Celebrating Gateway Cities

The Gateway Cities Journal

Gathering the links below has become one of my favorite parts of the job. It’s a window into the collective work of Gateway City leaders—whether they’re finding solutions to the Commonwealth’s most pressing problems or advancing bold, ambitious visions that reflect optimism for their communities and unwillingness to settle for projects that sell their cities

At the buzzer, Downing hits a game-changer

The Gateway Cities Journal

Last week Senator Benjamin Downing—outgoing co-chair of the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus—scored a major departing victory for our cause when he successfully inserted an amendment into the municipal government bill (S 2410) giving regions an option to raise funds locally to pay for regional transportation needs. If this amendment passes in a final bill, it

Entering the fray on education accountability

The Gateway Cities Journal

Recently MassINC convened education leaders from across New England for a dialogue on redesigning state accountability frameworks to comply with the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). We’ll be bringing this group together for several dialogues focused on how states should approach accountability with particular attention to Gateway Cities. The arguments are compelling: small-to-midsize

A community conversation on transformative development in Springfield

On June 30th,MassINC joined the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission for a community conversation on transformative development in Springfield. The forum was held at Make-It Springfield, a pop-up makerspace launched with support from MassDevelopment’s TDI program. Managed in partnership with the UMass Design Center in Springfield, the space has revitalized a vacant storefront bringing new energy

Investing in economic development

The Gateway Cities Journal

After several months reviewing the Baker administration’s ambitious $918 million economic development proposal, the House and Senate Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies has come to agreement on a pared-down version of the bill. The proposed legislation cuts back on the overall spending in Governor Baker’s plan by roughly $320 million and shortens

Marilyn Flores and Kevin Zeno

This Week’s Gateway Cities Leaders

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

Harnessing the ‘Third Way’ to improve communities

The Gateway Cities Journal

When I was in graduate school studying urban planning in the early-2000s, there was a lot of talk about how cities need “good” schools, but surprisingly little discussion or study about how you build community to nurture a good school, and vice versa. Luckily, I had the opportunity to work for a professor engaged in

Video and key takeaways from Gateway Cities housing forum

Some key takeaways from the Housing Opportunities in Gateway Cities Forum Last week, Gateway City housing leaders gathered in Worcester for a housing forum jointly sponsored by MassINC, the Worcester Municipal Research Bureau, and the City of Worcester. A fabulous contingent of state and local housing experts took on a range of problems and put forward substantive

Double-whammy for Gateway Cities

Municipalities are caught in vicious real estate cycle

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
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