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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

📄⚾🏙️ New paper featuring IOC Director @lorettaclees.bsky.social, MISI Director Eric Gordon @bucomresearch.bsky.social, Preservation Studies Director Carolyn White, and Chang Xiao (Computer Science) on building a digital twin of Fenway in Boston. 🔗 www.mediapolisjournal.com/2026/09/codi...

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Paper submissions should include the following, emailed to either llees@bu.edu; japonica@bu.edu; or joshlown@bu.edu: Name, Email address, Affiliation, Country, Student? Yes/No, Career stage, Abstract title, Abstract text (max 300 words) Submissions are due by September 28, 2026.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Co-organizers @lorettaclees.bsky.social @jbrownsaracino.bsky.social and Josh Lown are seeking papers for the session, "The Future of Gentrification Studies: Dead or Alive?," @uaanews.bsky.social Int. Conference on April 14-16, 2027, in NYC. Submission info ⬇️; Panel Description in alt text.

Paper submissions should include the following, emailed to either llees@bu.edu; japonica@bu.edu; or joshlown@bu.edu: Name, Email address, Affiliation, Country, Student? Yes/No, Career stage, Abstract title, Abstract text (max 300 words)

Submissions are due by September 28, 2026.

Panel Description

The study of gentrification has been dominant in urban studies since the 1990s, and there has long been a perception that it is taking up space that could be occupied by other lines of research. Despite pushback against it, including ongoing pronouncements that it has reached the end of its natural lifespan, about concept creep in all the different kinds or types of gentrification, and/or assertions that it should be fossilized in London in 1964, a substantive, rich body of writing and research has developed over time and is continuing to grow. This work has been theoretically, conceptually, and methodologically strong, creative, and has engendered exciting debate across the disciplines that inform urban studies.

This panel will explore the field's future. Should gentrification studies continue apace? What re-conceptualizations and foci are called for? Specifically, how might gentrification be conceptualized in relationship to enduring debates about displacement, and in light of increasing calls to integrate classical political-economic explanations for gentrification with perspectives on racial capitalism? What are the most exciting and theory-generating new avenues of empirical research? How can gentrification studies bridge gaps between scholarship and the rich tradition of on-the-ground resistance to gentrification and displacement? Or should we move beyond gentrification?

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Join @buoncities.bsky.social for a virtual discussion on the Global Fight to Reclaim the “Right to the City,” moderated by Right to the City artist Dominic Moulden and @stafe.bsky.social 🕙 Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 AM ET Learn more and register: www.bu.edu/ioc/2026/07/...

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Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics @newurbanmechanics.boston.gov · 15/06/2026

Metis Christodoulou (she/they) is a Master of Early Education candidate at @buwheelock.bsky.social. As a former game designer, she’s excited to combine her knowledge of play and pedagogy to help MONUM tackle difficult problems, and to synthesize her learnings for @buoncities.bsky.social

A photo of Metis Christodoulou, a Master of Early Education candidate at Boston University Wheelock

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Professor Loretta Lees @lorettaclees.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Our @buoncities.bsky.social exhibition on the Right to the City opened last night, it features Dominic Moulden’s photography- it was an amazing night, looking forwards to the panel discussion today

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

IOC's Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) is proud to announce our first pilot partnership matched by GUDL between the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA), City of Cambridge EODD, and the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN): www.bu.edu/ioc/2026/05/...

The Boston University Initiative on Cities Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab (GUDL) is proud to announce the recipients of our first pilot partnership seed grant matched by GUDL between the City of Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA), City of Cambridge Economic Opportunity and Development Division (EODD), and the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN). The pilot partnership award is part of GUDL’s aim to foster new, cross-sector collaborations to advance innovative anti-displacement policy and practice.

The CRA and EODD will work with SBAN to host the Cambridge Small Business Talks at the end of 2026. These talks, facilitated by SBAN Director and Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Maryland, Willow Lung, Ph.D., will include a commercial anti-displacement workshop for Cambridge leaders and members of the City’s primary business associations.

They will also have site visits to the CRA’s Neighborhood Storefronts Project at 1175 Cambridge Street, Central Square, and Porter Square. This program seeks to bridge local knowledge with SBAN’s national expertise in anti-displacement solutions for small businesses. The collaboration also provides opportunities for the City of Cambridge to listen, inform, and support local businesses.

