253,000 Housing Units Possible in Boston With Transit Oriented Density, Report Says

Raising density around transit stations to a level already existing in some parts of the city would enable hundreds of thousands of new housing units in and around Boston, according to a thought experiment by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.

1 minute read

December 19, 2019, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

Lewis Liu / Shutterstock

"Housing-starved Massachusetts could add a quarter-million homes just by building more around MBTA stations," reports Tim Logan, reporting the analysis of a new study published this week by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.

The nonprofit housing advocacy organization "studied and mapped development patterns around 284 stations on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rapid transit and commuter rail lines and found that more than 517,000 houses and apartments are within a half-mile of a station," explains Logan. The organization also created an online mapping tool to explore transit oriented development opportunities around MBTA stations.

A little more density, however, could make room for a lot more housing. "About 253,000 more could be added if land around all of the transit system’s stations averaged 10 housing units per acre, instead of the current 6.4."

Researchers at the organization describe the report as a thought experiment, but that speculative density of ten units per acre is already a reality around multiple transit stations on the MBTA system, as listed in the article.

FULL STORY: Report says land at T stations could handle 253,000 housing units — and ease traffic gridlock

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 in The Boston Globe

Land Use Urban Development Massachusetts Boston Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Oriented Development Transit Oriented Density Housing Supply Planning Transportation Planning Massachusetts Housing Partnership View More

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