#  The Pointillistic City: Well-Being and Equity in Communities and their Places 

 



####  calendar\_today Date and Time 

 **October 30, 2025** 

 03:00PM - 04:00PM EDT 

####  pin\_drop Location 

 **Room K354 in the CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge St., Cambridge**  



 

 



 

**Presentation by** **Dr. Dan O’Brien, Northeastern University**

   ![Pointillistic City book cover image](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2025-07/Pointillistic%20City%20Cover.jpg?itok=5x04Am6z) 

 

**Abstract:** [*The Pointillistic City*](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__direct.mit.edu_books_oa-2Dmonograph_5893_The-2DPointillistic-2DCityHow-2DMicrospatial-2DInequities&d=DwMGaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=lDTyHopQ7xM4v8BvCg3cUw&m=oMNNkpD-Au1ic3mcinoamkb8uKPCufnmLIUHMAYy1UYuabjVLcGb36lGziK-jRSM&s=AXUIPKFkgrDvZaKqtRiccmGeNFNyv0DqzAxQ55lSScc&e=) extends the classic observation that “neighborhoods matter” for health and well-being, arguing that we need to pay more attention to the other geographic scales that we live at—including streets within neighborhoods and even properties within streets—and how they each affect us. This is analogous to a pointillistic painting, which is similarly organized into dots within objects and objects within a full image. This “pointillistic perspective” surfaces *microspatial inequities*, or disparities between people living in the same neighborhood, as a pressing and overlooked concern for our science, policy, and practice. The book illustrates this perspective through two civic research projects: one on the impact of problem properties on public safety; and the other on the pertinence of “urban heat islets” and other hyperlocal hazards to environmental justice. It ends with guidance for designing policies and practices that address microspatial inequities, with an emphasis on putting cutting-edge data in the hands communities.

   ![Photo of Dan O'Brien](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-07/SPPUA-Dan-OBrien.jpg?itok=6OR7tbKi) 

 

**Speaker Bio:** Dr. Dan O’Brien is Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University and Director of the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI). His research focuses on equity in urban neighborhoods, including crime, environmental justice, and more. His three books, [*The Urban Commons*](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.amazon.com_Urban-2DCommons-2DTechnology-2DRebuild-2DCommunities_dp_0674975294&d=DwMGaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=_IU3UTjwfchVcnRoyzJvCeRTDNfX018rnp7ZVLXeI1Y&m=yZ1bK9n-IRLgwKtl_8h8hjKQPA0pdSPJRKcca2ptks8R1gAgaEQkhVbMbwRbj-KB&s=js2mcHF8P33s5aWprJ44WP_e09rOtdGe6AhSbFSA0ek&e=) (Harvard University Press; 2018), [*Urban Informatics*](https://ui.danourban.com) (Chapman Hall / CRC Press; 2022), and [*The Pointillistic City*](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__direct.mit.edu_books_oa-2Dmonograph_5893_The-2DPointillistic-2DCityHow-2DMicrospatial-2DInequities&d=DwMGaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=_IU3UTjwfchVcnRoyzJvCeRTDNfX018rnp7ZVLXeI1Y&m=yZ1bK9n-IRLgwKtl_8h8hjKQPA0pdSPJRKcca2ptks8R1gAgaEQkhVbMbwRbj-KB&s=0VrGa7F4TjPDPLkD7D2MeUCmvj03SQ-KeJ34R_5sD-U&e=) (MIT Press; 2024), demonstrate the value of integrating data-driven science with community-oriented policy and practice.

This presentation will also be streamed remotely via Zoom. [Click here to register](<//harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/Xz0pOI-xTWOK6alzCD_jXw >) and receive the link for the Zoom session.

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