School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs Archives

A new sustainability seminar lets students propose their own sustainability program. They learn to think critically and propose solutions, says Jacob Glickel, who works in the Office of Sustainability. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

New course to cultivate ideas about how to expand campus sustainability efforts

A weekly seminar this fall will bring together researchers, campus operations, and people who live near the Boston campus into the discussion about the environment. Universities are anchors in their communities, and the class is an opportunity to demonstrate best practices for environmental sustainability and resilience, say faculty experts.

by Peter Ramjug September 7, 2021

Why the Remain in Mexico policy, recently upheld by the Supreme Court, can still be trumped

Northeastern experts on the high court and U.S. immigration law say the Supreme Court told the Biden administration it will have to create a new, more carefully-worded rule justifying why it wants to end the Remain in Mexico program.

by Peter Ramjug September 3, 2021

There’s a growing consensus among emergency response researchers that in communities where social ties are strong and there is a sense of connectedness, residents are more readily able to rebound after a disruptive event such as an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, wildfire, or illness. Illustration by Hannah Moore/Northeastern University

How to rebound from disasters? Resilience starts in the neighborhood

“Many times in emergency management we think about the physical activities that need to be done, expanding this, building that, shoring up this. But there’s a whole other side that we could easily do that can also enhance the recovery process,” says Ann Lesperance, director of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Northeastern University Seattle campus.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki July 14, 2021

Sunrise over Northeastern’s Boston campus.

The forecast said it would be 90 degrees. So why does your thermometer say it’s 100?

Some neighborhoods are hotter than others, says Brian Helmuth, professor of marine and environmental sciences at Northeastern. And those temperature differences tend to fall along socioeconomic lines, perpetuating entrenched historical inequalities.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki July 1, 2021

On Feb. 21, 2020, a worker checks items on a shelf in the produce section of an Amazon Go Grocery store in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Amazon’s new grocery store is watching our every move. But we asked for this.

In Amazon Go Grocery, customers are surveilled: Their purchases are tracked digitally, no cashiers required. But to two Northeastern professors, it’s simply a sign of the times, in which people accept surveillance and expect convenience.

by Aria Bracci February 26, 2020

A man walks through the rubble of a street and cars destroyed by heavy rains in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. Heavy rains devastated the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, causing destructive flooding and landslides. (AP Photo/Gustavo Andrade)

Better planning might have limited flood damage in Brazil. But would it have been enough?

Resilient, sustainable planning could help, says Thomas Vicino, who studies metropolitan development and housing in Brazil. The question is whether society has “the political will to confront the realities of climate change.”

by Molly Callahan January 31, 2020

Northern California residents relied on individual generators during the previous planned power outages orchestrated by Pacific Gas and Electric. But as they prepare for another shutoff, experts are considering alternative systems, including shared community resources. AP Photo/Noah Berger

What can we do when power grids fail us?

As winds pick up and the ground stays dry, Pacific Gas and Electric has announced another power shutoff in Northern California to prevent wires from sparking fires. But to put a stop to further damage, the key may be grids that don’t need shutting off: community networks of resources and democratic energy.

by Aria Bracci November 19, 2019

In New York City, a series of bills will examine the city’s role in creating a lending crisis, while two measures announced by New York Mayor Bill De Blasio would eliminate as much as $10 million in fees to medallion owners and extend a moratorium on adding new Uber and Lyft vehicles to the city. Photo by iStock

Here’s what’s really riding on New York City’s taxis

This month, New York City officials took dramatic steps to help ease the financial plight of taxi drivers who are facing crushing debt after getting into the business—steps that are important to help out an industry that provides the foundation upon which a city’s economy can grow, says Ted Landsmark, who is a distinguished professor of public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern.

by Molly Callahan June 14, 2019

Immigrant families walk along a sidewalk on their way to a respite center after they were processed and released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, on Sunday, June 24, 2018, in McAllen, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

What to watch for in Trump’s State of the Union address

Northeastern professors Costas Panagopoulos and Thomas Vicino weigh in on what President Trump might say in the State of the Union and how the Democrats might respond to the national address.

by Khalida Sarwari February 5, 2019

The development of London has grown out so much that now it’s growing into places that were formerly rural, such as around the ancient Stonehenge site. Photo via iStock.

Tunneling under Stonehenge: The effects of urban sprawl

Earlier this month, officials in England proposed a plan that could alleviate traffic on one of the most congested highways in the region: digging a tunnel near Stonehenge, the prehistoric and heavily protected monument. This, according to two Northeastern public policy professors, is a drastic—though not isolated—example of urban sprawl.

by Molly Callahan March 30, 2017