More than half of Bostonians spend more than 30% of their income just to keep themselves housed. Students in Interactive Data Visualization & Society worked in teams to build digital tools to tackle the housing affordability challenge in Boston.

More: bit.ly/idvs25

Awards and honors for case studies, work, community building and influence in the Boston area; three student-teams recognized for urban design excellence; and more in this month's roundup of DUSP community news: bit.ly/duspItm425

How do peacekeeping missions plan for their withdrawal from a conflict zone & why it is so difficult to make peace sustainable? @MIT_alumni Silvia Danielak (PhD ‘23) explores in the context of the end of the AU-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

More: bit.ly/danielakUnamid

Learn how the MIT Renewable Energy Clinic utilizes a nonpartisan approach to work with communities considering offshore wind infrastructure to help uncover & address potential challenges.

More: bit.ly/chunOffshore

IC: William Jones via @WikiCommons

How might the #policy, #urbanplanning, & #architecture help design interventions for issues surrounding the City of Baltimore's housing vacancy challenge? A joint MIT/MSU class uses these fields to seek pathways to a more just & thriving Baltimore.

More: bit.ly/mitmsuBaltimore

A new DUSP Open Learning course, Leadership in Planning, offers practical skills and techniques for leading planning initiatives and public organizations.
Learn more and enroll for free: bit.ly/leadershipInPl…

How can we tap into spirituality, reverence, or deeply held values to drive meaningful civic engagement & systemic change? @WeWhoEngage_MIT, a podcast led by Ceasar McDowell & Ayushi Roy (MCP '19), explores in its third season. More: bit.ly/weWhoEngage3

IC: Casey Murano

From recognition for excellence; the changing state of affordable housing & mobility; honoring the contributions of Alice Amsden & Mel King; to celebrating a student's identity through dance, all this & more in this month's roundup of DUSP community news: bit.ly/duspInt325

Does urban science -- using computational methods & data analysis to address urban planning challenges -- perpetuate historical racial inequities & if so, how could we realize a reparative urban science? Wonyoung So explores in @Planning_theory: bit.ly/soReparativeUr…

Many people are living in energy poverty - meaning they spend at least 8% of their annual household income on energy - a new study shows how coaching & data can help reduce their consumption & costs.

More: bit.ly/energyPoverty

Congrats to #dusp's Justin Steil, named a 2025 MacVicar Faculty Fellow, recognizing exemplary & sustained contributions to undergraduate education at MIT.

More via about Steil + fellow recipients, Paloma Duong (@mit_cmsw) & Frank Schilbach (@MITEcon): bit.ly/macvicarSteil

How might we better understand how we perceive & value nature in our urban environments? A new paper from researchers at @MIT's @SenseableCity & @tudelft, uses #ai to help generate a model for measuring how we sense nature.

More: bit.ly/sensingNature

For 10 years, @jwafs_mit has supported food & water research across the Institute, including work by #dusp community members Yasmin Zaerpoor (PhD '19), Jonars Spielberg (PhD '25), Andrea Beck (PhD '20), Bish Sanyal, & Larry Susskind. More: bit.ly/jwafs

A virtual Community Recovery Academy that leans on MIT’s expertise, offers online trainings and digital spaces for co-learning with Ukrainian city officials and DUSP faculty members, with the aim of planning for recovery after the war.

More via @MIT News: bit.ly/ukraineRecover…

How will the United States incorporate advanced manufacturing into its industrial base? And why is it critical for policymakers to consider advanced manufacturing for the future of US production systems? #dusp's Elisabeth Reynolds offers expert testimony: bit.ly/reynoldsCongre…

Drawing attention to the public health concerns of transportation in American cities, the challenges facing reconstruction efforts in Gaza, urging us to design for a world altered by climate impacts, & more in this month's roundup of #dusp community news: bit.ly/225inTheMedia

entwined, the second volume of the student publication, Silt, explores our relationship with land & space through poetry, prose, photos, illustrations, & paintings.

More: bit.ly/siltVolume2

IC: Cole Wagner

The Equitably Resilient City, named the 2025 Best Book in Urban Affairs Award, explores "how people look at problems more holistically — to show how environmental impacts are integrated with their livelihoods." More via Peter Dizikes ' MIT news coverage: bit.ly/valeEquitablyR…

How do individuals navigate complex decisions when they must do so collectively, weighing cost benefits like long-term social benefits vs short-term wealth? Jonathan Tarleton (MCP ‘18), explores in his new book, Homes for Living (@BeaconPressBks).

