Technical Assistance Program Showcase

MAPC Technical Assistance Program Showcase

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The MAPC Technical Assistance Program (TAP) is a funding program that enables and assists cities and towns in implementing projects that are beneficial to the community. Below is a showcase of TAP-funded projects categorized by our departments' areas of expertise. Projects selected as part of TAP are assigned to a project manager, who works with municipalities to develop detailed scopes of work.

Municipal Collaboration

Arts & Culture

The Arts & Culture team helps cities and towns with policies, programs, and staffing that allow arts and cultural assets to grow and thrive by providing technical assistance with the full range of arts and culture planning issues – community development, economic development, public health, and the built and natural environment.

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Clean Energy

Clean Energy aims to rapidly drive down greenhouse gas emissions, end dependence on fossil fuel consumption in the Commonwealth, build community resilience, and support a just clean energy transition.

Highlighted Projects

Malden Center for Arts & Culture Concept Plan: This concept plan, completed in partnership with the Boston Society for Architecture and two design firms, articulates a vision for repurposing the former Malden District Courthouse as a site of arts and culture that supports the full creative lifecycle from ideation to presentation.
Revive: Local Arts Indicators: From 2020 to 2022, MAPC worked with four communities to chart a path to response and recovery for local arts and cultural organizations.
Watertown Public Arts Master Plan: The Public Arts Master Plan for Watertown outlines a vision and values for public arts in Watertown and includes public arts program recommendations. The plan was officially adopted by the Watertown Town Council on February 23, 2021.

Highlighted Projects

North Suffolk Zero Carbon Action Plan: In 2021, NSORS received a grant from the State to support the development of the first North Suffolk Zero Carbon Action Plan (ZCAP). Through this regional planning process, MAPC is supporting the communities on community engagement and strategy development to create a regional climate action plan to equitably reduce carbon pollution, improve community health, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Salem Green Building Ordinance: The Clean Energy Department worked with the City of Salem on a green building ordinance, which passed in 2022. MAPC also helped draft the city’s Net Zero Energy Guide and Questionnaire for Developments that trigger a site plan review with the Planning Board.
Regional Energy Efficiency Outreach: In response to interest from municipalities in the region, MAPC and the Cambridge Energy Alliance released a request for information (RFI) to gather responses from home performance contractors (HPCs) and others interested in partnering with communities on outreach campaigns to build awareness about the Mass Save program and boost participation in energy efficiency programs.

Community Engagement

MAPC brings award-winning community engagement to your project. We seek people out and draw them in, even from groups that tend to be hard to reach and engage. That means new ideas, new participants, and plans with wider support. We work to make data, tradeoffs, and the entire planning process inclusive, clear, and accessible to all.

Quincy Census Tracts & Housing Submarkets

Data Services

Data Services takes an open, equitable, and data-driven approach to everything we do and focus on products that can have direct application in decision-making processes. Our human-centered design methods produce digital tools that make complex information understandable and accessible. MAPC’s Digital Services team stands ready to partner with municipalities to develop plans to close digital divides.

Highlighted Projects

Downtown Framingham Small Business Tour: The tour created a space for participants from the public, private, and non-profit sector to connect around issues relevant to Downtown Framingham, including Town staff, the business community, service organizations, immigrant advocates, news media, developers, brokers, local colleges, and active citizens. Over the course of two and a half hours, 55 town leaders came together to learn about the diversity of businesses in its downtown area and to hear the stories, challenges, and contributions of these entrepreneurs.
Downtown Lynn Visioning: Community Engagement was a critical component of MAPC's efforts to build on the vision for Downtown Lynn. Community engagement efforts included assembling a team of advisors, conducting interviews with community leaders, giving presentations to community-based organizations, attending community events, collecting land use and property data using local volunteers, and hosting two public forums in Downtown Lynn.

Highlighted Projects

Gloucester Mental Health: In 2020, MAPC worked with the Regional Youth Prevention Network to identify barriers and challenges faced by North Shore/Cape Ann residents, specifically children and youth, when attempting to access mental health services. MAPC conducted a series of focus groups and key informant interviews with area parents, young people, and school officials to understand the landscape of youth mental health services access and to produce recommendations on improving access.
Housing Capacity Analysis, Quincy Housing Production Plan: Data Services conducted a housing capacity analysis for the Quincy Housing Production Plan. The capacity analysis draws upon a method developed by MAPC for the Metro Mayors Coalition Housing Taskforce, which estimates the number of housing units that could be built on vacant or underutilized land.
Analysis of Covid Strategies, Mass in Motion In 2020, 2021, and 2022, MAPC conducted research with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to understand how local Mass in Motion (MiM) coalitions, in responding to new levels of food insecurity and physical inactivity at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, had leveraged emergency response into changes to local policies, systems or environments (PSE).

