New York sees value, potential in its “Legacy Cities”

Policy Center
May 14, 2013 Policy Center

Massachusetts is not the only state seeking to realize the potential of its older industrial cities. In New York, the favored term is “Legacy Cities,” but ongoing efforts to revitalize upstate urban areas such as Syracuse and Rochester share many strategies and goals with the Bay State’s Gateway Cities initiative. It may be instructive to

Pending land use reform legislation could benefit Gateway Cities

Policy Center
May 14, 2013 Policy Center

Advocates for zoning reform in Massachusetts voiced support for new legislation (H. 1859) at a hearing on Tuesday. The bill, which would create more flexible zoning laws throughout the state, was filed by Senator Daniel Wolf and Representative Stephen Kulik. It has won support from the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, the Massachusetts Public Health Association, and

Working Cities Challenge applicants pledge to tackle education, health, economic development

Policy Center
May 13, 2013 Policy Center

The Federal Reserve Bank has released the letters of intent from applicants for a grant of up to $700,000 for an anti-poverty program in Massachusetts. The Working Cities Challenge (see previous post) is open to cities smaller than Boston with a higher-than-median poverty rate. Earlier this month, the Working Cities Challenge also released the RFP (request

Ohio report touts brownfield investments, tax credit at issue in Mass.

Policy Center
May 7, 2013 Policy Center

An extension of the Brownfields Tax Credit program through 2018 — a component of transformative redevelopment in Gateway Cities — will be taken up in the state Senate this month, after being included in the House’s fiscal 2014 budget recommendations. The value of such a program was affirmed last week by a report from the

MPG Poll: April Consumer Confidence rebounds after weak January reading

Policy Center
May 6, 2013 Policy Center

April Consumer Confidence rebounds after weak January reading Sharp partisan divide remains, with Democrats more optimistic than Republicans Read full MPG Trend Monitor Q2-2013 After a sharp downturn in January, consumer confidence rebounded in the April reading, with the Massachusetts Index of Consumer Sentiment nearing the record high attained in October 2012, according to data released

Proponents of longer school days hope to make gains in state Senate’s budget

Policy Center
May 6, 2013 Policy Center

After holding ground in the House, advocates of the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative are urging the Senate to increase funding for the program, which currently provides aid to 19 schools that offer more classroom time for students. (See grant recipients here; some 90 schools statewide have some kind of program with additional school hours.)

Working Cities Challenge kicks off search for collaborative leadership in Bay State

Policy Center
May 3, 2013 Policy Center

The competition phase of the Working Cities Challenge, which will award up to $700,00 to an anti-poverty program in Massachusetts, will be announced this morning at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, a lead partner in the initiative. Twenty cities, all smaller than Boston and with a higher-than-median poverty rate, are eligible for the grant,

Mass. House reverses Cultural Council cuts, Senate to act next

Policy Center
May 1, 2013 Policy Center

This month, the state Senate is expected to pass its version of the state budget for fiscal year 2014 and advocates for arts spending, a key component of creative placemaking, are hoping to increase spending for the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The MCC budget was originally cut by 15 percent by the House Ways and Means Committee,

Building up momentum to reinvent regional transit

Policy Center
Apr 29, 2013 Policy Center

Letter from MassINC and Transportation for Massachusetts capping off a series of recent forums on regional transit held in Gateway Cities across the state. Dear Friends: First off, thank you. With your participation, our series of forums on the importance of investing in regional transit was a success. From our first event in Pittsfield to

“Reinvestment” part of Justice Reinvestment Initiative being weakened, warns ACLU report

Policy Center
Apr 25, 2013 Policy Center

The Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a strategy to reduce corrections spending while lowering recidivism rates, is at risk of being watered down and even co-opted by the same forces that led to costly “tough on crime” policies, according to a report published this month by the American Civil Liberties Union. Ending Mass Incarceration: Charting a New

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