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buoncities.bsky.social
Initiative on Cities
@buoncities.bsky.social
590 followers 210 following 50 posts
🏙️🚶🚋🚎🚲 Interdisciplinary Center for Urban Research & Learning @bostonu.bsky.social. Work in, on, and with cities locally to globally. Led by Director @lorettaclees.bsky.social.

🔗 https://www.bu.edu/ioc/
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Reposted by Initiative on Cities
jbrownsaracino.bsky.social
I'm very much looking forward to this event at Boston University on February 4th! Thanks to the Initiative on Cities for organizing! bsky.app/profile/buon...
buoncities.bsky.social Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 29d
Join us for the launch of our Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL), featuring a discussion with
@jbrownsaracino.bsky.social on her new book "The Death & Life of Gentrification!"

🕒 February 4, 2026, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
📍 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

🔗 bu.edu/ioc/ideas-to-action
Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for the launch of the Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) – a new hub bringing together faculty, students, practitioners, and community partners committed to understanding urban change, culture, and inequality. At the center of the launch is a discussion of Professor Japonica Brown-Saracino’s important new book, The Death and Life of Gentrification. Brown-Saracino explores how the term “gentrification” has evolved far beyond Ruth Glass’s original meaning – shifting from a description of neighborhood change to a socially charged metaphor for cultural appropriation, upscaling, and the loss of authenticity. Drawing on film, literature, journalism, and art, the book illuminates how gentrification has become a lens through which we understand transformations in everyday life and popular culture. Brown-Saracino will be joined by Karilyn Crockett (MIT), Lawrence Vale (MIT), and Stephanie Ternullo (Harvard University) for a conversation on the book. Following the discussion, the program will feature lightning talks showcasing recent BU research on gentrification and displacement, as well as next steps for GUDL. Learn more and register on our website at bu.edu/ioc/ideas-to-action
January 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
princetonupress.bsky.social
Next week, Feb 4 at 3:00pm EST, @buoncities.bsky.social welcomes @jbrownsaracino.bsky.social for a discussion of her book, The Death and Life of Gentrification, and her research into the changing meaning of gentrification in contemporary life and its implications.

Register here: buff.ly/blXD0Sm
The Death and Life of Gentrification: A New Map of a Persistent Idea by Japonica Brown-Saracino Japonica Brown-Saracino
January 28, 2026 at 8:30 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
Join us for the launch of our Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL), featuring a discussion with
@jbrownsaracino.bsky.social on her new book "The Death & Life of Gentrification!"

🕒 February 4, 2026, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
📍 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

🔗 bu.edu/ioc/ideas-to-action
Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities for the launch of the Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) – a new hub bringing together faculty, students, practitioners, and community partners committed to understanding urban change, culture, and inequality. At the center of the launch is a discussion of Professor Japonica Brown-Saracino’s important new book, The Death and Life of Gentrification. Brown-Saracino explores how the term “gentrification” has evolved far beyond Ruth Glass’s original meaning – shifting from a description of neighborhood change to a socially charged metaphor for cultural appropriation, upscaling, and the loss of authenticity. Drawing on film, literature, journalism, and art, the book illuminates how gentrification has become a lens through which we understand transformations in everyday life and popular culture. Brown-Saracino will be joined by Karilyn Crockett (MIT), Lawrence Vale (MIT), and Stephanie Ternullo (Harvard University) for a conversation on the book. Following the discussion, the program will feature lightning talks showcasing recent BU research on gentrification and displacement, as well as next steps for GUDL. Learn more and register on our website at bu.edu/ioc/ideas-to-action
January 8, 2026 at 8:10 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
🏙️ Half a month ago, the Initiative on Cities hosted our very first BU City Hall Day, bringing BU researchers together with City of Boston staff, building relationships with City Hall leaders, and bridging gaps between research and municipal policymaking.

Read our recap: www.bu.edu/ioc/2025/12/...
December 18, 2025 at 9:22 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
🧋 🍵 Boba’s been popping off lately in Boston, especially in the Chinatown area. We ventured out for sweet drinks and to examine the impacts—and signs of commercial gentrification (boba-ification)—as consumers and businesses shift toward new products and tastes.

🔗 youtube.com/shorts/1WpPb...
🧋 🍵 Boba’s been popping off in Boston with signs of commercial gentrification (boba-ification)
YouTube video by Boston University Initiative on Cities
youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:34 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
Congratulations to our postdoctoral research associate Josh Lown and Director @lorettaclees.bsky.social for receiving an Institute of Human Geography grant on building a toolkit with and for activists and organizers to advocate for new green space while minimizing gentrification and displacement.
December 9, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
spandan.bsky.social
Congratulations @kaibosworth.bsky.social, @lorettaclees.bsky.social, and @rrr3006.bsky.social for 2025 IHG Research Grant Award!!
December 1, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
keenanclimate.com
Are you researching climate change, human mobility, and housing? If so, join us in Nola (January) for "Multiplied Displacements: The Climate-Housing Nexus" (free registration & some travel funding available) w/ @uoftcities.bsky.social & @buoncities.bsky.social architecture.tulane.edu/events/multi...
October 29, 2025 at 7:31 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
Join the @buoncities.bsky.social and @busph.bsky.social for a virtual discussion of Urban Health in Africa, co-edited by BU Associate Professor Elaine Nsoesie! The event will feature a panel on case studies on Africa’s urbanization, health, and prosperity.

