Looking for information on MAPC’s official meetings and legal notices? Find it here.
Join the City of Cambridge, MAPC, our partners, and other members of the public for a forum on autonomous vehicles (AVs).
Pre-registration is appreciated, but not required.
The City of Cambridge has begun the process of creating a Future of Mobility Implementation Blueprint to help prepare for and shape new mobility options in a way that meets our community goals, meets the mobility needs of all people who live in, work in, and visit Cambridge, and is well integrated with our sustainable transportation system. This forum is an opportunity for you to:
- learn about the role of the Local, State, and Federal government in managing AVs,
- hear from researchers who are thinking about the interactions between AVs and people, and
- engage with the people behind the technology to gain a better understanding of the state of the technology, plans for the future, and challenges.
Confirmed speakers:
- Joseph E. Barr | Director | Cambridge Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department
- Susanne Rasmussen | Director of Environmental and Transportation Planning | Cambridge Community Development Department
- Alison Felix | Senior Transportation Planner and Emerging Technologies Specialist | Metropolitan Area Planning Commission
- Bryan Reimer | Research Scientist | MIT AgeLab
- Ryan Jacobs | Director, Boston Operations | nuTonomy
This event is hosted by the City of Cambridge in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission.
In December 2018, Governor Baker’s Commission on the Future of Transportation released their recommendations to address future challenges in transportation, exploring everything from the impacts of climate change to the rise of autonomous vehicle technology. This conference will give attendees an opportunity to hear directly from Commissioners as they present and discuss their findings. Secretary of Transportation, Stephanie Pollack, will offer a keynote address.
This event is free and open to the public, however, preregistration is required. Preregister here. Refreshments will be available.
Agenda:
Welcoming Remarks:
Rafael Carbonell, Executive Director, Taubman Center for State and Local Government
Keynote:
Stephanie Pollack, MA Secretary of Transportation
Presentation on the Future of Transportation:
Steve Kadish*, Chair, Commission on the Future of Transportation in Massachusetts and Senior Research Fellow, Taubman Center for State and Local Government
Panel Discussion:
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- Rebecca Davis*, Deputy Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Tony Gomez-Ibanez*, Derek C. Bok Professor of Urban Planning and Policy at Harvard University
- Karen Sawyer Conard*, Executive Director, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
- Moderator- Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Executive Director, 128 Business Council, and member of the MBTA Fiscal Management Advisory Board
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Presentation on Autonomous Vehicles Policy:
Mark Fagan, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Panel Discussion:
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- Colleen Quinn*, Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy, ChargePoint
- Carol Lee Rawn*, Director of Transportation, CERES
- Gretchen Effgen* Vice President of Global Partnerships and Business Team, Nutonomy
- Moderator – Kris Carter, Co-Director, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston
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Closing Remarks:
Joe Aiello, Senior Fellow, Meridiam Infrastructure and Chairman, MBTA Fiscal Management Advisory Board
*Members of the MA Commission on the Future of Transportation
Sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
On Tuesday, April 9, from 12:30 – 1:30 pm MAPC will host a pre-season planning webinar for our Peak Demand Management Program. This summer will be MAPC’s fifth year helping cities and towns reduce demand and capacity charges, and we are excited to work with returning veterans and new participants alike.
Tune into our Program Kick-Off Webinar to learn more about:
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- National Grid and Eversource’s new demand management offerings and incentives that were formalized in the state’s new 2019-2021 Energy Efficiency Plan.
- MAPC’s Peak Demand Management Program – we will provide data about the scope and impact of last year’s participants, and cover the basics of capacity charges.
- Current participants – we will from several municipal staff on their experiences and best practices with demand reduction, with a highlight of one community’s plans to integrate battery storage.
MAPC’s daily notifications won’t start until June 2019, but now is the time to start planning for process improvements and potential hardware upgrades to maximize your demand reduction potential this summer. We hope you can join us on April 9!
Register for this upcoming webinar at this link.
The next deadline for the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) voting cycle is coming up on September 23rd and we want to make sure you have the tools and information you need to complete your voter validation and to get ready for the vote itself. MAPC is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, August 20th from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. Please join us to hear about the next steps in the voting process and other updates on Codes for Climate efforts locally and nation-wide!
