Congratulations to all nine teams who entered the 2020 Transformative Transit-Oriented Development (TTOD) Planning & Design Competition!

MassINC is proud of the tremendous work each of the nine teams were able to complete - even amidst a global pandemic. Below you'll find the full list of participants and projects and the award ceremony recording.

Participating teams:

Winner:  "In the Loop" - Springfield, MA UMass Amherst Students: Jiaqi Guo, Bryce Lloyd-Hahn, Chris Ramage UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson Community Partnership: RAD Springfield Project Description: In The Loop advances transportation equity in Springfield by stacking tactical interventions, cultural events, and long-term housing initiatives. Runner-up: "Finding Common Ground" - Lowell, MA Harvard Students: Remus Macovei, Amelia Muller, Sydney Upchurch Harvard Faculty Advisor: Dan D'Oca Participating Lowell City Officials: Sandra Swaile, Christopher Hayes Community Partnership: Eliot Church Project Description: Finding Common Ground envisions a new town common typology, adapted to better meet the needs of a 21st century city. It proposes an expanded South Common that extends linearly throughout the JAM neighborhood and into downtown to create a more intuitive and cohesive urban experience, linking public and market rate housing, the new Justice Center, resources for challenged populations, two schools, and the mills to Gallagher Terminal and transit stops throughout the area. Team Brockton MIT Students: Emma Gonzalez Roberts, Natalia Coachman, Wonyoung So, Yair Yakov Titelboim MIT Faculty Advisor: Dr. Amy Glasmeier Participating Brockton City Officials: Rob May Community Partnership: Village Neighborhood Association Project Description: Transforming a former rail yard adjacent to the BAT Center, the MBTA Commuter Rail, and Downtown Brockton into a vibrant campus that includes mixed-income housing, retail space, civic space, and public space that is designed using inclusive practices. Team Lowell “TLC” Harvard Students: Abby Jamiel, Chelsea Lee Harvard Faculty Advisor: Dan D'Oca Participating Lowell City Officials: Sandra Swaile, Christopher Hayes Community Partnerships: Eliot Church, Nine Zero Two Development Project Description: “Lowell TLC” (aka Lowell Tender Loving Care) envisions a mobile pop-up care village that will transform streets and underutilized parking lots into lively public realms for all Lowellians. This intervention is aimed at increasing pedestrian foot traffic, street activation, and community interaction, while also reducing the stigma surrounding the JAM’s unhoused population. Team Lowell “Tanner to LRTA” Harvard Student: Sydney Pedigo Harvard Faculty Advisor: Dan D'Oca Participating Lowell City Officials: Sandra Swaile, Christopher Hayes Community Partnership: Lowell Regional Transit Authority Project Description: This project proposes a range of public realm and safety improvements to increase pedestrian connections between the Ayer’s City Industrial Park and the Gallagher Transportation Center. Team Lynn Northeastern Students: Aseem Vikas Deodhar, James Nee, Hannah Silbert, Fuyang Sun Northeastern Faculty Advisors: Ted Landsmark, Christopher Bosso Participating Lynn City Officials: Bill Bochnak, Jeff Weeden Community Partnerships: The Hall Company, Inc., Roulez Cycles Project Description: Improving cycling infrastructure along the Northern Strand/Community Path to support cyclist commuters and encourage visitation of Downtown Lynn, the future Lynn Waterfront, and the Lynn and Nahant Beach Reservation. Team Springfield “Connect-The-City” UMass Amherst Students: Keith Benoit, Stephen McCusker, Jessica Schottanes UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson Community Partnership: RAD Springfield Project Description: Connect-The-City seeks to designate a park tailored to the collaborated vision of Springfield's cycling and skating communities. Team Springfield “Campus Catalyst” UMass Amherst Students: Caitlan Davis, Marcos Gonzalez, Anna Kellerman UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson Community Partnership: RAD Springfield Project Description: A UMASS Amherst Springfield Campus will bring vitality and energy of a college campus to downtown Springfield. This project will create new urban infrastructure highlighting biking culture, building community and a connective urban experience. Team Springfield “A New Worthington” UMass Amherst Students: Nigel Cummings, Kinjal Desai, Olivia Ashjian James UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson Community Partnership: RAD Springfield Project Description: A New Worthington creates opportunities to integrate people and places for a rich urban experience. Innovative tactical, social, ecological, and economic incubators along a 1.2 mile linear park stretching down Worthington Street will activate the Union Station District for sustained equity and social change.

About the Competition:

In fall of 2019, Dr. Tracy Corley, transit-oriented development fellow at MassINC, called on Massachusetts’ college students to partner with city staff and community organizations to envision equitable transit-oriented neighborhood plans and projects in Gateway Cities. Faculty and student teams from Harvard, UMass Amherst, MIT, and Northeastern answered the call. Earlier this month, five judges from Nelson/Nygaard, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation, Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), and the Barr Foundation have selected a winner of the competition, based on how well their projects connect places of activity and growth with downtown passenger rail stations. Press Contact: Meridith St. Jean E: mstjean@massinc.org

Congratulations to all nine teams who entered the 2020 Transformative Transit-Oriented Development (TTOD) Planning & Design Competition!