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Economic Development

The Economic Development team provides assessment and planning services by engaging stakeholders, identifying economic development opportunities, and developing strategies that address the interconnected nature of job creation, income generation, and wealth building. Additionally, the team has conducted research on the connection between economic development, housing, transportation, and childcare.

Environment

MAPC’s Environment Department provides technical assistance and policy guidance to municipalities on issues including: climate preparedness and vulnerability assessments; natural hazard mitigation; sustainable water management; facilitating regional climate planning, working on joint projects with other departments and agencies; and creating tools and guides on everything from stormwater management to climate-smart parks.

Highlighted Projects

Bunker Hill Community College-Chelsea-Everett Small Business Needs Assessment: MAPC provided Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) and the cities of Chelsea and Everett a plan for a business support center at the college. The study recommended that the BHCC Enterprise Center provide business consulting services, for-credit courses, continuing education workshops, and seminars on the topics of marketing, financial management, business model planning and more.
Topsfield Downtown Revitalization Plan: MAPC worked with the Town of Topsfield to create the first-ever plan for Topsfield’s downtown, with the goal of creating a welcoming downtown village where Topsfield residents and visitors of all ages can live, work, gather, and shop.
Small Business Support Plan: MAPC worked with the municipalities of Arlington, Medford, and Salem, as well as the Newton/Needham Chamber of Commerce, to develop recommendations for initiatives to increase revenue for small businesses, decrease the cost of doing business, and protect public health and safety in response to the COVID pandemic.
Regional Immigrant Entrepreneur Storytelling Project: In response to the unprecedented challenges of both COVID-19 and the social barriers that existed prior to the pandemic, MAPC crated a regional storytelling project that focuses on stories of resilient Asian immigrant entrepreneurs, beginning in the City of Quincy.

Highlighted Projects

Climate Resilient Land Use Strategies: In this resource, regulatory language and policy examples are highlighted to advance municipal climate resilience. Use the toolkit to find example regulatory language, background on resilient land use, and additional resources.
Low Impact Development Toolkit: Learn about strategies to manage stormwater in low-impact ways, such as maintaining natural drainage paths, minimizing land clearance, clustering builders, and reducing impervious surfaces.
Metro Mayors Climate-Smart Region: Use this decision support tool created in partnership with The Trust for Public Land to understand key climate risks and vulnerabilities and opportunities to prioritize green infrastructure and nature-based solutions for climate resilience.

Housing

Our work areas include collaborating on Housing Production Plans, producing residential market analyses, creating mixed-income neighborhood and TOD plans, gathering, interpreting, and sharing housing data, drafting zoning bylaws and ordinances, lobbying for statutory change at the state level, and assisting with community outreach and engagement.

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Land Use

Land use planning projects that MAPC frequently undertakes with communities include master plans, downtown plans, neighborhood plans, equitable transit-oriented development plans, open space & outdoor recreation plans, and housing production plans. Furthermore, MAPC helps municipalities with zoning and land use regulation to protect and enhance the environmental, economic, and social quality of life in the region

Highlighted Projects

Living Little: Living Little explores different types of small housing that would be well-suited for suburban communities throughout Greater Boston, where larger homes are more common. Smaller housing can provide options for a variety of smaller households—from millennials just starting out to baby boomers looking to downsize—helping towns meet need, retain household diversity, and take a “little” step towards addressing the region’s housing crisis.
Housing Submarkets: A housing submarket is a collection of neighborhoods—some next to each other, some not—with similar housing stock and housing market characteristics. These characteristics determine who can find, afford, and remain in suitable housing in that neighborhood.
Zoning Atlas: The Zoning Atlas is MAPC's collaborative inventory and interpretation of municipal zoning data in Massachusetts. This dynamic online resource will improve over time as municipal staff and other contributors refine the data and provide updates. 
The Use of Chapter 40R in Massachusetts as a Tool for Smart Growth and Affordable Housing Production: Chapter 40R encourages cities and towns to zone for compact residential and mixed-use development in smart growth locations by offering financial incentives and increased control over design. This report examines how Massachusetts communities have used Chapter 40R since March of 2005 when the program was authorized.

