All Updates
The latest releases, events, and articles from across MassINC.
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Gateway Cities Journal: Abundance and Scarcity in Gateway Cities
As cities like Lawrence continue to grapple with the challenges of housing affordability, the importance of naturally occurring affordable housing has never been clearer — and neither has the urgent need for innovative solutions.
May 1, 2025
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Gateway Cities Journal: Restoring Homes and Reviving Hope
Dina Fein reflects on key insights from the Reclaiming Vacant Property Conference and outlines a path forward for transforming abandoned spaces into stable homes.
April 17, 2025
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MassINC Matters: April 2025
From a first-hand ride on the South Coast Rail, to awards for our newsroom and a top 20 ranking for MPG, to a bevy of new reports — there’s a lot to catch up on. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to over the past two months.
April 15, 2025
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Event Recap: Reclaiming Vacant Property Conference
On April 8, housing and community development leaders from across Massachusetts came together in Springfield to explore strategies for reclaiming vacant properties and expanding access to affordable homeownership.
April 15, 2025
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Massachusetts Democrats want delegation to fight Trump. The rest of the state? Not so much.
Massachusetts Democrats are more eager than Democrats nationwide to push back against Republicans, according to a new poll.
April 3, 2025
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Kerry Healey was right: we should discuss senior ‘overhousing’
Making it easier for seniors to downsize would be welcomed by those who want to move — and be a boon for families squeezed by our housing shortage.
April 2, 2025
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Gateway Cities Journal: South Coast Rail’s Journey from Skepticism to Reality — A Rider’s Perspective
After decades of doubt and delays, South Coast Rail is finally a reality—proving that persistence, vision, and bold ambition can transform communities. A reflection from Elise Rapoza of MassINC.
March 26, 2025
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Reckoning with Historic Unfunded Municipal Pension Obligations
This report examines the historical decisions that contributed to these unfunded liabilities and highlights how current taxpayers are paying more than their fair share.
March 25, 2025
- As of 2023, recent generations of Massachusetts taxpayers paid an estimated $22 billion more than their fair share to cover local pension obligations left by prior generations, yet these local plans still have an estimated $8 billion in unfunded liabilities.
- Current taxpayers face additional costs because most of the pension funds are managed by local boards that have underperformed the state pension fund by more than $5.4 billion since the 1980s.
- Geographic disparities associated with uneven changes in population since the late 1970s have exacerbated this burden for residents of some communities, including many Gateway Cities.
- This pattern means lower-income residents and people of color shoulder an inequitable share of legacy pension costs. Since the 1980s, Gateway City residents have paid billions more than their own generation’s fair share to cover local pension costs, with more than $5 billion in appropriations made for legacy pension costs since 2010.
