Urban Informatics

Overview

Digital data and technology are rapidly transforming the modern city. Across the world, cities have embraced Big Data—statistical modeling and visualization, mapping and spatial analysis, and the implementation of apps and sensor systems to track, understand, and improve urban life. This shift, which has included policymakers, practitioners, and private corporations alike, calls for a new generation of experts—professionals who can navigate the technical and conceptual challenges presented by the city and future city planning.

This cutting-edge, STEM-eligible Urban Informatics program at Northeastern University is built upon a unique cross-college initiative. It offers comprehensive state-of-the-art training in the core skills of data analytics, including quantitative analysis, data mining, machine learning, and data visualization. Urban informatics students supplement training in these foundational skills with a specialized sequence of courses that address how data and technology are being used to tackle key social, infrastructural, and environmental challenges in cities and urban areas.

Unique Features

• Unrivaled research and experiential learning opportunities: Work with affiliated centers such as the Boston Research Area Initiative and the Dukakis Center. Boston becomes your classroom to observe and study real-world problems in conjunction with local agencies, companies, and nonprofits.
• Unique interdisciplinary approach: The program has an interdisciplinary integration of analytic skills with more than a century of in-depth knowledge on urban policy and theory.
• Leading faculty: Hear from Dan O’Brien, who has contributed to the tools and ideas that are at the foundation of urban informatics in the program overview below.
• Career-advancing degree: Apply skills learned in the program immediately to real-world social, infrastructural, and environmental challenges through cutting-edge research and capstone projects. Attract employers with an e-portfolio that showcases your accomplishments and professional capabilities in data analytics and informatics in the urban context.
• Connection with the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs: Be a part of Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, housed within the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. This hub for innovative, interdisciplinary research identifies and seeks solutions for issues of pressing concern to society at local, state, national, and international levels—from transportation, housing, and community development to social and environmental justice, resilience, and sustainability.