Partner with MetroBridge in 2020-2021

MetroBridge: Student Support for Local Government Projects

*Update: Cities and towns are dealing with unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With this in mind, we encourage local governments, community organizations, and non-profits to submit project ideas for how BU can support your local response to this critical public health and economic crisis. Thank you for everything you are doing to keep our communities safe and healthy.*

The MetroBridge program at BU’s Initiative on Cities embeds real-world projects for municipalities into undergraduate and graduate courses, enlisting our students and faculty as allies in addressing real issues confronting our region. Students have recently tackled a variety of data collection, policy analysis, and research projects for local communities, including:

• Collecting survey data on residents’ satisfaction with public services and programs
• Interviewing elderly residents about how to better meet their needs
• Building an action plan for addressing mental health and hoarding
• Analyzing transportation data to recommended safety interventions for pedestrians/bikers
• Forecasting the potential impact of home sharing regulations on affordable housing
• Measuring air quality to inform needed public health interventions

Because the MetroBridge projects are tailored to the specific needs of each local government partner, the program conducts an annual Request for Projects (RFP) to solicit project ideas from cities and towns across the state.

Interested potential partners are invited to view program information and download the RFP at the following link: www.bu.edu/ioc/metrobridge. The current submission deadline is Monday, May 4, 2020.

The MetroBridge program is university-wide, which means partner local governments can leverage all of the academic expertise at Boston University: climate readiness, communications and emerging media, community engagement, data science, foreign languages, historic preservation, housing, human services, land use and transportation, political science, public health, and sustainability. Local governments are encouraged to submit multiple project ideas through the RFP process.

MetroBridge assists with project scoping and refinement, coordinates student site visits to the community, arranges meetings with government partners, and ensures effective communication with city/town project liaisons. At the end of the semester, students present findings directly to local government leadership, and the MetroBridge team oversees the development of polished final reports.

The MetroBridge team looks forward to collaborating with BU faculty and local governments interested in learning more about the program.

Please contact MetroBridge Program Manager, Emily Robbins, with any questions at erobbins@bu.edu. Visit the MetroBridge website.