Highlighted Projects

Norfolk Town Center Design Guidelines: Norfolk Town Center is a quintessential New England Town Common featuring an open common lawn, gazebo, historic church, and civic buildings and amenities. The Town Center brings people together through its uses, activities, and design. It is a place of communal gathering and community pride. MAPC developed the Norfolk Town Center Design Review Guidelines to help improve the design quality of future investments in the Town Center, to enhance the visual character of the district, and to reflect its traditional New England heritage.
Revere Master Plan: The City of Revere partnered with MAPC to develop a comprehensive plan to guide Revere into the future. Through citywide visioning sessions, shared goal-setting, and data analysis, the Next Stop Revere planning process supports Revere's efforts to translate the community's values into strategic and specific actions. With the support of MAPC, and through the sustained engagement of residents and community partners, Revere has developed a policy and planning blueprint to guide action and investment over the next 10-20 years. In January 2020, the final draft of the Next Stop Revere Master Plan was released for public comment; the comment period closed on February 14, 2020.

Municipal Collaboration

The department operates a comprehensive and innovative group purchasing program for municipalities and other buyers; coordinates joint procurements; helps cities and town to collaborate in the delivery of municipal services; promotes best practices in the efficient and effective management of local government; and works toward improved public safety for our region.

Public Health

The Public Health Department leads and assists with the evaluation of environmental, behavioral, and policy changes implemented by cities and towns and with assessments of investments in social determinants of health by other allied public health partners, including hospitals, health centers, community-based organizations, and planning organizations.

Highlighted Projects

Executive Summary for the COVID- 19 Homebound Vaccination Process After Action Report/Improvement Plan: As part of its Emergency Preparedness Practice, MAPC identified homebound vaccination as an area to conduct an After-Action Report (AAR) because of the lessons that could be learned in informing future vaccination efforts and supporting homebound residents to receive healthcare. MAPC chose five communities in which to conduct the AAR: Lynn, Salem, Peabody, Medford, and Gloucester. This Executive Summary provides an overview of our findings in exploring the strengths and areas for improvement of these programs.

Highlighted Projects

Randolph Community Wellness Project: In January 2020, the Town of Randolph and MAPC published a Community Wellness Plan—an action plan for improving public health and health equity in Randolph, based on data and community feedback. Some of the project’s major accomplishments to-date include supporting Randolph’s hiring of a Community Wellness Planner, catalyzing the establishment of a health clinic in the town’s high school, and securing several millions of dollars in support of CWP implementation. The project and MAPC’s partnership on it have been made possible by funding through the TAP, a multi-year Community Health and Healthy Aging Grant, and Town of Randolph contributions.

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Transportation

The Transportation team works on a variety of topics, including transportation demand management, parking (and alternative uses for parking spaces), transportation finance, climate change, dedicated bus lanes, and other activities. Several of our recent downtown studies and district plans have integrated strategies to enhance wayfinding, multimodal transportation options, and a sense of place.

Highlighted Projects

Wrentham Local Rapid Recovery Plan (LRRP): Transportation Implementation Memo: MAPC provided technical assistance to the Town of Wrentham from November – December 2021 to help implement two transportation recommendations from their LRRP as follows: Develop a Complete Streets policy; Conduct a pedestrian safety audit. To advance these LRRP recommendations, MAPC Transportation staff organized and participated in the following activities: Two Wrentham site visits with Town Planning staff and members of the Town’s Master Plan Steering Committee; and A “Complete Streets 101” virtual presentation to the Wrentham Board of Selectmen: Four virtual focus groups with Town of Wrentham staff, stakeholders, and residents, and; a Wrentham Center pedestrian safety audit virtual planning meeting.
Concord Parking Policy Analysis: The Town of Concord requested that MAPC assess the Town’s current parking policies in light of best practices recommended today and develop recommendations for zoning and policy changes to ensure the most efficient and effective use of existing parking resources, particularly around village centers. To this end, MAPC evaluated the Town’s zoning bylaw in comparison to industry standards (namely the Institute for Transportation Engineers, or ITE), policies in neighboring towns, and best practices for parking management.