Urban Studies and Planning

“The human body is so sensitive to environmental and social conditions,” says Mariana Arcaya. “We should be aiming for cities that are supportive of human health for everyone.”

Health, wealth, and cities

MIT associate professor of urban studies Mariana Arcaya examines health disparities within metro areas.

August 27, 2019

Superpedestrian says its vehicle intelligence system makes its scooters safer, more durable, and easier to maintain.

A more intelligent system for the scooter wars

MIT spinout Superpedestrian has developed a smart electric scooter to improve urban mobility.

August 22, 2019

Optimus Ride has already deployed its autonomous transportation systems in the Seaport area of Boston, in a mixed-use development in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre industrial park.

Optimus Ride’s autonomous system makes self-driving vehicles a reality

MIT startup’s unique approach to improving human mobility is helping it gain traction in a competitive landscape.

August 9, 2019

Mangroves will protect the shoreline from waves, retain soil, support biodiversity, and help clean the water.

Tekuma Frenchman designs new marine city in China

School of Architecture and Planning alumni and faculty team up to create an ecologically restorative urban waterfront.

July 24, 2019

When religion meets secularism in urban planning

“I’m interested in the peaceful coexistence of communities,” says PhD student Babak Manouchehrifar, who left his home country of Iran to study at MIT.

July 24, 2019

In Beijing and other Chinese cities, restaurant activity can be used to understand broader socioeconomic trends, according to a study by MIT researchers.

Why urban planners should pay attention to restaurant-review sites

Study finds online restaurant information can closely predict key neighborhood indicators, in lieu of other data.

July 15, 2019

Commuters wait for a Red Line subway train, part of Boston’s public transit system. A new study by MIT researchers shows that low-income people use mass transit significantly more often when they have access to fare reductions.

3 Questions: An experiment illuminates the value of public transportation

Urban studies research from MIT sheds light on the ways low-income riders use mass transit.

June 19, 2019

PhD candidates Sahil Shah (left) and Peter Godart, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have each received fellowships from MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab for 2019-20. Their research explores possible solutions to global and local water supply challenges through new approaches to desalination.

PhD students awarded J-WAFS fellowships for water solutions

J-WAFS announces graduate fellowships for Sahil Shah and Peter Godart, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

June 17, 2019

Just 10 taxis typically cover one-third of Manhattan’s streets in a day.

Taking a city’s pulse with moveable sensors

Study quantifies how much of Manhattan 10 taxis cover in a day — to better measure air pollution, traffic, and more.

June 11, 2019

2018-19 J-WAFS Fellow Andrea Beck sits by the Charles River.

Untangling the social dynamics of water

J-WAFS Fellow and DUSP PhD student Andrea Beck examines the success factors behind water utility partnerships in Africa.

June 10, 2019

MIT researchers have given their fleet of autonomous “roboats” the ability to automatically target and clasp onto each other — and keep trying if they fail. The roboats are being designed to transport people, collect trash, and self-assemble into floating structures in the canals of Amsterdam.

Autonomous boats can target and latch onto each other

Fleet of “roboats” could collect garbage or self-assemble into floating structures in Amsterdam’s many canals.

June 5, 2019

3 Questions: Faculty appointments and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Working group studies options for creating a new set of faculty hires for MIT’s new college.

May 24, 2019

MIT team that designed BEAVER (Biosphere Engineered Architecture for Viable Extraterrestrial Residence), a proposed Martian greenhouse that could provide 100 percent of the food required by four astronauts for up to two years

MIT team places second in 2019 NASA BIG Idea Challenge

Multilevel Mars greenhouse could provide food to sustain astronauts for several years.

May 20, 2019

Clockwise from top left: Katie Fisher, Abby Bertics, Catherine Wu, Jonars Spielberg, Samira Okudo, Hope Chen, Alexis D'Alessandro, Anna Bair, Miranda McClellan, Sarah DiIorio, James Pelletier. Not shown: Dariel Cobb

Twelve MIT students accept 2019 Fulbright Fellowships

Grantees will spend the 2019-2020 academic year pursuing research and teaching opportunities abroad.

May 16, 2019

Left to right: Richard Lester, MIT associate provost, who oversees MIT’s international activities; Sigbritt Karlsson, president of KTH; Anna König Jerlmyr, mayor of Stockholm; and Carlo Ratti, director of MIT Senseable City Lab.

MIT and KTH will collaborate on urban planning and development in Stockholm

Project will use new ways of collecting and analyzing data to make Stockholm more livable and sustainable.