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Southern Massachusetts TTOD Regional Forum

Event Recap

Last week, MassINC kicked off ourTransformative Transit-Oriented Development (TTOD) Regional Forum Series at the Whaling Museum in New Bedford. The event was co-sponsored by the City of New Bedford, the SouthCoast Development Partnership, and the New Bedford Economic Development Council. The Southern Massachusetts TTOD Regional Forum allowed for community leaders and the civically-engaged to gather

Welcome Juana!

Gateways Episode 12

In this episode of Gateways, Ben talks with Juana Matias about her journey to MassINC and her hopes and aspirations for the organization. They also dive into the education funding debate. Together they puzzle over how lawmakers give Gateway City schools sufficient resources to close opportunity gaps.

House budget advances Gateway City neighborhood stabilization effort

The Gateway Cities Journal

The FY 2020 House budget released yesterday directs $1 million to MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI)-with $750,000 of that earmarked for neighborhood stabilization activities. This represents an important step forward (and a strong show of support) for a concerted effort to create a comprehensive neighborhood stabilization program for Massachusetts. With these funds, MassDevelopment could build

TOD planning takes root in the Heart of the Commonwealth

Gateways Episode 11

In this episode, we hear from Mayor Petty & Jake Sanders from the city of Worcester along with Craig Blais and Roberta Brien of the Worcester Business Development Corporation. They explain how planning is helping transform New England’s second-largest city through transit-oriented development.

Accountability in the school funding debate

Gateways Episode 10

In Part II of our deep dive on local education accountability, Ben talks with Rep. Aaron Vega, author of the Promise Act, and Ed Lambert, former mayor of Fall River and current Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.

A Complex Recipe for Housing Financing

Brockton Offers Formula for Gateway Cities

Rob May, Brock- ton’s director of economic devel- opment and planning, famously offers up his seven-layer dip to any- one with a taste for the city’s downtown. A 121B Urban Re- newal plan forms the base. Then, he mixes in 40Q District Improvement Financing, a 40R Smart Growth Overlay District, a 40V Hous-ing Development Zone and a Transformative Development District.

Ending the Cycle of Segregation

The Gateways City Journal

Gateway City leaders converged on Beacon Hill last week to plead for more education funding. The facts are undisputed: In recent years, state aid has not kept pace with rising healthcare and special education costs. Changes to the way the state counts low-income students penalized Gateway City schools that serve large numbers of immigrants. And

Ben Forman’s testimony on Gateway Cities and the Promise Act

Ben Forman submitted written testimony on the Promise Act. His remarks focus on how MassINC’s recent research on local accountability can inform the debate over whether additional funding should also come with provisions requiring additional accountability for increasing student achievement. Click here to read his written testimony.

Local education accountability with Tracy Novick

Gateways Episode 9

In this new episode of Gateways, Ben Forman visits Worcester to speak with Tracy Novick, Field Director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. With experience serving on both school committees and school councils in Worcester, Tracy is highly regarded as an outspoken thought leader on education policy. Ben chats with Tracy about MassINC’s recent

A New Vision for Commuter Rail

The Gateway Cities Journal

The past two weeks have been exciting ones for transportation in the Commonwealth. Our legislative leadership has primed the policy pump for the Commonwealth to make bold changes to our commuter rail system. House Speaker DeLeo and Senate President Spilka stated Tuesday that “all ideas are on the table” for how to fund necessary transportation
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