Calling on the Coalition for Gateway Cities

As we await the ARPA 1.0 bill, one thing is already crystal clear: Gateway Cities need a broad-based coalition of groups to come together and go to bat for them with ARPA 2.0.

This funding is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make bold public investments that change the trajectories of Gateway Cities throughout the state. To take advantage of this moment, we must present the legislature with a coherent plan. We didn’t have that the first time around and the results speak for themselves. We didn’t get the $100 million Governor Baker proposed for investment in downtowns and our proposals to dedicate funds for market-rate housing and neighborhood stabilization stalled.

We can and must do better next time. If there was ever an occasion to make a powerful case for transformative investment in Gateway Cities, surely it is now. If you care about the environment, housing costs, congestion, and quality of life, the future of the Gateway Cities matters to you. If the growth of racial and economic inequality troubles you, you can appreciate that the solutions lie disproportionately in the Gateway Cities.

With millions of federal dollars flowing into these communities and so much work already on their plates, Gateway City leaders aren’t in a position to design a more ambitious policy vision and lobby the legislature to enact it on their own. The diverse, cross-sector Gateway Cities movement that has grown organically around these communities must get behind them. Working together, we can ensure that ARPA 2.0 does more for our Gateway Cities.