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
Gateway City Leadership and Electoral Politics, Part I
Gateways Episode 42
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
Lighting up Lawrence: how one city is using public art to celebrate and continue its economic growth
Gateways Episode 41
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.
Regional Rail’s Visionary Dreamers
The Gateway Cities Journal
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
TTOD Competition
Community Engagement Update
Dear Gateway Cities friends and supporters, We have received requests asking for more information on the community engagement component of our TTOD Competition, so we would like to lay out the requirements here and hopefully address some of your questions and concerns. Our goal is to encourage participation, not just input, from the people who live, work, learn,
Exploring School-Centered Neighborhood Revitalization
Gateways Episode 39
Last month's hearing on the Gateway Cities legislative caucus' neighborhood stabilization bill sparked a lot of interest. But news coverage mostly dealt with the legislation’s housing tools. The bill also includes provisions to encourage school-centered approaches to neighborhood revitalization.
MassINC Insights
Gateways Episode 38
This week on Gateways, we bring you an episode of MassINC Insights, the first installment in a series of conversations with the journalists, researchers, and pollsters of MassINC, The MassINC Polling Group and CommonWealth. The nonprofit consistently leads the way in producing nonpartisan research and
Early College goes to work
Gateways Episode 37
On today’s episode of Gateways, we wrap up a three-part series exploring the power of Early College High Schools. This final installment looks at how Early Colleges contribute to regional economic development efforts by helping high school students pursue pathways that lead to good jobs in growing industries.
Extending TTOD Competition proposal deadline to the first week of January!
Announcing the new schedule
Dear Gateway City friends and supporters, We have received great, constructive feedback in the past few weeks about our TTOD Planning and Design Competition. We have heard from many students and professors that our November 6th deadline for proposal submissions is challenging considering the confines of semester and capstone project scheduling. Our cities are also
Chief Brian Kyes on increasing public safety in Gateway Cities
Gateways Episode 36
This week on Gateways, Ben sits down with Chelsea Police Chief Kyes. They talk about how policing has changed over time and unpack the department’s adoption of what's known as the Hub model. Developed in Canada, the approach emphasizes early intervention through collaborative effort with