MassINC is proud of the tremendous work each of the nine teams were able to complete – even amidst a global pandemic. Below you’ll find the full list of participants and projects and the award ceremony recording.

Participating teams:

Winner:  “In the Loop” – Springfield, MA
UMass Amherst Students: Jiaqi Guo, Bryce Lloyd-Hahn, Chris Ramage
UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale
Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson
Community Partnership: RAD Springfield
Project Description: In The Loop advances transportation equity in Springfield by stacking tactical interventions, cultural events, and long-term housing initiatives.

Runner-up: “Finding Common Ground” – Lowell, MA
Harvard Students: Remus Macovei, Amelia Muller, Sydney Upchurch
Harvard Faculty Advisor: Dan D’Oca
Participating Lowell City Officials: Sandra Swaile, Christopher Hayes
Community Partnership: Eliot Church
Project Description: Finding Common Ground envisions a new town common typology, adapted to better meet the needs of a 21st century city. It proposes an expanded South Common that extends linearly throughout the JAM neighborhood and into downtown to create a more intuitive and cohesive urban experience, linking public and market rate housing, the new Justice Center, resources for challenged populations, two schools, and the mills to Gallagher Terminal and transit stops throughout the area.

Team Brockton
MIT Students: Emma Gonzalez Roberts, Natalia Coachman, Wonyoung So, Yair Yakov Titelboim
MIT Faculty Advisor: Dr. Amy Glasmeier
Participating Brockton City Officials: Rob May
Community Partnership: Village Neighborhood Association
Project Description: Transforming a former rail yard adjacent to the BAT Center, the MBTA Commuter Rail, and Downtown Brockton into a vibrant campus that includes mixed-income housing, retail space, civic space, and public space that is designed using inclusive practices.

Team Lowell “TLC”
Harvard Students: Abby Jamiel, Chelsea Lee
Harvard Faculty Advisor: Dan D’Oca
Participating Lowell City Officials: Sandra Swaile, Christopher Hayes
Community Partnerships: Eliot Church, Nine Zero Two Development
Project Description: “Lowell TLC” (aka Lowell Tender Loving Care) envisions a mobile pop-up care village that will transform streets and underutilized parking lots into lively public realms for all Lowellians. This intervention is aimed at increasing pedestrian foot traffic, street activation, and community interaction, while also reducing the stigma surrounding the JAM’s unhoused population.

Team Lowell “Tanner to LRTA”
Harvard Student: Sydney Pedigo
Harvard Faculty Advisor: Dan D’Oca
Participating Lowell City Officials: Sandra Swaile, Christopher Hayes
Community Partnership: Lowell Regional Transit Authority
Project Description: This project proposes a range of public realm and safety improvements to increase pedestrian connections between the Ayer’s City Industrial Park and the Gallagher Transportation Center.

Team Lynn
Northeastern Students: Aseem Vikas Deodhar, James Nee, Hannah Silbert, Fuyang Sun
Northeastern Faculty Advisors: Ted Landsmark, Christopher Bosso
Participating Lynn City Officials: Bill Bochnak, Jeff Weeden
Community Partnerships: The Hall Company, Inc., Roulez Cycles
Project Description: Improving cycling infrastructure along the Northern Strand/Community Path to support cyclist commuters and encourage visitation of Downtown Lynn, the future Lynn Waterfront, and the Lynn and Nahant Beach Reservation.

Team Springfield “Connect-The-City”
UMass Amherst Students: Keith Benoit, Stephen McCusker, Jessica Schottanes
UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale
Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson
Community Partnership: RAD Springfield
Project Description: Connect-The-City seeks to designate a park tailored to the collaborated vision of Springfield’s cycling and skating communities.

Team Springfield “Campus Catalyst”
UMass Amherst Students: Caitlan Davis, Marcos Gonzalez, Anna Kellerman
UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale
Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson
Community Partnership: RAD Springfield
Project Description: A UMASS Amherst Springfield Campus will bring vitality and energy of a college campus to downtown Springfield. This project will create new urban infrastructure highlighting biking culture, building community and a connective urban experience.

Team Springfield “A New Worthington”
UMass Amherst Students: Nigel Cummings, Kinjal Desai, Olivia Ashjian James
UMass Amherst Faculty Advisors: Frank Sleegers, Michael DiPasquale
Participating Springfield City Officials: Brian Connors, Scott Hanson
Community Partnership: RAD Springfield
Project Description: A New Worthington creates opportunities to integrate people and places for a rich urban experience. Innovative tactical, social, ecological, and economic incubators along a 1.2 mile linear park stretching down Worthington Street will activate the Union Station District for sustained equity and social change.

About the Competition:

In fall of 2019, Dr. Tracy Corley, transit-oriented development fellow at MassINC, called on Massachusetts’ college students to partner with city staff and community organizations to envision equitable transit-oriented neighborhood plans and projects in Gateway Cities. Faculty and student teams from Harvard, UMass Amherst, MIT, and Northeastern answered the call. Earlier this month, five judges from Nelson/Nygaard, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation, Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), and the Barr Foundation have selected a winner of the competition, based on how well their projects connect places of activity and growth with downtown passenger rail stations.

Press Contact:
Meridith St. Jean
E: mstjean@massinc.org