Menino Survey of Mayors

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.^[10] It is the only systematic, nationally representative survey of U.S. mayoral priorities and concerns.^[11] The Menino Survey covers timely issues affecting cities, including housing affordability,^[12][13] poverty,^[14] the racial wealth gap,^[15] public health,^[16] infrastructure,^[17] policing,^[18] parks and public space,^[19] homelessness,^[20] and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[21] Survey collaborators and funders have included Citi, The Rockefeller Foundation, the National League of Cities (NLC), Trust for Public Land, and Community Solutions.^[22] 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.^[23]

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,^[24] the “Canadian Municipal Barometer”,^[25] and the Global Survey of City Leaders led by Cornell University.^[26]

Federally Funded Research and Programs

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

Boston Research

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.^[32]

Experiential Learning

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.^[33] 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.^[34]

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,^[35] and includes a paid semester-long internship for a Boston University undergraduate student with the NLC in Washington DC.^[36]

Urban Studies Minor

The Initiative created Boston University's Urban Studies minor, which is administered by the Boston University Department of Political Science.^[37] The Initiative on Cities awards a student prize each year to a graduating seniors minoring in Urban Studies.^[38]

Doctoral Programs

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.^[39]