Massachusetts

Liberated by the Commonwealth, Boston Readies Big Linkage Fee Increases
Recent state legislation removed state preemption of the fees local governments can charge developers, called linkage fees. Boston is poised to act on this new power.

'Bespoke' Station Design Responsible for Transit Costs Increases, Study Says
The first case study by the Transit Costs Project at New York University's Marron Institute offers a long awaited, and long necessary, glimpse into the bloated costs of construction in the United States.

New Transit-Oriented Development Requirements for Boston-Area Transit Stations
Cities with commuter rail stops will have to accommodate higher-density housing or risk losing access to state resources and housing grants.

$1.4 Billion Housing Redevelopment Project Moves Forward in Boston
The 80-year-old Bunker Hill public housing complex will be replace according to a plan approved recently by the Boston Planning and Development Agency.

Health Care Institutions Must Acknowledge Their Role in Neighborhood Change
If those in health care seek to develop new ways to help patients stay in their homes, they must also find ways to temper how they affect communities in which they reside.

'Housing Choice' Approved in Massachusetts
The Housing Choice initiative, one of the country's most sweeping planning and development reforms to date, was included in a large economic development package approved by the Massachusetts Legislature earlier this week.

Dedicated Bus Lane Planned for Boston Neighbor
Bus lanes are catching on in the Boston region. The city of Brookline is the latest example.

Boston Installs New Bike Lanes as Part of GoBoston 2030 Initiative
The city wants to cut its car use in half by 2030 as part of an aggressive set of "aspirational" goals.

New York, Boston Transit Agencies Back Off Proposed Cuts
News of a potential economic stimulus package in Congress is followed by news that two of the nation's most prominent transit systems are reducing cuts proposed to address plummeting revenues.

Rethinking Place Governance to Advance Equitable Development
The Boston Foundation's first Place Leadership Network process offers lessons in how to build place-based coalitions to advance the cause of equity.

Pandemic Geography: What's Wrong in Rhode Island?
The nation's smallest and second densest state has led the country in daily new cases per capita of coronavirus infections for the last week, supplanting the Midwest and Mountain States where the virus has reigned for months.

COVID Illnesses Requires Reduction of MBTA Commuter Rail Service
To many employees are sick with COVID for Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail to operate on its normal schedule.

Business Booming, Amazon Plans Big Real Estate Expansion
Amazon is moving more moving more products than ever, and the company is expanding its physical footprint to keep up with the trends.

Residents of Nonprofit Housing Have Lower Rates of COVID
Affordable housing providers have touted the connections between health and the places where people live for years. In a small city outside of Boston, the evidence is incontrovertible.

Legal Settlement a Major Win for High-Capacity Transportation in Massachusetts
A decision by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to rescind a carpool lane has not resulted in a significant expansion of transit and carpool capacity on Interstate 93 north of Boston.

Massachusetts Showed States How to Create an Eviction Ban. Now It’s Backpedaling
The Massachusetts eviction moratorium—one of the strongest in the nation—expired, just in time for winter. How did this happen?

Transit Plans Change as the Pandemic Lingers
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) this week proposed cuts to public transit service. In a decision that will likely repeat as more transit agencies undertake similar processes, the MBTA decided to prioritize buses over trains.

'Rapid Response Bus Lanes' Program Provides Equitable Mobility Relief During the Pandemic
A new Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority program has quickly deployed bus infrastructure around the Boston area, focusing on neighborhoods where people are relying on the bus during the pandemic.

Unlocking the Potential of Transit Adjacent Land for Housing Affordability
A case study from the Boston region shows the power of allowing moderate density on transit adjacent residential parcels currently available only to single-family detached homes.

Herd Immunity Finds Receptive Audience in White House and Florida
A trio of epidemiologists from Stanford, Harvard, and the University of Oxford have joined the president's new coronavirus medical advisor, Scott Atlas, in promoting an alternative approach to dealing with coronavirus infections.
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