Urban Refuge, the refugee resource initiative launched a decade ago, has reached a major milestone with the debut of its new website, UrbanRefugeMap.org. Originally developed in 2016 as part of Professor Noora Lori‘s “Forced Migration Policy Incubator” course, the project has since evolved into a signature Pardee School effort involving dozens of students and alumni.

The new platform marks a significant transition enabling Urban Refuge to expand its reach beyond Boston to future locations such as Sydney. As CEO Daria Kosack (BA IR ’25) explained, “This launch was not just about putting Boston online. It was the first time Urban Refuge launched as a website rather than an app, which creates a much more scalable foundation for the organization going forward.”

The launch celebration also served as a reflection of Urban Refuge’s collaborative and interdisciplinary growth. Students, alumni, faculty, and community members gathered to explore the new platform and connect with the project’s mission.

“Urban Refuge brings together students working across different cohorts, disciplines, and areas of expertise,” Kosack noted, adding that it was “really meaningful to see so many people who contributed at different stages of the project in the same room.”

Business & Finance Executive Sofia Echenique (BA IR ’26) echoed this sentiment, describing the event, “Urban Refuge has been something so many people have poured time, energy, and care into over the past years, so seeing everyone together in one room celebrating the website launch made everything feel very real.”

Beyond its technical upgrade, the new website represents a shift from planning to public engagement. The platform allows users to interact with curated resources for refugees and migrant communities while offering a model that can be replicated globally.

Reflecting on the event, Echenique shared that “it felt like the beginning of something rather than the conclusion,” capturing the broader significance of the launch. With its expanded infrastructure and growing international ambitions, Urban Refuge is poised to continue building on its origins as a student-driven initiative to become a scalable, global resource.