in communities of color – is often overlooked. As neighborhoods are squeezed by new, unaffordable […]
Community Engagement to Explore Heat Exposure for Urban-Dwelling Older Adults in Boston
Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator The investigators seek to understand the heat exposure-related needs and experiences of older adults living in Boston, MA, a population that is vulnerable to health effects of heat. They will use a participatory action method, Photovoice, in combination with exposure and biometric measurements, to document and communicate participant exposures, experiences, and needs […]
Partnering with Families with Limited English Proficiency to Promote Language Justice and Equity in Education Settings
Principal Investigators: Co-Principal Investigators: Youth of color whose first language is not English are the fastest growing segment of the youth population in the United States. Families with limited English proficiency are often restricted from the many opportunities available in urban cities like Boston, leading to inequities in education. In partnership with Massachusetts Advocates for […]
Reducing Disparities: Advancing Toward Racial Equity
Across the country, urban universities are embracing new roles and expanding their varied contributions to the well-being of the communities they call home. Research universities are also uniquely positioned to evaluate and understand the challenges confronting residents in their region, and support programs and evidence-based interventions to help improve outcomes and advance equity. Over the […]
2016 IOC Summer Fellows Set to Begin
This summer, we’re proud to fund two IOC Summer Fellows: one in the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, and another in the City of Providence’s Mayor’s Innovation Department. Find out more about our two outstanding fellows below! Dan Lesser – City of Boston Fellow Dan Lesser, an MBA candidate focused on […]