Gateway City education agenda falls short in House budget

The House budget released last week substantially scales back the Governor’s modest Gateway Cities Education Agenda. Of the fives areas the administration identified for support, only two received resources. The Governor requested $3.75 million for grant programs to help middle and high school students rapidly gain the English skills they must acquire to further their

Creative placemaking moves forward in Gateway Cities

Gateway Cities are seeing continued progress in implementing creative placemaking strategies just a few weeks after April’s Gateway Cities summit focused on building buy-in and sharing best practices on the economic development concept. The week following the summit, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse proposed establishing a new position of art, culture, and tourism director in the

New report assesses state’s climate change response

MassINC is proud to present Rising to the Challenge, the first independent assessment of state action on climate change since the precedent-setting Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008. Climate change is the challenge of our age. For the obvious reason – failing to respond could alter the environment with profound and dire consequences – but

The challenge of working across communities

MassINC Vice President for Programming and Public Affairs Marj Malpiede recently spoke with ArtPlace America, a collaboration of major foundations, federal agencies, and the National Endowment for the Arts, about what she’s learned from MassINC’s creative placemaking work so far. Malpiede spoke of the challenges of working with the many moving pieces that make up a multi-community effort,

State releases draft market rate housing program regulations

The Dept. of Housing and Community Development has released eagerly anticipated regulations for the new Housing Development Incentive Program. DHCD will collect feedback on the regulations at two public hearings (March 27th in Boston and March 29th in Springfield). The Boston session will include a DHCD-led workshop on market-rate housing development in Gateway Cities with

Boston Society of Architects Explores Placemaking in Gateway Cities

BSA’s Placemaking Network – co-chaired by Christina Lanzl (director of MassArt’s Urban Arts Institute) and Robert Tullis (director of design at GID Urban Development) – hosted a lively discussion on how state policy can support development in Gateway Cities that builds and reinforces their authentic urban fabric.   Click here for Ben Forman’s presentation to the

MassINC Polling Group launches partnership with WBUR

BOSTON—The MassINC Polling Group (MPG) today announced the formation of a polling partnership with WBUR, a nonprofit affiliate of NPR. As a part of the newly formed agreement, MPG will conduct a series of polls on behalf of WBUR, which will extend through the 2012 election cycle.   The relationship reflects WBUR’s effort to augment

MassINC in the media

MassINC staff members have been featured prominently in local broadcast media over the last two weeks. With the release of a statewide poll by the MassINC Polling Group (MPG) and WBUR showing Senate candidates Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren running neck and neck, MPG president Steve Koczela appeared on various WBUR programs to analyze the

Love (for public transit) is in the air

The MBTA and RTA legislative caucuses came together for their first joint hearing on Valentine’s Day to discuss options to raise badly needed revenue for both the MBTA and the regional transit agencies that serve our Gateway Cities. In the past, the needs of transit agencies outside of Greater Boston have often been seen as

Governor Patrick keeps a promise

Last February, Governor Patrick pledged to create a new Gateway Cities education strategy at the MassINC Gateway Cities Education Summit. The Governor made good on his pledge by including $10 million to implement his Gateway Cities education strategy, unveiled in November, in his FY 2013 budget request. Governor Patrick’s plan would provide resources to Gateway

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