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Making Informal Urban Spaces Visible

May 07, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

By the year 2050, the United Nations predicts that more than two-thirds of the world population will live in urban environments. For many envisioning this city centric future places new urban residents in master planned developments, replete with supporting infrastructure and amenities. Yet, a significant proportion of the millions of people who migrate to and within the world’s cities every year add their number to the nearly one billion residents of informal settlements and slums around the world.

Excellence in Public Service Awards 2021: Call for Applications

May 04, 2021. Posted by Ezra Haber Glenn

We are now accepting applications for the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning "Excellence in Public Service Awards."  Deadline: May 24, 2021.

Purpose.  In 1999, DUSP established the Fund for Excellence in Public Service to raise funds to assist and encourage graduates from the Master in City Planning (MCP) program who choose to pursue public service careers.  The Excellence in Public Service Awards, as the Fund’s first initiative, is designed to advance three purposes:

Leadership and Service for Environmental and Social Justice

Apr 30, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Stephanie Martinovich's April 21, 2021 MIT News Story.

MIT associate professors Desirée Plata and Justin Steil have been named recipients of the 2020-21 Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award. The award’s selection committee chose to recognize both faculty members for their excellence in service, mentorship, and research that impacts critical societal challenges in environmental sustainability and social justice.

2021 Truman Scholars

Apr 23, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of the Distinguished Fellowships April 15th, 2021 MIT News Story.

MIT students Yu Jing Chen and Max Williamson have been selected as 2021 Truman Scholars. Truman Scholars demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence.

Making Pedestrians Count

Apr 16, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Peter Dizikes's April 15th, 2021 MIT News Story.

A key portion of MIT’s campus overlaps with Kendall Square, the bustling area in East Cambridge where students, residents, and tech employees scurry around in between classes, meetings, and meals. Where are they all going? Is there a way to make sense of this daily flurry of foot traffic?

Encouraging Solar Energy Adoption

Apr 02, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Nancy Stauffer's April 1, 2021 MIT News Story.

How Reliance on Coal Impacts County and School Funding

Mar 26, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Elizabeth Gribkoff's March 17, 2021 MIT News Story.

Expanding Access Across a City

Mar 19, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

In cities, how many individuals feel connected with fellow citizens even across socioeconomic and spatial differences?  To answer this question, researchers at MIT's Senseable City Lab analyzed the “linkage strength” between parts of Stockholm, Sweden, using geotagged Twitter and census data to measure how people from different neighborhoods move around the city. They examined this data to determine if socioeconomic differences such as income, education, and immigration history between two areas affects whether people move between them.

Elisabeth Reynolds Joins the National Economic Council

Mar 12, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Peter Dizikes's March 5th, 2021 MIT News Story. 

Elisabeth Beck Reynolds PhD ’10, executive director of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center (IPC), has accepted a senior post in the Biden administration’s National Economic Council (NEC), the White House announced on March 5th, 2021.

Reynolds will serve as Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development at the NEC.

Inclusive and Caring Mentorship

Mar 05, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Ellie Immerman's February 25, 2021 MIT News story.

Professors Kristin Bergmann and Larry Susskind listen fully and compassionately to students. Both are deeply invested in crafting inclusive environments — and many students attest to how effective they are in this endeavor. For their thoughtful advising and wholehearted support of students, Bergmann and Susskind have been honored as “Committed to Caring.”

Rebuilding Connections in America

Feb 26, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Peter Dizikes' February 24, 2021 MIT News story.

Planning and Designing Urban Environments for the 21st Century

Feb 05, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Maria Iacobo's January 29, 2021 MIT News Story.

The MIT School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) has announced the appointment of Sarah Williams, associate professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), as director of the Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU). Her new role became effective on Jan. 1.

Climate Action Plan

Jan 29, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of a January 26, 2021 MIT News piece. 

The MIT School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) has announced the adoption of a school-wide climate action plan designed to advance Institute efforts to address climate change and model local-level steps that could be taken throughout MIT.

Center for Constructive Communication

Jan 15, 2021. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of the MIT Media Lab's January 13th, 2021 MIT News Story.

On 1.13.21, MIT announced the launch of the interdisciplinary Center for Constructive Communication, which will leverage data-driven analytics to better understand current social and mass media ecosystems and design new tools and communication networks capable of bridging social, cultural, and political divides.

Helping Urban Economic Growth

Dec 18, 2020. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Peter Dizikes' December 7th, 2020 MIT News piece.

Highlighting the Values Underlying Data

Dec 11, 2020. Posted by Takeo Kuwabara

Repost of Peter Dizikes's December 8th, 2020 MIT News piece.  

In the early decades of the 20th century, city officials in the U.S. began collecting data like they never had before. In St. Louis, starting around 1915, planners fanned out across the city and obtained detailed information about the use and ownership of every property standing.