Extending TTOD Competition proposal deadline to the first week of January!

Announcing the new schedule

Dear Gateway City friends and supporters,

We have received great, constructive feedback in the past few weeks about our TTOD Planning and Design Competition. We have heard from many students and professors that our November 6th deadline for proposal submissions is challenging considering the confines of semester and capstone project scheduling. Our cities are also facing multiple deadlines for development grants and programs in the weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Despite these pressures, we have dozens who have submitted ideas for projects and plans in the TTOD Competition. But we want more of you to participate. To make that easier, we are pushing the proposal deadline to the first week of January and dropping the Pitch Clinic. This will also give us time to find community partners (e.g., neighborhood groups, economic development organizations, etc.) to advise on the project if your team hasn’t already identified them.

The new schedule would be as follows:

  • November 23, 2019 — Cities and students submit the matchmaking form. The form is only for students or cities who would like to participate and do not have their own matchmaking process or team lined up for submitting a proposal. If you are already working with a team of students and city officials but need help reaching out to community, economic development, or nonprofit partners, please let us know.
  •  November 20, 2019 — MassINC hosts the optional equitable TOD workshop and other workshops (e.g., public participation and outreach strategies).
  • 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 (in lieu of signed letters).
  • April 15, 2020 — Final TOD or project plans are due.
  • April 27, 2020 — State House Finalists and Winners Recognition Event

If you’re already committed to participating, thank you. If not, please let us know if these changes encourage your participation. Also, let us know if you have concerns or suggestions about these changes.

All the best,

Tracy Corley and Rachel Klein