Initiative on Cities

The Initiative was founded in 2014 by Boston's longest-serving Mayor, Thomas Menino, who stepped down after twenty years in office, and Boston University Professor and Chair of Political Science Graham Wilson.{{Cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Andrew |last2=Bombardieri |first2=Marcella |title=Menino to help start urban institute at BU - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/11/12/mayor-thomas-menino-headed-boston-university-help-run-new-initiative-cities/Q3BwuoO1BAWZ0kGloKV9XM/story.html |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}} Katharine Lusk joined as executive director from the Menino Administration, where she had led efforts to make Boston “the premier city for working women” and created the Boston Women's Workforce Council.{{Cite web |last=Nanos |first=Janelle |date=2013-01-31 |title=How Menino Plans to Address the Wage Gap |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/01/31/boston-menino-wage-gap-women/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Boston Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Will Boston succeed in closing the gender wage gap? |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/will-boston-succeed-closing-gender-wage-gap-flna2D11926954 |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=NBC News |language=en}} Lusk was named co-director in 2019.{{Cite web |title=BU's Initiative on Cities Gets New Codirector |url=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/initiative-on-cities-new-codirector-katharine-lusk/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Boston University |language=en}}

In 2022, Loretta Lees joined as the new Director, and Professor of Sociology, following Professor Wilson's retirement. A British urban geographer, Lees previously worked at the University of Leicester and King's College London.{{Cite web |last=Stanford |first=Ayjia |title=For New Initiative on Cities Leader, Urban Geography Is People |url=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/new-initiative-on-cities-leader/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Boston University |language=en}} From 2020 to 2022, Lees served as Chair of the London Housing Panel, a partnership between the Mayor of London and Trust for London that engages the community and voluntary sectors as advisors on housing policy.{{Cite web |title=London Housing Panel |url=https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/issues/housing/london-housing-panel/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Trust for London}} Stacy Fox, a Boston University alum and city planner, was named Executive Director in May 2023.{{Cite web |title=Stacy Fox Promoted to Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/2023/05/24/stacy-fox-promoted-to-executive-director-of-the-initiative-on-cities/ |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=www.bu.edu}}

The Initiative on Cities leads and catalyzes major urban research efforts at Boston University. It is a member of the Global Urban Network, a university-based collective of urban institutes from across five continents.{{Cite web |date=2021-02-22 |title=Global Urban Network Seminar Series 2021 |url=https://www.schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/global-partnerships/global-urban-network-2021 |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=School of Cities |language=en}}