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The West End Museum @westendmuseum.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

This semester, WEM worked with MFA students at @bostonu.bsky.social through the @buoncities.bsky.social program to write monologues exploring displacement and remembrance inspired by letters sent to The West Ender Newsletter. Photos taken by Caitlin Lee, Boston University Initiative on Cities.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

We're delighted to share that IOC Director @lorettaclees.bsky.social has received this year's Patron's Medal from the @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social @rgs.org for contributions to geographical sciences. Read more about Director Lees and her work: www.bu.edu/ioc/2026/05/...

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RGS-IBG Higher Ed @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Professor Loretta Lees @lorettaclees.bsky.social is the recipient of this year's Patron’s Medal for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery. @buoncities.bsky.social @bostonu.bsky.social

Person in a navy blazer stands with arms crossed outside a restaurant with green awnings on a sunny day.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

🕔 Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 5:00 – 7:00 PM 📍 Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215 Join us for a discussion with Dr. Romola Sanyal (@lsegeography.bsky.social) exploring how displacement shapes people's lives, identities, and urban spaces. 🔗 bu.edu/ioc/urbansalon-displacement

When: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Where: Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215

Join the Boston University Initiative on Cities, the Boston University Center on Forced Displacement (CFD), and the Boston Urban Salon for a discussion exploring how displacement – both structural and episodic – shapes people’s lives, identities, and urban spaces.

Focusing on the United Kingdom, Dr. Romola Sanyal (Department of Geography and Environment, LSE) examines how displaced populations often occupy the racialized margins of urban economies, facing precarious work, persistent poverty, and the risk of further displacement.

Dr. Sanyal will be joined by Nazli Kibria (Boston University Department of Sociology) and Ayşe Parla (Boston University Department of Anthropology).

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Read the full report, supported by @arnoldventures.bsky.social, titled, “Unlocking Housing Supply: Mayors’ Views on the Politics of Housing” at surveyofmayors.com. Co-authored by @katherineeinst.bsky.social, @davidmglick.bsky.social, @maxwellpalmer.com

surveyofmayors.com

Menino Survey of Mayors

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

#MeninoSurvey co-author @katherineeinst.bsky.social said, “Three-quarters of US mayors now believe that building more housing will reduce prices […] mayors have the power to lead on land use reforms that could unlock the housing supply...”

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Public meetings are a paradox. 44% of mayors say they reduce the amount of housing that gets built, and 68% say they don’t represent community views. Yet strong majorities still see them as useful—for gauging public sentiment and building trust between communities and developers.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Austin, TX Mayor @kirkpwatson.bsky.social: “In Austin, we’ve modernized our land use and reduced unnecessary regulation barriers so we can add homes where people most want to live."

“In Austin, we’ve modernized our land use and reduced unnecessary regulation barriers so we can add homes where people most want to live. When cities lack supply, it drives up costs and undermines generational wealth. If we believe supply matters, our policies have to reflect it.”

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Which cities are mayors pointing to as housing affordability leaders? Austin, TX & @minneapolismn.gov top the list – both have reformed their zoning and increased housing supply.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

When mayors describe housing projects they wanted to build but couldn’t, they cited these barriers: 💰 40%: financing problems 🗣️ 25%: public opposition 📝 15%: permitting issues

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

And on some issues, there’s no clear agreement at all. Mayors are evenly divided on whether homelessness is primarily a housing affordability problem, with roughly equal shares (20–25%) in each camp—from strong agreement to strong disagreement.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

While allowing more apartments near transit is popular across party lines, there are still gaps: nearly all Democratic mayors (91%) support it, compared with 63% of Republican mayors. 80% of Democratic mayors support converting underused commercial space to housing, compared with 25% of Republicans.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Strong majorities of mayors support policies to make it easier to build multifamily housing—through zoning changes and faster permitting. Some ideas draw strong bipartisan backing, such as allowing city staff to approve new housing permits that comply with all existing rules (~70%).

