TTOD Planning and Design Competition

Proposal Deadline Approaching + Updated Guidelines

Proposal deadline approaching! Thank you to everyone who has expressed interest in submitting a project to our TTOD Planning and Design Competition! Many project teams have given us sneak previews of their design, planning, and research projects. We look forward to receiving your final proposals on January 12, 2020. This competition connects student teams with

Christmas in the City

The Gateway Cities Journal

Yesterday morning downtown Haverhill was bustling. People hustled in and out of buildings, dodging the frigid winter breeze. The storefronts were done up nicely for the holidays, but something twinkling brightly in the sky is what really drew the eye. This was no oversized tree wearing multicolored bulbs, or lighted wreaths dangling from telephone poles.

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.

Gateway City leaders testify before committees weighing neighborhood stabilization bill

The Gateway Cities Journal

Wednesday night’s unanimous House vote in favor of the Student Opportunity Act was a watershed moment. Gateway Cities owe a debt of gratitude to education committee chairs, Representative Alice Peisch and Senator Jason Lewis, who skillfully crafted this truly historic legislation and built buy-in among the membership of both branches. We will have much more

Reducing train fares to achieve equitable TOD

The Gateway Cities Journal

MassINC released a policy brief this week that is a “classic” in the sense that its main finding—many Gateway City residents can’t afford to ride commuter rail—is blatantly obvious. While this problem has been apparent for some time, we think now is the moment to seek a remedy. Transportation has risen to the top of the

Hearing that glorious swish

The Gateways Cities Journal

Down for nearly a decade, Gateway City real estate markets finally show signs of life. From Brockton to Fall River and Lynn to Worcester, private developers are unveiling plans for exactly the kind of mixed-use TOD projects these regional urban centers need to become 21st-century cities. However, as we’ve learned from previous real estate cycles,

Opinion Analysis | Inclusive Economies come from Including People

EOHED MetroWest Engagement Session

On the morning of June 25th, Framingham State University hosted the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development’s (EOHED) final Engagement Session. This nine-stop, 1,200-participant tour is an early step in developing the Office’s four-year state economic development plan which will be presented to the Baker Administration at the end of the year. Meetings

Wielding the Double-Edged Zoning Sword

The Gateway Cities Journal

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance released a new study linking the state’s housing crisis to zoning at a well-attended State House event last week. Amy Dain, lead author of the report, pointed to four ways zoning inhibits the housing market: height and density limits, ad hoc approval processes, mixed-use commercial requirements, and “edge city” land

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