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Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
MAPC is the regional planning agency serving the people who live and work in the 101 cities and towns of Greater Boston.
Established in 1963, MAPC is a public agency created under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40B Section 24. MAPC is governed by representatives from each city and town in our region, as well as gubernatorial appointees and designees of major public agencies. Learn more about MAPC's Board and Council.
MAPC is a government research organization whose studies and publications are widely relied upon by lawmakers and other organizations.
Each municipality in our region belongs to one of eight subregions, each led by one or two MAPC staff. Each subregion includes municipal officials and regional and community stakeholders, all of whom work together to develop an annual work plan and priorities.
Our Mission
To promote smart growth and regional collaboration. Our regional plan, MetroCommon 2050, guides our work as we engage the public in responsible stewardship of our region’s future.
We work toward sound municipal management, sustainable land use, protection of natural resources, efficient and affordable transportation, a diverse housing stock, public safety, economic development, clean energy, healthy communities, an informed public, and equity and opportunity among people of all backgrounds.
Getting to MAPC
We are located at 60 Temple Place, in Boston (Downtown Crossing, at the intersection of Temple Place and Washington Street).
Public Transportation
Driving
Note: We strongly encourage visitors to use their preferred mapping application to find exact directions and to view area construction and detours surrounding MAPC's offices.
Parking Options
Public Meetings, Legal Notices, and Records Requests
All public meetings, agendas, and legal notices are posted on our Meetings and Legal Notices webpage.
Public Meetings
MAPC is committed to continually improving access to our offices, public meetings, events, activities, and programs. We value the importance of engaging and working with the diverse communities, cultures, backgrounds, abilities, ethnicities, and demographics that make up the Greater Boston region.
MAPC provides reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities and/or
language assistance free of charge upon request (e.g., interpreters in American Sign
Language and languages other than English, live captioning, videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats), as available.
For accommodation or language assistance, please contact Patrice Faulkner by phone at 617-933-0751, or by email to: [email protected]. You can also contact MAPC's Human Resources Department: [email protected].
Requests must be not less than 2 business days prior to the meeting.
Please also see the Accessibility section of this page for information on MAPC's office, website, and for resources.
Interpretation and Listening Assistance Devices
MAPC owns language interpretation and assisted listening devices that can be used by individuals who have special hearing or language needs participating in our events/meetings/activities. We also make these devices available for rent to organizations or municipalities that could benefit from their use. View the rental form here.
For more information or with questions about device rental, please contact Patrice Faulkner ([email protected]).
Legal Notices
MAPC is engaged in the procurement of a variety of goods and services. The legal notices are broken up by the following areas:
- Homeland Security
- Agency-wide
- Municipal Collaboration
- Collective Purchasing
- Clean Energy
- Arts and Culture
- Transportation
Public Records Requests
Making a Request
Please follow the instructions below for making a records request. The agency's Records Access Officer (RAO) has up to ten (10) business days to provide a response to each request, and must only provide records that are in existence.
Under the updated MA Public Records Law, RAOs are required to provide public records in an electronic format, unless the record is not available electronically, or the requester does not have the ability to receive or access electronic formats.
Record requests can be made verbally (in-person), or in writing via email (preferred) or mail to the RAO. There is no specific format required; however, written requests should include a description of the document(s) being requested and the requestor's contact information. Click here to view a sample request letter.
Examples of Public Records
MAPC is committed to providing the public with access to public information. The following are examples of the public records held and maintained by MAPC:
- Minutes from meetings
- Budget and financial information
- Annual reports
- Bylaws and work plans
- Presentations and project reports
- Procurement/contract documents.
Much of this information resides on this website, and can be found by utilizing the search bar feature above.
Information About the Public Records Law
For more information about the Public Records Law, please see the Secretary of State’s publication, A Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law. To read the law in full, please see G. L. c. 4, § 7(26), G. L. c. 66, and 950 C.M.R. § 32.00. MAPC's RAO has also published guidelines to assist members of the public seeking access to public records held by MAPC.
Public Records Requests
The Massachusetts Public Records Law provides that every person has a right of access to public information. This right of access includes the right to inspect, copy, or have copies of public records provided.
Please send requests to:
Records Access Officer (RAO)
Marjorie Weinberger, General Counsel
MAPC
60 Temple Place, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
Phone: (617) 933-0724
Fax: (617) 482-7185
Email: [email protected]
Website Accessibility
The Commonwealth enterprise standards are generally based on standards used by the Federal government for technology accessibility for people with disabilities, and web content accessibility guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
For more information about the Federal standards, please visit the Section 508 web site or the Federal Access Board web site.
For more information about the W3C guidelines, please visit their web site.
Portable Document Formats (PDFs)
Some documents on this website are produced in Portable Document Format (PDF). We continue to work to ensure that files are produced using the latest version of Acrobat (file conversion software for PDFs), which is the most accessible technology currently available for these types of files. In order to improve viewing of these files, please download the latest version of Adobe Reader™, which is available for free at the Adobe web site.
If any file format prevents you from accessing the information, please contact us for assistance ([email protected]). In order to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please note the nature of your accessibility concern, the format in which you prefer to receive the material, the web page address of the requested material, and the best way to contact you.
We also welcome your questions and feedback on how we can improve accessibility on our website. Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or feedback about our website.
MAPC Office Accessibility
MAPC has made, and continues to make, accessibility changes to our office in Downtown Boston to improve access for visitors and employees who have visual, hearing, mobility, and/or other access-related needs.
In 2011, MAPC conducted a study focused on the physical accessibility of the MAPC offices. Based on the results of that analysis, MAPC made physical updates and changes within our office for enhanced accessibility, and compiled a comprehensive list of recommendations to the building owners. You can view that report here.
Accessibility Resources
- Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD)
- Helpful Links and Other Disability Resources (Mass.gov)
- Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Are there other resources that should be included in this list? Please reach out and let us know by contacting [email protected].