MAPC
Smart Growth & Regional Collaboration
MAPC's Arts and Culture Department delivers technical assistance in emerging practice areas including cultural planning, creative placemaking, creative community development, arts and cultural data collection and analysis, and cultural policy.
We help cities and towns with policies, programs, and staffing that help arts and cultural assets 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. The department's services include municipal and regional planning work, research projects, and the delivery of trainings that build planner expertise in arts, culture, and creativity.
Sign up for MAPC's Arts & Culture mailing list to receive updates on resources and events pertaining to arts, culture, and planning.
arts & culture services
Municipalities, mission-aligned community-based organizations, and arts & culture and educational institutions are invited to submit project concepts requesting MAPC technical assistance.
projects
Current Projects:
Selected Past Projects:
fellowships
historic commission appeals
State law (M.G.L. Chapter 40C Section 12) provides that “[a] city or town may provide in its ordinance or by-law [...] for a review procedure whereby any person aggrieved by a determination of the commission may, within twenty days after the filing of the notice of such determination with the city or town clerk, file a written request with the commission for a review by a person or persons of competence and experience in such matters, designated by the regional planning agency of which the city or town is a member. [... ] The finding of the person or persons making such review shall be filed with the city or town clerk within forty-five days after the request, and shall be binding on the applicant and the commission, unless a further appeal is sought in the superior court [...]”
Download process description (PDF)
Download process description and application (PDF)
Download list of appeals from 1994 to 2023 (PDF)
How the process is initiated
- Historic District Commission Decision – A historic district commission makes a decision on a matter before it and files the decision as a Record of Action with the city or town clerk. The date of the decision is not the date that the Commission made the decision but the date on which the Commission filed the decision with the city or town clerk.
- Decision to Appeal – If the applicant or an abutter wishes to appeal the decision, they have 20 days after the filing of the official decision in which to file an appeal. The appeal must be filed with the Historic District Commission, not with MAPC.
- Notified MAPC of Appeal – Once an appeal has been filed with the Historic Commission, MAPC will be notified either directly by the Historic District Commission, the party bringing the appeal or the city/town solicitor or historic preservation planner.
- Appellant sends filing form (attached below) and fee to MAPC – There is a $1,500 filing fee for bringing an appeal. The fee must be in the form of a certified check or money order. The check must be made payable to Metropolitan Area Planning Council and submitted with the application to the attention of Annis Sengupta. The check must be a cashier’s check or a money order. No hearing will be scheduled until payment has been received.
learn more
MAPC offers several easy ways to learn about and get involved with cultural planning, creative placemaking, and creative community development in our region
Technical Assistance Guidelines
View guidelines for MAPC's Technical Assistance Program (TAP), which invites applicants to submit project concepts on a rolling basis. Contact us to learn more about how we can help!
MGL Chapter 30B Sections 1 (b)(3) and (b)(9) exempt municipalities from having to issue a Request for Proposals or an Invitation for Bids, or from engaging in any other procedures required by procurement law, when working directly with MAPC.
Supporters
MAPC's arts & culture work is supported through several sources, including fee-for-service contributions from cities and towns and community development organizations, MAPC technical assistance resources, and grant funding from the Barr Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.
Resources
Arts & Culture in
MetroFuture
Art and culture add vibrancy to places and neighborhoods, and are an integral part of community development and planning. The MetroFuture vision for the Greater Boston region includes goals and strategies that pertain to increasing the region's artistic and cultural resources (goal #43).
MetroFuture goals and strategies include:
- fostering urban vitality;
- supporting cultural districts;
- engaging arts and culture as a way to build community and civic engagement;
- fostering creative economy initiatives; and
- supporting live/work spaces and creative incubator spaces (strategies 6E, 11B, and 11c).
Arts & Culture in
MetroFuture
Art and culture add vibrancy to places and neighborhoods, and are an integral part of community development and planning. The MetroFuture vision for the Greater Boston region includes goals and strategies that pertain to increasing the region's artistic and cultural resources (Goal #43).
MetroFuture goals and strategies include:
- fostering urban vitality;
- supporting cultural districts;
- engaging arts and culture as a way to build community and civic engagement;
- fostering creative economy initiatives; and
- supporting live/work spaces and creative incubator spaces (strategies 6E, 11B, and 11c).