Author: Fatima Blanca Munoz

2019 Urban Research Award: Locked Out: Examining the Use of Urban Housing Admissions Policies to Systematically Exclude Poor Renters

PI: Megan Smith, MSW, PhD student; School of Social Work Co-PI: Thomas Byrne, PhD; Assistant Professor, School of Social Work The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidizes about 4.8 million households throughout the country. Motivated by previous research and practice with individuals facing barriers to affordable housing, the team of investigators will examine […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Congregations in Contested Space: Gentrification and Latinx Churches in East Boston

PI: Jonathan Calvillo, PhD; Assistant Professor, Sociology of Religion, School of Theology Boston, like many U.S. cities, is currently experiencing elevated levels of gentrification adversely affecting working class people of color. The manner in which churches are affected by gentrification is particularly important as churches often provide valuable resources within working class communities of color. […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Evictions and Substandard Housing in Boston: The Unfulfilled Promises of the Public Health and Legal System

PI: Wendy Heiger-Bernays, PhD; Clinical Professor of Environmental Health, School of Public Health Co-PI: Ethan Mascoop, MPH, MUA, RS; Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Environmental Health, School of Public Health Collaborator: Andrea M. Park, JD, MA; Housing and Homelessness Attorney, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) Boston is one of the least affordable housing markets in the country. […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Dislocated Gods, De-territorialized Bodies: Temples, Space and Social Resilience in Urbanizing China

PI: Robert P. Weller, PhD; Professor, Boston University Department of Anthropology Co-PI: Keping Wu, PhD; Associate Professor, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Department of China Studies China has been undergoing extremely rapid urbanization, and millions of people have been resettled in the process—being displaced both physically and socially. The investigators will examine the lives of the resettled people, […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Building Community and Health Equity through Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Financial Services

PI: Lucy Marcil, MD MPH; Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics Co-PI: Yoonsook Ha, PhD; Assistant Professor, School of Social Work Despite the link between income and health, few interventions to reduce health disparities have provided financial services directly targeting the needs of families living in poverty to improve health. The Earned Income […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Reducing Identity-Based Harassment for Marginalized Youth: An Evaluation of the Anti-Defamation League’s Peer Leader Program among Urban Youth

PI: Melissa Holt, PhD; Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology and Applied Human Development; Wheelock College of Education and Human Development (WCEDHD) Co-PIs: Christine Marsico, PhD student; Counseling Psychology, WCEDHD and Jennifer Greif Green, PhD; Associate Professor, Special Education, WCEDHD One of the most pressing societal problems facing youth is identity-based bullying and harassment, which is on […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Urban Refuge: Access to Information and Access to Aid for Syrian Refugees in Istanbul

PI: Noora Anwar Lori, PhD; Assistant Professor of International Relations, Frederick S, Pardee School of Global Studies The investigator aims to address the challenge of coordinating aid among diverse service providers that seek to target vulnerable populations in dense urban centers (especially refugees and other migrants who may not have a secure legal status). Two-thirds […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Community Engagement to Explore Heat Exposure for Urban-Dwelling Older Adults in Boston

PI: Leila Heidari, PhD student; Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health Co-PI: Patrick L. Kinney, ScD; Professor, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health The investigators seek to understand the heat exposure-related needs and experiences of older adults living in Boston, MA, a population that is vulnerable to health effects of heat. They […]

2019 Urban Research Award: Partnering with Families with Limited English Proficiency to Promote Language Justice and Equity in Education Settings

PIs: Catalina Tang Yan, MS, PhD student; School of Social Work Co-PI: Linda Sprague Martinez, PhD; Assistant Professor, School of Social Work Youth of color whose first language is not English are the fastest growing segment of the youth population in the United States. Families with limited English proficiency are often restricted from the many opportunities […]

A White Paper: “Effective Community-University-Industry Collaboration Models for Smart and Connected Communities Research.”

Uncovering How to Work Together In 2017 the Hariri Institute for Computing along with the BU Initiative on Cities held two workshops titled “Effective Community-University-Industry Collaboration Models for Smart and Connected Communities Research.” Attendees at these events included principal investigators, research directors, city officials, community partners, National Science Foundation (NSF) program managers, and federal agency and industry representatives. The […]