The annual Menino Survey of Mayors, named in honor of the late IOC Co-founder and Boston Mayor Tom Menino, was created by the Initiative on Cities in 2014.{{Cite news |last=Schwarz |first=Hunter |date=October 7, 2014 |title=The most influential cities in the country, according to mayors |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/10/07/the-most-influential-cities-in-the-country-according-to-mayors/}} It is the only systematic, nationally representative survey of U.S. mayoral priorities and concerns.{{Cite web |title=Menino Survey of Mayors |url=https://www.surveyofmayors.com/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.surveyofmayors.com}} The Menino Survey covers timely issues affecting cities, including housing affordability,{{Cite news |last=Zezima |first=Katie |date=January 22, 2018 |title=New survey of mayors shows most are concerned about lack of affordable housing |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2018/01/23/new-survey-of-mayors-shows-most-are-concerned-about-lack-of-affordable-housing/}}{{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Jeremy C. |title=Annual BU survey of mayors finds affordable housing is top issue - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/01/21/annual-survey-mayors-finds-affordable-housing-top-issue/VlriVlDd3l2lR3p3MhljLJ/story.html |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}} poverty,{{Cite web |date=2017-01-10 |title=Survey: Mayors unified on battling poverty, other key issues |url=https://apnews.com/article/3efb795d9c7a4e36b4b94abadf267b5c |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}} the racial wealth gap,{{Cite web |date=2022-04-05 |title=Mayors Face a Reckoning With Racial Wealth Gaps |url=https://www.governing.com/finance/mayors-face-a-reckoning-with-racial-wealth-gaps |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Governing |language=en}} public health,{{Cite web |title=Just Released: Mayors and the Health of Cities {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/2019/06/04/just-released-mayors-and-the-health-of-cities/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}} infrastructure,{{Cite news |date=2020-01-21 |title=What Democratic and Republican Mayors Don't Agree About |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-21/u-s-mayors-reveal-top-infrastructure-priorities |access-date=2022-12-08}} policing,{{Cite news |last=Summers |first=Juana |date=2021-01-27 |title=Most U.S. Mayors Do Not Support Reallocating Police Resources, Survey Finds |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/27/960883916/most-u-s-mayors-do-not-support-reallocating-police-resources-survey-finds |access-date=2022-12-08}} parks and public space,{{Cite web |last=Lusk |first=Katharine |title=City dwellers gained more access to public spaces during the pandemic. Can they keep it? |url=https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/city-parks-open-space-recreation-dining-pandemic-20210417.html |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.inquirer.com |language=en}} homelessness,{{Cite web |title=The Big Obstacles Mayors Face Addressing America's Homelessness Crisis |url=https://www.route-fifty.com/public-safety/2022/01/obstacles-mayors-face-while-addressing-americas-homelessness-crisis/361052/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Route Fifty |language=en}} and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite news |date=2021-11-30 |title=What U.S. Mayors Are Really Worried About |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-30/the-pandemic-fallout-that-u-s-mayors-are-worried-about |access-date=2022-12-08}} Survey collaborators and funders have included Citi, The Rockefeller Foundation, the National League of Cities (NLC), Trust for Public Land, and Community Solutions.{{Cite web |title=Menino Survey of Mayors {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/research/menino-survey-of-mayors-middle-page/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}} In addition to elevating mayoral priorities via widespread media coverage, the research team has deepened the body of academic literature pertaining to U.S. mayoral leadership and decision making.{{Cite web |title=Scholarly Impact {{!}} Menino Survey of Mayors |url=https://www.surveyofmayors.com/scholarly-impact/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.surveyofmayors.com |language=en}}

The Menino Survey team includes Boston University Associate Professors of Political Science, Katherine Levine Einstein, David Glick and Maxwell Palmer, IOC staff Stacy Fox and Katharine Lusk, and others. The project has inspired multiple international survey efforts, with the support of the Boston University team, including the “Urban Voices: UK City Leaders Survey” led by Centre for Cities and Arup,{{Cite web |title=Urban Voices: UK City Leaders' Survey 2019 |url=https://www.centreforcities.org/publication/city-leaders-survey-2019/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Centre for Cities |language=en-US}} the “Canadian Municipal Barometer”,{{Cite web |title=Canadian Municipal Barometer |url=http://www.cmb-bmc.ca/english/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=CMB-BMC |language=en-US}} and the Global Survey of City Leaders led by Cornell University.{{Cite web |title=Your City Counts {{!}} Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities |url=https://centerforcities.aap.cornell.edu/your-city-counts |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=centerforcities.aap.cornell.edu}}

The Initiative on Cities has supported federally funded research programs led by faculty across multiple academic departments.

The Initiative was part of the {{CO2}} Urban Synthesis and Analysis Network ({{CO2}} USA{{Cite web |title={{CO2}} Urban Synthesis and Analysis Network |url=https://sites.bu.edu/co2usa/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=sites.bu.edu}}), a multi-year project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which brought together scientific researchers and local stakeholders to standardize greenhouse gas emissions measures ({{CO2}} and {{chem|CH|4}}) at spatial and temporal scales that would have utility for cities. It also helps to convene workshops and conferences funded by the National Science Foundation, including Sustainable Urban Systems{{Cite web |title=Urban Climate Initiative |url=https://www.bu.edu/urbanclimate/events-2/bu-sus-2019/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}} and the Street of the Future.{{Cite web |title=Street of the Future: Workshop 1 {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/events/workshops/street-of-the-future-workshop-1-2/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}}

