This webinar will discuss climate-smart parks in Metro Boston, covering the available tools, data analysis, and planning and design strategies for successful implementation. The Trust for Public Land and Metropolitan Area Planning Council developed and implemented a Climate Smart Parks data analysis and mapping tool to help Massachusetts towns plan and design urban parks and green infrastructure installations to support urban climate resilience. The metro-Boston city of Medford will showcase these tools and strategies in action with a real-world climate-resilient green infrastructure case study developed and implemented through the Metro Mayors Program.

• Brendan Shane, Director of Climate, The Trust for Public Land
• Darci Schofield, Senior Environmental Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
• Alicia Hunt, Sustainability Director, City of Medford, MA

Learn more: https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-new-england-webinar-series

The next deadline for the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) voting cycle is coming up on September 23^rd 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!

Register here

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.

Join MAPC on Wednesday, September 11, from 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM, for a free webinar on our new white paper, Hot, Cool, Clean: Clean Heating and Cooling Opportunities for Massachusetts Municipalities. 

Across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, municipalities are embracing clean heating and cooling systems as important tools for reducing their energy costs and their greenhouse gas emissions. With recent technological advancements and evolving markets, air-source heat pumps, ground-source humps, and solar thermal have emerged as viable alternatives to fossil-fuel heating systems. Hot, Cool, Clean: Clean Heating and Cooling Opportunities for Massachusetts Municipalities highlights the technologies that are providing municipalities with cost-effective, low-carbon solutions for their heating and cooling needs. Join MAPC for this webinar to learn more about the incentives available to municipalities interested in clean heating and cooling and to hear from municipal leaders who have installed these systems.

Register here

Help set housing goals for Lynn!

Are you interested in helping the City of Lynn develop a community-driven plan to promote housing opportunity for all? The City, with the support of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), is launching “Housing Lynn: A plan for inclusive growth.” Housing Lynn will assess unmet housing need in Lynn, establish housing goals, and recommend strategies to meet them.

To learn more about Housing Lynn, including the plan’s context, timeline, and more, visit mapc.org/housing-lynn.

This first Housing Lynn forum is focused on understanding housing needs and setting priorities. Our discussion will help ensure Housing Lynn serves a broad range of Lynners, including renters and homeowners, families and those living alone, and folks of different ages, backgrounds, and income levels. Your voice is needed to ensure the plan represents all corners of this diverse community.

Free parking and Spanish interpretation available.

NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT

Dear Friends of MAPC:

Out of an abundance of caution, MAPC has decided to postpone the Winter Council Meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10) in Framingham.  Over the next few days, we will assess the situation and decide how to reschedule the Council Meeting and Legislative Panel on Housing, Transportation, and Climate.  We will consider rescheduling as a virtual event, which will provide Council members and allies the opportunity to learn the latest about what is going on at the State House, without having to participate in a crowded event that might make some people uncomfortable.

I realize we sent out a note earlier this morning reminding people about the Council Meeting, and I apologize if this update causes any confusion.  Still, we feel the wisest course is to postpone the meeting, and to reschedule in a different format.

Please stay tuned, and stay safe!

Best regards,

Marc Draisen

Executive Director

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.

Click here to register for the webinar via zoom: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqdOmqpz0qEtXLrrrw289Pw-VbcfxbAM_z

How do you facilitate an engaging digital meeting? MAPC Community Engagement staff will discuss tools and give advice for running digital forums, managing technology, coordinating participation, and achieving your meeting goals.

Click here to register for the webinar and learn more.