Recapping the Seventh Annual Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Summit & Awards

Catalyzing Transformative Transit-Oriented Development

Policy Center
Dec 6, 2019 Policy Center

The Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Summit & Awards—held each year between the November elections and the Thanksgiving holiday—has become a tradition for those who believe wholeheartedly in the power of our small to midsize regional cities. On November 20th, we returned to the DCU Center in Worcester for the seventh annual event. Our morning summit

Christopher Coes’ Four Crazy Ideas to Catalyze TOD

Gateways Episode 43

Policy Center
Dec 4, 2019 Policy Center

MassINC recently held the Seventh Annual Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Awards & Summit at the DCU Center in Worcester. Today’s episode brings you a highlight from the gathering—the morning keynote delivered by Christopher Coes, Vice President of Land Use and Development at Smart Growth America.

Support Our Gateway Cities Work

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Policy Center
Dec 4, 2019 Policy Center

Dear Friends, 2019 will go down as a year of promising advancement. From passage of the Student Opportunity Act to a historic board vote on Rail Vision, policies with the potential to make a tremendous difference to Gateway Cities gained real traction. Through the Gateways podcast, MassINC helped magnify the voices of Gateway City leaders. To sustain and build

With education bill-signing, cheers and challenges

State now must maintain funding and ensure it’s well spent

Civic Journal
Nov 26, 2019 Civic Journal

AFTER YEARS OF false starts and Beacon Hill standoffs on a growing funding crisis that has seen school districts shed hundreds of teachers and pare back vital curriculum offerings to balance budgets, Gov. Charlie Baker signed landmark legislation on Tuesday committing the state to $1.5 billion in new aid to Massachusetts schools. There was a

MassForward: Advancing Democratic Innovation and Electoral Reform in Massachusetts

Event Recap

Policy Center
Nov 23, 2019 Policy Center

At a well-attended Boston Foundation forum earlier this month, MassINC opened up a new area of research inquiry: the state of governance in Massachusetts. Years of work on a range of policy matters led us to believe that it was time to examine how we counter the trends negatively impacting state and local government. Fewer people are

Gateway City Leadership and Electoral Politics, Part I

Gateways Episode 42

Policy Center
Nov 19, 2019 Policy Center

A new MassINC-Tisch College of Civic Life report examines the state of leadership and governance in Massachusetts. The groundbreaking study reveals a number of structural challenges, many of which are especially problematic for Gateway Cities. In the

In Mass., white pols dominate state and local politics

Study proposes even-year elections for muni races

Civic Journal
Nov 13, 2019 Civic Journal

THE PREDOMINANCE OF white male politicians in positions of power in Massachusetts may be a symptom of the way elections are run, according to a report released Wednesday entitled MassForward. The report recommends addressing the lack of minority representation in state and local government through reforms big and small, from relieving legislative staffers from the often

Lighting up Lawrence: how one city is using public art to celebrate and continue its economic growth

Gateways Episode 41

Policy Center
Nov 13, 2019 Policy Center

This week on Gateways, Tracy sits down with some of the members of Iluminación Lawrence, a public and private partnership responsible for lighting up Lawrence. The project’s soft launch in June unveiled LED light displays artistically illuminating the Casey Bridge and the face of the Ayer Mill Clock Tower.

Massachusetts government is stubbornly unrepresentative

Report calls on Legislature to remedy structural forces that keep women, people of color, and Republicans from winning elected office

Policy Center Press Release
Nov 13, 2019 Policy Center Press Release

A new report by the nonpartisan think tank MassINC demonstrates that elected leaders in Massachusetts fail to represent the state’s diversity, the capacity to make laws and policy is far too concentrated in a few leaders, and limited electoral competition, declining state and local news coverage, and the absence of a strong opposition party weaken

Regional Rail’s Visionary Dreamers

The Gateway Cities Journal

Policy Center
Nov 11, 2019 Policy Center

There’s an old Japanese proverb: Vision without planning is a dream, but planning without vision is a nightmare. We live the proverbial nightmare on the Bay State’s roads and public transit systems, but this week we got a signal that the future may be brighter. On Monday, the MBTA Financial Management Control Board (FMCB) passed five