Housing
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In 2022, Boston Planners Once Again Approved More Parking Spaces Than Homes
In spite of the city's pressing housing shortage and ambitious climate goals, which call for fewer cars on Boston's streets, the BPDA's project approvals for 2022 include more parking and less housing compared to 2021.
February 1, 2023
Suburbs Face Their First Deadline for New Transit-Oriented Zoning Law
Where many suburbs currently only allow single-family homes with large lawns, the new rules will require new zoning districts "of reasonable size," and generally within a half-mile of transit stops, where builders would be allowed to construct at least 15 homes per acre.
January 30, 2023
Mayor Wu Promises More Housing and Zoning Reform in State of the City Address
Last night, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered her first State of the City address to a large audience inside MGM Music Hall in Fenway.
January 26, 2023
Gov. Healey’s Inauguration Speech Touches on Housing, Transportation, Climate
“If we want Massachusetts to be a home for all, we need to build more places to live, and we need to make sure those homes are within reach,” said Gov. Healey.
January 9, 2023
Two Factions Square Off Over Housing Issues in Brookline Town Meeting Races
A once-in-a-generation redistricting shakeup means that nearly every member of the Brookline Town Meeting is up for re-election this year, and two factions are squaring off over town zoning laws that prohibit affordable housing.
April 26, 2022
Mayor Wu’s First Budget Proposal Features Bus Lane Projects, Safer Streets, and Transit-Oriented Housing
The proposed budget is an "unprecedented investment because this is an unprecedented moment," Mayor Wu told her cabinet members and City Councilors at a breakfast presentation in City Hall Wednesday morning.
April 13, 2022
Councilors Vote to Delete Minimum Parking Rules From Cambridge Zoning Code
In a committee meeting earlier this week, a majority of City Councilors endorsed a policy order calling on the city to eliminate minimum parking requirements from its zoning rules.
April 7, 2022
In 2021, Boston Planners Approved More Parking Spaces Than Homes
Over the course of 2021, the BPDA approved 71 new development projects that include a combined total of 17.1 million square feet of real estate inside the city's boundaries.
March 16, 2022
New State Rule Would Force Suburbs to Legalize Thousands of New Apartments Near T Stops
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), a public regional planning agency based in Boston, estimates that the proposed guidelines would collectively create a zoning capacity for 344,000 multifamily housing units across the region.
January 13, 2022
Meet the New Chief: StreetsblogMASS Interviews Jascha Franklin-Hodge
"There’s a lot of traffic engineering that’s very data-driven, but it’s often data-driven in ways that are focused on vehicular movements and speeds and capacity... And sometimes that comes at the expense of asking, ‘What’s it like for a person who’s walking to the bus, and waiting on the corner for that bus?’ We don’t have metrics for that."
December 22, 2021