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

These differences shape how mayors approach solutions. Democratic mayors are more likely to see increasing supply as key to lowering costs—and to support regulatory reforms, countering popular media narratives that blue cities and states are prone to such governance failures.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

But the housing supply story isn’t one-size-fits-all. 86% of Democratic mayors say underbuilding is a major cause of rising costs—nearly 50 percentage points higher than Republican mayors.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Housing costs are rising, and mayors point to a clear cause: not enough homes. 3-in-4 say underbuilding is a major driver of rising costs, and 80% say competition for too few homes to rent or buy is making it worse.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

80% of mayors say their cities have too little multifamily housing—and more than 60% report a shortage of rental housing. At the same time, 58% believe there’s too little single-family housing, while just 9% say there’s too much.

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

As Congress debates housing legislation, the 2025 #MeninoSurvey makes clear that mayors believe that supply matters for affordability. 75% of US mayors now believe that increasing the supply of market-rate housing will reduce housing prices (up from 60% in 2021).

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

🏘️🏗️🏙️ Today, we release findings from the 2025 #MeninoSurvey, the only nationally representative survey of American mayors that explores what mayors see as the main drivers of rising housing costs, housing policy, and political barriers they face to building more homes. surveyofmayors.com 🧵⬇️

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Professor Loretta Lees @lorettaclees.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Great event Reclaim Roxbury last night which @buoncities.bsky.social sponsored- amazing work

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BU URBAN @buurban.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Impactful and relevant conversation with Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune yesterday as part of our Urban Governance Series. Thanks to @ruthzee.bsky.social for your time and energy and to Stacy Fox and @buoncities.bsky.social for organizing and framing the discussion.

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Japonica Brown-Saracino @jbrownsaracino.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

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...

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Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

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

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

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

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

🏙️ 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/...

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

🧋 🍵 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...

youtube.com

🧋 🍵 Boba’s been popping off in Boston with signs of commercial gentrification (boba-ification)

YouTube video by Boston University Initiative on Cities

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

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.

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Spandan @spandan.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Congratulations @kaibosworth.bsky.social, @lorettaclees.bsky.social, and @rrr3006.bsky.social for 2025 IHG Research Grant Award!!

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Jesse M. Keenan @jessemkeenan.com · 29/10/2025

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...

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

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

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Dr. Kathryn Atherton @k8eatherton.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

🌳 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...

doi.org

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...

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Professor Loretta Lees @lorettaclees.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Great talk @buoncities.bsky.social last night by Danny Abrahamson on the architecture of rebuilt city halls

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Professor Loretta Lees @lorettaclees.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Contested meaning of symbolic space in East Asian cities sponsored by @buoncities.bsky.social tonight

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

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/...

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

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...

youtube.com

BU Urbanist POV: Shannon Whittaker #bostonuniversity #urban #gentrification

YouTube video by Boston University Initiative on Cities

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Hyun Bang Shin @hyunshin.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

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...

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

🔖🥳 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

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Professor Loretta Lees @lorettaclees.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Paper by Josh Lown @buoncities.bsky.social new post doc in this issue:

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Professor Loretta Lees @lorettaclees.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Global Alliance signed: @buoncities.bsky.social w/ SMU Urban Institute, School of Cities Toronto, Melbourne Center for Cities & LSE Geography and Environment

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Developing Place-Based Learning Opportunities to Support Climate Change Education in Somerville Public Schools PI: @eveimanz.bsky.social, Associate Professor of Science Education, @buwheelock.bsky.social Co-PIs: Genelle Diaz-Silveira & Angel Osorio Pizarro, Ph.D. Students, Wheelock College

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Occupational Heat & Cooling Strategies: A Pilot Study PI: @mscammell.bsky.social, Associate Professor of Environmental Health, @busph.bsky.social Co-PIs: @patriciafabian.bsky.social, Associate Professor of Environmental Health, SPH; @jonylee.bsky.social, Ph.D. Student, Environmental Health

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Initiative on Cities @buoncities.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Heat, Health, and Hurricanes: Urban Resilience versus the Long Mortality Shadow of Cooling Disruptions PI: Ian Sue Wing, Professor, @buearth.bsky.social Co-PIs: Jiahang He, Ph.D. Student, Earth and Environment; ‪‪@suzannasumkhuu.bsky.social‬‬, Ph.D. Student, Earth and Environment

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