The Initiative on Cities is a Boston University affiliated institution seeking to "promote and advance the adaptive urban leadership strategies necessary to support cities as dynamic centers of economic growth and development in the 21st century." Co-founded by Mayor Thomas Menino and Professor of Political Science Graham Wilson in 2014, the Initiative on Cities works with municipal leaders, academic professionals, and policy makers to plan and develop services, infrastructure, and programs to create sustainable cities.
Mission
The Initiative on Cities seeks to bridge the worlds of academic research and the practice of urban governance. To fulfill that role, the IOC operates as both a convener and a catalyst. As a convener, the IOC brings mayors and municipal leaders together with academics from across disciplines to tackle pressing urban issues. As a catalyst, the IOC provides public service fellowships and supports and promotes research that directly contributes to more prosperous, vibrant, and livable cities.
Advancing Urban Leadership
The Initiative on Cities aims to research and address major issues facing urban mayors. Mayors face a diverse range of challenges, from economic development and public health to transportation infrastructure and climate change preparedness. In order to better understand these issues, the Initiative on Cities spearheads research at Boston University by providing seed funding and organizes bi-annual City Leadership Summits that convene academics and practitioners.
Promoting Urban Policies in Practice
To engage students, professors, and community members, the Initiative on Cities hosts monthly Urban Seminar series to provide a platform for professors, researchers, and professionals to engage in discussions and debates on urban policy issues.
Inspiring Future Leaders
As a part of the Boston University community, the Initiative on Cities inspires future leaders through work with undergraduate and graduate students. The IOC hosts speakers, provides course listings for students interested in pursuing urban issues academically during their time at Boston University, and provides Fellowship opportunities to students interested in working with local government.
Research
The Initiative on Cities spearheads, funds, and is affiliated with a variety of research projects underway at Boston University and the Boston area community.
Menino Survey of Mayors
The Menino Survey of Mayors, named in honor of the late IOC Co-Founder and the Former Mayor of BostonTom Menino, is the first nationally representative review of mayoral goals, priorities, and issues. Having gathered information from over 70 American mayors throughout the summer of 2014, the inaugural Survey's findings were released in October 2014. Data indicated that mayors across America were most concerned with aging infrastructure, sound fiscal management, and economic growth. These issues led mayors to rank economic development and quality of life improvement as some of their main goals moving forward. Other findings indicated significant partisan differences in policy prioritization.
The 2015 class of IOC Summer Fellows work with the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics in Boston, MA, the Mayor's Office in Providence, RI, and the Sustainability Branch for the city of Melbourne, Australia.
2016 IOC Summer Fellows
The 2016 class of IOC Summer Fellows work with the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics in Boston, MA, the Mayor's Office in Providence, RI.
2017 IOC Summer Fellows
The 2017 class of IOC Summer Fellows work with the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics and Mayor's Office of Resilience & Racial Equkty in Boston, MA, the Mayor's Department of Innovation in Providence, RI, and New Economy Manchester in Manchester, England.
2018 IOC Summer Fellows
The 2018 class of IOC Summer Fellows work with the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics and Mayor's Office of Resilience & Racial Equity in Boston, MA, the Mayor's Department of Innovation in Providence, RI, and New Economy Manchester in Manchester, England.