The Initiative convened a series of workshops on effective practices in city/university/industry “smart cities” collaboration, with support from the National Science Foundation.{{Cite journal |last=Lusk |first=Katharine |date=December 2018 |title=Lessons learned in effective community-university-industry collaboration models for smart and connected communities research |url=https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/35657 |journal=Boston University Hariri Institute for Computing and the Initiative on Cities |language=en-US}} It has also led research on the field of public interest technology, with support from the Public Interest Technology University Network, of which Boston University is a member.{{Cite journal |last=Lusk |first=Katharine |date=2022-05-31 |title=Public Interest Technology University Network: understanding the state of the field |url=https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/44469 |language=en-US}}

As a major urban university with a longstanding commitment to its home city, research in, on and with the City of Boston and Bostonians is a key priority. The Initiative has supported and led research on a wide variety of issues that concern Boston residents, including the region's high housing costs, racial inequality, the changing climate, and youth engagement practices.{{Cite web |title=Boston {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/research/publications/boston/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}}

The Initiative runs place-based experiential learning programs for hundreds of Boston University undergraduate and graduate students, via its MetroBridge program and summer internships. MetroBridge, which launched in 2018, sources projects from cities for students to undertake as class projects across a wide variety of academic departments.{{Cite web |title=MetroBridge {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/metrobridge/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}} By 2022, MetroBridge had served more than 1,000 students at Boston University.

The Initiative's paid summer internship & fellowship program matches students with roles in local governments to work on issues such as racial equity, housing, sustainability, and innovation. Host cities have included Boston MA, Chelsea MA, Providence RI, Sydney, Australia and Manchester, UK.{{Cite web |title=Fellowship Opportunities {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/for-students/fellowships/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}}

The Initiative also runs the year-long National League of Cities (NLC) Menino Fellowship program. It was created by the National League of Cities to honor Menino, who had helped to found the NLC Institute for Youth, Education and Families in 2000,{{Cite web |date=2020-10-01 |title=After Two Decades, A New Chapter Begins for NLC's Institute for Youth, Education & Families |url=https://www.nlc.org/article/2020/10/01/after-two-decades-a-new-chapter-begins-for-nlcs-institute-for-youth-education-families/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=National League of Cities |language=en-US}} and includes a paid semester-long internship for a Boston University undergraduate student with the NLC in Washington DC.{{Cite web |title=National League of Cities Menino Fellowship {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/for-students/fellowships/nlc-menino-fellowship/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}}

The Initiative created Boston University's Urban Studies minor, which is administered by the Boston University Department of Political Science.{{Cite web |title=Urban Studies Minor {{!}} Political Science |url=https://www.bu.edu/polisci/academics/undergrad/urban-studies-minor/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}} The Initiative on Cities awards a student prize each year to a graduating seniors minoring in Urban Studies.{{Cite web |title=Initiative on Cities Student Prize {{!}} Initiative on Cities |url=https://www.bu.edu/ioc/for-students/initiative-on-cities-student-prize/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=www.bu.edu}}

The Initiative supports doctoral students across Boston University leading original research on cities and urban populations by providing research stipends and supporting peer learning opportunities. It also is part of BU URBAN, an interdisciplinary PhD program which prepares students in Biogeoscience, Environmental Health, and Statistics to tackle urban environmental challenges.{{Cite web |title=URBAN Program |url=https://sites.bu.edu/urban/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=sites.bu.edu}}

The Initiative on Cities engages with urban academic institutes, think tanks and mayors around the world. In 2017, it partnered with the UK-based Centre for Cities to host the UK-International Metro Mayors Summit, which brought a cohort of US mayors to London for a three-day convening with the first directly elected mayors of metropolitan regions in the UK.{{Cite web |last=Cities |first=Centre |date=2017-12-09 |title=Five reflections from our international metro mayors' summit |url=https://www.centreforcities.org/blog/5-reflections-international-metro-mayors-summit/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Centre for Cities |language=en-US}} In 2019, the Initiative worked with a coalition of big city housing commissioners and Enterprise Community Partners to host the Global Innovations in Urban Housing conference.{{Cite web |title=Meeting the Housing Challenge |url=https://sites.bu.edu/urbanhousing/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=sites.bu.edu}} From 2017 to 2020, it ran an executive education program on cities for the global design firm, Arup, with in-depth site work in Boston, Hangzhou, and Singapore.

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Category:Boston University