MAPC is working to make our building code better for the climate, healthy and safe for the people living and working in buildings, and more energy-efficient. Buildings account for approximately one-third of our GHG emissions as a state. By constructing and retrofitting these structures in a more energy-efficient manner, we will not only improve our climate, but also enhance the quality of life of our residents. To learn more about how MAPC is supporting our municipalities to improve the building code, visit our Codes for Climate page.
COVID-19-related unemployment could cause a massive housing crisis in Massachusetts. 468,000 Massachusetts residents filed unemployment claims in the first three weeks of the COVID crisis.
Who has been laid off? How many are now at risk of eviction or foreclosure? Will CARES Act assistance help? What about those who don’t qualify for federal aid? Join MAPC staff for a virtual discussion of our research brief, “The COVID-19 Layoff Housing Gap.”
On April 21, MAPC is releasing an update to “The COVID-19 Layoff Housing Gap” with the latest unemployment data.
At this webinar on April 22, MAPC Data Services Director Tim Reardon and Socioeconomic Analyst II Sarah Philbrick will discuss the updated data–and what it means for workers, municipalities, and the Commonwealth.
Join MAPC to hear from housing organizations, the Department of Housing & Community Development, and Boston and other municipalities on how to respond to residents at risk of eviction or other destabilizing forces during the pandemic.
We’ll learn about the anticipated impacts of expiring eviction moratoria, an overview of the Governor’s Eviction Diversion Initiative, and tenant rights and responsibilities. A panel will then discuss tools available to help residents stay in their homes, how to implement them, and what localities are doing to support residents experiencing housing instability during these unprecedented times.
Speakers will include:
Tim Reardon, Director of Data Services, MAPC
Chris Kluchman, Deputy Director, Community Services Division, DHCD
Tom Ambrosino, City Manager, City of Chelsea
Domonique Williams, Deputy Director, Office of Housing Stability, City of Boston
Chris Cotter, Housing Director, City of Cambridge
Keith Benoit, Community Development Planner, City of Northampton
Melrose, Malden, and Medford worked with the MAPC to collaboratively develop sustainable and resilient building design guidelines for residential and mixed-use developments and retrofits. These voluntary guidelines will help these communities encourage developers to build more more affordable housing that is energy-efficient and climate-resilient.
Join us for an interactive webinar on April 26 at 12:00 p.m. to learn about the guidelines and hear from the communities about how they plan to use them to shape green, affordable development.
The Town of Belmont MBTA Communities Advisory Committee invites you to a hybrid public forum to get your input on the future of multifamily housing in Belmont.
Whether you will be joining us in person at the Beech Street Center or virtually via Zoom, please register through this page so we know how many people to expect.
What to Expect at the Forum:
Members of the Advisory Committee, staff from the Town of Belmont, and planners from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council will present information about how Belmont is planning to comply with the Multifamily Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities law (often called “Section 3A”). They will also ask for your ideas on where you think that multifamily housing should go in Belmont and what it should look like.
In-Person Location:
Beech Street Center, 266 Beech Street, Belmont On-site parking is available, and the Center is 0.3 miles from the intersection of Trapelo Road and Beech Street on MBTA Bus Route 73. Registration is not required to attend in person, though it is preferred.
Zoom Option:
Everyone who registers will receive a link to the Zoom meeting, even if you plan to attend in person.
Please join us for this webinar to learn more about a new MAPC Section 3A decision-making support tool!
Background
In 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature added a new section to the state’s Zoning Act (MGL Chapter 40A) — MBTA Communities Multifamily Zoning Requirement (Section 3A) — that requires each municipality in the MBTA district to zone for by-right multifamily housing near transit stations or smart growth locations.
MAPC has developed an interactive MBTA Communities Multifamily Zoning Requirement (Section 3A) District Suitability Analysis Tool to help municipalities within the MAPC region identify locations for 3A zoning districts that also advance regional and local goals.
This Webinar
MAPC staff will provide an overview of the tool’s use and showcase how it may be applied, in tandem with stakeholder-driven processes, to facilitate conversations around areas suitable for new housing production.
Register to join us for this event
Questions? Please contact:
Emma Battaglia (ebattaglia@mapc.org)