More: bit.ly/tarletonHomesF…

In a piece for the @BostonGlobe, Karilyn Crockett explores the history of the Home for Aged Colored Women + the role of collective research projects, like her seminar (Un)Dead Geographies, play in uncovering histories & honoring often overlooked memories. bit.ly/crockettUndead…

Highlighting the need for humanitarian shelter to support the world’s most vulnerable, efforts to to ​​make the crowded areas a city safer & more accessible for all, hacking urban planning, understanding mobility gaps, + more from the DUSP community: bit.ly/dusp125

"I ultimately chose urban planning as my major because of the human aspect—everyone has experienced urban planning issues," says Kaleigh Spears '25 in a piece spotlighting her time at @MIT for @MIT_Spectrum.

More: bit.ly/spearsSpectrum

How might connectivity & automation technologies enhance mobility services, making them more sustainable, equitable, & adaptable? New @MIT_CEE & DUSP research & development of a Multi-level Connected & Automated Transit System (M-CATS) will explore. More: bit.ly/ceeZhao

"Housing should be designed & run 'as if human beings matter,' Justice Mya Castañeda (MCP ’13) says, with light & space & beauty—which too often are not given due consideration in low-income housing," writes Kathryn O'Neill for @MIT_alumni profile.

More: bit.ly/castañedaSlice

What are the likely economic shocks of a rapid & widespread adoption of LLMs? How might policymakers proactively aid communities most likely to be affected by economic disruptions? Frank Levy & Scott Abrahams explore: bit.ly/levyLlms

IC: Whitten Sabbatini via @nytimes

To offer a more nuanced understanding of #mobility within the Boston Metropolitan Area, a joint study by researchers at @MIT and @MorganStateU examines gender differences in nighttime transit travel use for leisure activities.

Learn more: bit.ly/dyNewmarkMobil…

A new MIT case study, produced by a team of researchers including #dusp's Sungmoon Lim, examines e-waste through the lens of climate & environmental justice.

Learn more & access the full case study via Danna Lorch's MIT News coverage: bit.ly/limEwasteLifec…

The first organized @MIT delegation to the UN Biodiversity Convention, #COP16Colombia showcased research from across the Institute on biodiversity conservation, harnessing AI, & the power of local communities.

More via @mit_esi's coverage: bit.ly/esiCop16

What steps can drivers of the energy transition take to enhance outcomes for affected communities while also accelerating adoption of new technologies? #dusp's Larry Susskind discusses on @mitenergy's What if it Works? More: bit.ly/miteiSusskind

In 2018, over 3 billion tons of construction & demolition waste was produced by the US, the EU & China. Despite an awareness & need, circular practices have yet to be implemented at scale. What barriers can be addressed to encourage adoption? More: bit.ly/mitBuiltEnviro…

Learn how #dusp's @andres_sevtsuk applies new sources of data to creating more sustainable, walkable, as well as economically thriving and socially vibrant city spaces via Peter Dizikes' @MIT News piece: bit.ly/sevtsukWalkabi…

IC: Adam Glanzman

How can we achieve an energy transition during times of increasing demand & unpredictable obstacles? Researchers, government officials, and business leaders convened at MIT to envision pathways forward.

Learn more via Leda Zimmerman's MIT News coverage: bit.ly/miteiEnergyTra…

The MIT Mobility Initiative (MMI) is seeking individuals committed to promoting safe, clean & inclusive mobility systems - apply to the 2025 Senior Fellows by 17 January 2025 via: mmi.mit.edu/seniorfellows

Learn more about MMI, led by Jinhua Zhao, here: mmi.mit.edu

“If we want an educated citizenry to participate in our democracy with data & data-driven arguments, we should think about how we design our data infrastructures to support that,” says @kanarinka in a piece on her work & her new, award winning book.
More: bit.ly/dignazioDataDr…

What framework helps us to understand today’s geopolitical competition over control of the development of infrastructure, digital spaces, production of goods, & global finance? A new paper by DUSP's Andrew Stokols (PhD ‘24) & Justin Kollar explores: bit.ly/kollarStokols

Congrats to MIT alumnae Aarthi Janakiraman (MCP '19, PhD '24) & Mariama N'Diaye (MBA ‘24, MCP ‘24), whose extraordinary dissertation & thesis work was recognized at the @The_ACSP 's 2024 annual conference!!

