Plan for Growth (Boston region)

Plan for Growth (Boston region)
Name	Plan for Growth (Boston region)
Region	Boston metropolitan area
Agency	Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Established	2021
Status	Active
Focus	Regional planning, housing, transportation, resilience

Contents

Plan for Growth (Boston region) is a regional strategic planning initiative developed to guide land use, housing, transportation, climate resilience, and economic development across the Boston metropolitan area. The initiative synthesizes inputs from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Baker-Polito Administration, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and municipal partners including the City of Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Somerville, Massachusetts and Newton, Massachusetts. It responds to growth pressures associated with institutions and employers such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and corporate centers including General Electric, Biogen, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and State Street Corporation.

Background and Goals

The Plan builds on precedent efforts including MetroFuture, Climatetech, Commonwealth of Massachusetts planning directives, and recommendations from the 100 Resilient Cities initiative and Boston Planning & Development Agency studies. Its primary goals align with statewide statutes like the Chapter 40B housing framework, Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act, and regional priorities articulated by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, Inner Core Committee, and suburban councils such as the Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination. Key objectives include increasing housing production near transit hubs influenced by MBTA corridors, directing growth in designated centers like Downtown Crossing, Kendall Square, Seaport District, Davis Square, and protecting natural assets such as the Charles River, Mystic River, and the Boston Harbor Islands.

The methodology integrates scenario planning, equity analysis, and climate modeling using tools and partners including Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Urban Risk Lab, Tufts University research groups, MIT Senseable City Lab, Harvard Kennedy School faculty advisors, and consultants like Arup and AECOM. Data sources include American Community Survey, Massachusetts Department of Transportation ridership statistics, Federal Transit Administration standards, and hazard projections from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stakeholder engagement encompassed public forums with municipal officials from Brookline, Massachusetts, Quincy, Massachusetts, Chelsea, Massachusetts, community organizations such as the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, neighborhood civic groups in Roxbury, Dorchester, Massachusetts, and business associations including the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Initiatives prioritize transit-oriented development near Red Line (MBTA), Green Line (MBTA), Orange Line (MBTA), Blue Line (MBTA), Commuter Rail (MBTA), and emerging projects like the Green Line Extension and South Coast Rail. Projects include multipart strategies targeting redevelopment in the Seaport District, adaptive reuse in the Leather District, industrial land preservation in Everett, Massachusetts, and brownfield remediation in Chelsea. The Plan highlights catalytic investments tied to institutions such as Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and research parks like the Kendall Square Innovation District with workforce training partnerships linking MassHire and regional community colleges including Bunker Hill Community College and Roxbury Community College.

Transportation strategies coordinate MBTA capital plans, federal funding applications to the Federal Transit Administration, and state priorities from Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority governance reforms. Emphasis is placed on transit capacity, bus rapid transit corridors like Massachusetts Avenue (Cambridge) and Columbus Avenue (Boston), bicycle networks associated with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, and regional freight routes tied to the Port of Boston and Logan International Airport. Infrastructure resilience measures reference projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, coastal defenses modeled after Big Dig lessons, stormwater management informed by the Environmental Protection Agency and green infrastructure pilots in municipalities including Cambridge, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts.

Housing strategies align with zoning reform conversations involving municipal councils, advocates including Massachusetts Housing Partnership, and state programs like MassHousing and the Community Preservation Act. The Plan recommends upzoning near transit, accessory dwelling unit expansion reflecting precedents in Portland, Oregon and Sacramento, California policy experiments, and affordable housing finance tools deployed by Low Income Housing Tax Credit syndicators and community development corporations such as Chelsea Collaborative and LISC Boston. Economic development actions coordinate with life sciences clusters anchored by Biogen and Moderna, advanced manufacturing initiatives supported by Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and small business supports via MassGrowth Capital and local chambers including Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Climate resilience measures reference the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management guidelines, sea-level rise scenarios from the Northeast Climate Science Center, and mitigation pathways consistent with the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act. The Plan identifies priority adaptation investments for neighborhoods along the Fort Point Channel, Dorchester waterfront, and East Boston using nature-based solutions such as salt marsh restoration tied to Mass Audubon and urban tree canopy expansion modeled on programs by Trust for Public Land. Energy strategies include building efficiency retrofits incentivized by Mass Save, municipal aggregation examples, and coordination with utilities including Eversource Energy and National Grid.

Implementation envisions a regional governance structure leveraging the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, municipal partners, transit agencies, and state offices including the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities with funding from federal sources like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation grants, and state capital programs administered by MassDevelopment. Monitoring and accountability draw on performance measures used by the Boston Indicators Project, data dashboards modeled after Living Cities pilots, and legislative tools including adjustments to Chapter 40R and regional planning grants. Public-private partnerships with anchors such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are highlighted as mechanisms to leverage philanthropy and private capital for equitable outcomes.

Category:Regional planning in Massachusetts