CLARK UNIVERSITY IN WORCESTER this week unveiled a series of new data profiles suggesting Gateway Cities are being hit with a real estate double-whammy: housing prices that are relatively low and rents that are relatively high. That combination is trouble because it means developers have little incentive to build new housing units in Gateway Cities
MassINC Releases Rebuilding Renewal in Lowell
Over the last decade, Massachusetts has fundamentally shifted its understanding of the needs and opportunities of Gateway Cities. But, despite this focus, economic conditions in these communities remain fundamentally weak. As recent efforts have not moved the needle, we must ask what it will take to help Gateway Cities resume their key function as drivers
Joanna de Pena
This Week's Gateway Cities Leader
Cities are shaped by their citizens. From New Bedford to Pittsfield, passionate young leaders are spearheading innovative efforts to reinvent their communities for a new generation. The Gateway Cities Leaders series profiles their work and introduces their ideas, visions, and aspirations to the wider Gateway City world. Is there a young leader in your city
Our moment is now
The Gateway Cities Journal
With the 2015-2016 legislative session heating up, now is the time for Gateway City leaders to come together and talk through shared priorities. Next week we hope to stimulate this conversation with the release of a new report tracing the arc of state policy, starting in 2009, the beginning of our collaborative efforts, through the
Unpacking the story behind the data
The MassCJRC Journal
The Council on State Governments Justice Reinvestment working group assembled on Tuesday for their second formal meeting. CSG presented new data focused largely on sentencing. The conversation centered heavily around recidivism, with the CSG analysts providing figures that show repeat offenders represent three-quarters of new convictions in Massachusetts, a finding consistent with previous MassINC research. To
CommonWealth’s Spring 2016 issue is out!
The Spring 2016 print issue is in the mail, but if you can’t wait (and who can?) here’s a rundown of what’s in it. On the feature front, we have two interesting stories about the Legislature. One focuses on the paradox of Speaker Robert DeLeo, a seemingly affable, easy-going everyman who nevertheless maintains a vise-like
MassINC shares findings from pretrial research at legislative briefing
On April 5th, the Harm Reduction Caucus, the Progressive Caucuses, the Black and Latino Caucus, and the Women’s Caucus Taskforce on Justice Involved Women co-hosted a legislative briefing on efforts to improve the pretrial process in Massachusetts. Commissioner Dolan and Chief Justice Dawley provided updates on work at the Probation Department and the Trial Court,
Highlights from the Second Annual MICCR Convening
Participants in the Massachusetts Institute for College and Career Readiness (MICCR) gathered in Boston
Participants in the Massachusetts Institute for College and Career Readiness (MICCR) gathered in Boston last month for their second annual convening. MICCR is a unique and innovative experiment in education. A collaboration effort led by the Boston University School of Education, the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, MassINC, and the Massachusetts Department of
Testimony on the Baker-Politio economic development bill from the Gateway City perspective
Benjamin Forman Testimony Regarding House Bill 3983
The Joint Committee for Economic Development & Emerging Technologies held a hearing on April 5th to review the Baker-Polito administration’s economic development bill. Filed in January, the $918 million package provides funding to implement the administration’s economic development strategy. MassINC Research Director Ben Forman submitted the written testimony below in support of Gateway City provisions
Urban Business Initiatives Support Gateway City Entrepreneurs
The Gateway Cities Journal
ICIC’s Urban Business Initiatives Support Gateway City Entrepreneurs In Lawrence, creative public-private partnerships have driven the CEO of a children’s discovery museum, Imajine That, to contemplate growth not only in terms of revenue but also opportunity for local workers and families. Imajine That was named to the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)’s 2015 Inner City