The Pointillistic City

A new paradigm of research, policy, and practice that acknowledges the multiple scales at which we live every day. Microspatial inequities have gone largely unnoticed to date, and their recognition offers a new approach to understanding and supporting the diverse population of the city. This book illustrates the pointillistic perspective on cities with two in-depth case studies--one on crime, the other on environmental justice--in Boston, MA. Both are conducted through the Boston Area Research Initiative, a center at Northeastern University that leverages the cutting-edge data and technologies of <urban informatics <to pursue research that advances social, economic, and environmental justice. Both projects are research-practice partnerships that begin by highlighting microspatial inequities and their interplay with broader neighborhood conditions. But they go further by demonstrating how these insights can be incorporated into a new generation of policies and practices that are science-driven and community-led, truly addressing disparities both between <and< within our communities.

Auteur
Daniel T. O’Brien is Professor in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University and Director of the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI), which advances civically engaged research in collaboration with the communities of greater Boston. He is the author of The Urban Commons and the textbook Urban Informatics.