Register: www.bu.edu/ioc/2025/10/...
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 urbanization and its implications for health, prosperity, and sustainability. Essays in the book explore a range of topics—from housing to climate change—across diverse African cities. Contributing authors sharing: Blessing Mberu, Senior Research Scientist and the head of population dynamics and urbanization, African Population and Health Research Center; Dina Machuve, Co-Founder and CTO, DevData Analytics; Jane Weru, Executive Director, Akiba Mashinani Trust; Deo Okure, Head of Research & Global Partnerships, AirQo; Elizabeth Bakibinga, Legal Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, UK
October 28, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
k8eatherton.bsky.social
🌳 Big news! My paper “Disruption of the oak tree microbiome with urbanization” is now out in Nature Cities! 🏙️🌿
Cities are full of life we don’t see, including microbes that live in and on trees.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s442...
Disruption of the oak tree microbiome with urbanization - Nature Cities
Urbanization disrupts oak tree microbiomes by reducing beneficial fungi and increasing plant and human pathogens across leaves, roots and soils, with consequences for tree health, urban climate mitiga...
doi.org
October 14, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
lorettaclees.bsky.social
Great talk @buoncities.bsky.social last night by Danny Abrahamson on the architecture of rebuilt city halls
October 16, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
lorettaclees.bsky.social
Contested meaning of symbolic space in East Asian cities sponsored by @buoncities.bsky.social tonight
October 1, 2025 at 9:55 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
We’re excited to introduce our new Postdoctoral Research Associate, Josh Lown! Building on his work in East Boston, he aims to develop a green gentrification toolkit for activists and advocates to use in creating more green spaces while minimizing displacement.

Q&A🔗 www.bu.edu/ioc/2025/09/...
September 30, 2025 at 9:09 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
BU Urbanist POV: Meet Shannon Whittaker, a postdoctoral scholar @buciss.bsky.social and @buoncities.bsky.social affiliate whose research intersects gentrification (and urban renewal), race, and health.

📹 youtube.com/shorts/ND2Px...
BU Urbanist POV: Shannon Whittaker #bostonuniversity #urban #gentrification
YouTube video by Boston University Initiative on Cities
youtube.com
September 22, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
hyunshin.bsky.social
Live now in Boston hosted by @buoncities.bsky.social. It was a pleasure to discuss this talk by Dr Youjeong Oh on "Development, Dispossession, and Desires in Jeju" today, 18 Sep. 2025. Link to the event here: www.bu.edu/ioc/events/e...
September 18, 2025 at 9:12 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
🔖🥳 We’re excited to share our 2025 Annual Report!

We deepened our role as an interdisciplinary hub for urbanists, bridging research and practice and expanding connections with partners locally, nationally, and globally.

Read the report: drive.google.com/file/d/1Ok_8...
Cover of the 2025 Boston University Initiative on Cities Annual Report
September 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
lorettaclees.bsky.social
Paper by Josh Lown @buoncities.bsky.social new post doc in this issue:
urbanstudiesjournal.com Urban Studies Journal @urbanstudiesjournal.com · Aug 25
🚨 #UrbanStudies Volume 62, Issue 11 (August 2025) out now!

✍️ Featuring articles on #housing, #gentrification, #resettlement, #urbanmobilityinjustice and #publicspacedesign.

📖 Check it out! buff.ly/UgkyYZo
August 26, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
lorettaclees.bsky.social
Global Alliance signed: @buoncities.bsky.social w/ SMU Urban Institute, School of Cities Toronto, Melbourne Center for Cities & LSE Geography and Environment
July 1, 2025 at 7:16 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
We're proud to announce the 2025 recipients of our 11th request for proposals for the Early Stage Urban Research Awards!

These seed grants support early-stage academic research focused on urban challenges and urban populations across various disciplines and scopes.

🔗 www.bu.edu/ioc/2025/05/...
May 28, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
lorettaclees.bsky.social
@buoncities.bsky.social Exec Director in discussion with State Rep Vargas
May 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
hyunshin.bsky.social
A talk not to miss with @lorettaclees.bsky.social (Director of @buoncities.bsky.social and Visiting Professor, LSE Department of Geography and Environment), discussing her latest work on anti-displacement toolkit. On 20-June, 4pm, hybrid. Part of the Urban Salon. Link: www.lse.ac.uk/geography-an...
May 24, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
lorettaclees.bsky.social
Day 2 public impact scholars @buoncities.bsky.social
May 20, 2025 at 2:03 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
The Initiative on Cities proudly celebrates our External Advisory Board member, Dominic Moulden, for receiving an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Boston University’s 2025 Commencement!

🔗 www.bu.edu/ioc/2025/05/...
May 18, 2025 at 2:40 PM
buoncities.bsky.social
We’re thrilled to announce the Initiative on Cities 2025 Public Impact Scholars cohort! This year, 20 BU researchers will take part in a multi-day workshop (happening next week!) to equip them with skills to translate their research into meaningful policy and societal impact.

See scholars below ⬇️
May 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Initiative on Cities
lorettaclees.bsky.social
@buoncities.bsky.social end of year trip with our student interns to the Aquarium… so fun
May 6, 2025 at 8:13 PM