Proposal deadline extended to January 12, 2020! 

The revised schedule and requirements give you more time to select your plan or project.

MassINC invites Gateway City planning and development teams to participate in the 2020 Transformative Transit-Oriented Development (TTOD) Planning and Design Competition. The purpose of the competition is to connect Gateway City planning and development teams and community-based organizations with budding urban leaders from our state’s universities and colleges.

This competition pairs each city’s planning and development team(s) with students and community groups to plan and design either a transit-oriented district plan or a tactical project that will connect important places of activity and growth with your high-capacity transit hub. If cities are already paired with a student team, this competition will help bring the project to the attention of state leaders and potential funders.

The proposals can include plans, pilot programs, or pop-up projects for transit-oriented districts around multimodal train stations or transportation hubs, with a priority on improving access to rail and other public transit and non-motorized active transport (e.g., walking, biking, scooter) options. Plans and tactical interventions that can be implemented quickly and at minimal cost—but introduce residents and visitors to alternatives to car travel in transit-oriented districts—will be given priority. Each proposal and resulting project should clearly demonstrate how it will catalyze the virtuous fiscal, environmental, and equitable growth benefits we identify in our 2018 TTOD report.

Our project coordinator, Rachel Klein, and Dr. Tracy Corley will work closely with cities to find the right student team from our state’s universities and colleges. The student team will work with the city and community partners to identify the critical problem area(s) to address in each city and submit a proposal for consideration. Judges will select the finalists based on each team’s written proposals. Finalists will then plan and design their projects for final judging and presentation at a State House event in April 2020.

We will share the winning projects with funders for implementation during the summer and fall of 2020. Implementation funding is not guaranteed, but we currently have interested funders, depending on the scope and impact of the projects.

If you are interested in being paired with a city (for students) or a student team (for cities), please complete our Matchmaking Form by November 23, 2019 (matchmaking now closed for 2020 competition).

If you already have a project team of students and city officials and need assistance connecting with community, economic development, or public advocacy groups, please contact us for more assistance.

2020 Competition Schedule

(Revised December 18, 2019)

• November 20, 2019 — MassINC hosts the optional equitable TOD workshop in Worcester (in-person participants only).
• November 2019 to January 2020 — Where needed, MassINC matches cities and students along with community/nonprofit partners.
• January 12, 2020 — Deadline for student teams to submit proposals on behalf of their project teams. Each proposal must include the contact information for a city supporter and at least one community/nonprofit organization (signed letters no longer required).
• April 15, 2020 — Final TOD or project plans are due.
• April 27, 2020 — State House Finalists and Winners Recognition Event.