Members of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council gathered with staff and stakeholders the morning of Wednesday, May 30, for MAPC’s Annual Council Meeting. They munched on muffins, heard about the Council’s finances, held elections, and learned about the year’s major accomplishments before launching into an in-depth discussion about MAPC’s upcoming regional plan update.
Down to business
To kick off the morning, MAPC presented the Charles W. Eliot Scholarship to James Robinson of Quincy High School. The award recognizes high school seniors pursuing studies in housing and economic development, transportation, environmental protection, energy conservation, or impacts on public health – any land use planning field that will guide our society to a more sustainable future. James, who also received a John and Abigail Adams Scholarship full-tuition scholarship, will study civil engineering at UMass Amherst.
Executive Director Marc Draisen highlighted several of MAPC’s 2018 accomplishments, including procuring locally grown food for 68 school districts across Massachusetts, coordinating a regional dock-less bike share agreement among 15 communities and two vendors, and launching a regional housing partnership among representatives of 14 cities and towns.
The council reelected Keith Bergman of Littleton as MAPC President, Erin Wortman of Stoneham as Vice President, Taber Keally of Milton as Treasurer, and Sandra Hackman of Bedford as Secretary for FY2019.
Elections at the MAPC Annual Council Meeting
regional plan update
MAPC is at a very exciting moment: we are poised to begin an update to MetroFuture, our regional plan for Greater Boston. MetroFuture was adopted in 2008: much has changed over those ten years. Technologies of all kinds have advanced – ten years ago, for example, autonomous vehicles, were a distant dream. Climate change has become an ever-looming, more immediate threat. Boston’s housing has grown ever-more expensive and scarce.
For the past six months, MAPC has been in the process design phase of the update project – deciding what the update will address, how we’ll engage stakeholders, and what the final product will look like.
MAPC will officially launch the regional planning process in October 2018. Over the two-year process, we will share information with and gather input from thousands of people who live, work, learn, and play in the Metro Boston.
MAPC Strategic Initiatives Director Eric Hove presented on the process and goals of the project to council meeting attendees. After the presentation, meeting attendees gathered at stations, giving feedback on the timeline, goals, engagement strategies, and potential topic areas.
In the coming months, look out for ways to get involved in this exciting new chapter for MAPC and the region! Over the summer, MAPC will develop the groundwork needed to ensure success. In October, we’ll begin hosting events all over the region and releasing our research, findings, and questions in a variety of formats.
Ways to Get INvolved
- Go to mapc.ma/RPU and sign up for our mailing list. We’ll keep you up on all the ways you’ll be able to be part of creating our region’s future!
- Be in on the big ideas and questions. We’ll be sharing what we learn, and what we want to learn, in innovative and creative ways through email and other digital media. And follow us on social media!
- Attend a talk, weigh in at an open house, solve problems at a hack-a thon! Keep up with the many events that will start in the fall.
- Stay tuned for a big, beautiful online hub and kickoff event in the fall.