More & access their work: bit.ly/acspAwards24

Why do some eviction filings result in displacement & others do not? #dusp's Justin Steil & @GeorgetownLaw's @nicolesummers_ leverage Greater Boston Area data to understand.

More: bit.ly/summersSteilEv…

Congrats to #dusp's @kanarinka, whose book, Counting Feminicide, has been recognized at the @AmericanBookFes's 21st Annual "Best Book" Awards!

Learn more about the book, the award, & the ongoing collaborative research project, Data Against Feminicide: bit.ly/diganzioBestBo…

The film "offers broader lessons about pluralism and public participation in diverse and often divided communities," writes #dusp's Ezra Glenn in his review of @Punch9Movie for @APA_Planning.

Read the full review & Glenn's additional recommendations: bit.ly/glennHaroldWas…

Practitioners, professionals, & academics are you interested in building effective & sustainable partnerships with communities? @MITpkg's Community Engaged Learning Workshops (featuring #dusp's Larry Susskind) offer frameworks, strategies, & experiences. bit.ly/pkgRsvp

Learn how #dusp alum Marco Herndon (MCP '24) is working with @mit_esi at the intersection of #climatechange, #technology, & environmental planning in with organizations in Latin America.

More: bit.ly/herndonEsi

Learn about #dusp community members recognized for their excellence in writing + are engaged with challenges & opportunities in mobility systems, approach safe & adequate housing, + more: bit.ly/duspItm824
IC: @PBS via Ezra Glenn's @APA_Planning review of @POVdocs King Coal

"Is urban air pollution creating more couch potatoes?"

A new paper by #dusp's Yichun Fan explores the relationship between air quality information & alerts with health costs associated with individual adaptation behaviors.

More: bit.ly/fanAirQualityP…

A study by #dusp's @SenseableCity adds clarity to estimate air pollution exposure, expanding beyond where people live or work by leveraging mobile data to examine where people go during a typical day to build a more thorough assessment.

More: bit.ly/duarteSantiBro…

In #dusp alumna Cate Mingoya-LaFortune's new book, Climate Action for Busy People (@IslandPress), learn how all of us can leverage small, hyper-local interventions to make meaningful differences for a better, safer future.

More: bit.ly/mingoyaClimate…

In an interview with @MIT News' Peter Dizikes, #dusp's @kanarinka discusses her new book, "Counting Feminicide," as well as gaps in traditional data science & the rise of data activism.

Read the interview & access the full book online: bit.ly/dignazio3qCF

The forthcoming volume of Projections, the #dusp peer-reviewed journal published by @mitpress, will explore living, adapting, & thriving in in a time of “polycrisis”: multiple protracted, compounded, & interconnected crises. More & call for papers: bit.ly/projections18C…

Congrats to @MIT_alumni Marcela Angel (MCP '18), named a member of the first @RockefellerFdn Big Bets Climate Fellows! The fellowship advances solutions intended to reverse the climate crisis & accelerate opportunity across Latin America + Caribbean.
More: bit.ly/angelRockefell…

In a reflection on time immersed with @Purangakura_, #dusp's Margaret Haltom & @Jaackiepaul focus on the power & efficacy of alternative models of research & advocacy work.

Learn more about their work supported by @MITpkg & @MISTIatMIT: bit.ly/haltomPaulPura…

How do climate related disasters affect renters & their rents? A new paper by #dusp's Justin Steil + @MITAlumni Mark Brennan (SM '16, PhD '20) & Tanaya Srini (MCP ‘20) in the journal @UrbanAffairsRev explores. More & read the full paper via open access: bit.ly/floodingSteilB…

How have small & mid-sized American cities adapted their #publicpolicy & #planning in support of the ongoing success of small businesses & revitalized downtowns? A new DUSP report, co-authored by Sarafina Fabris-Green & Jeff Levine leverages explores: bit.ly/fabrisGreenLev…