As public schools let out this week in Greater Boston, summer fun is on people’s minds and many are planning their vacations, barbeques, and other summer activities. While the warmer weather is welcomed by many, it also signals the start of extreme heat season – which can be a public health hazard, especially for the […]
Continue reading...Climate change is already visible across the Metro Boston region, forcing individuals and communities to cope with increasingly severe weather, unpredictable harvests and workplace conditions, and greater risks from vector-borne and heat-related illnesses. MAPC’s newest art installation “Schools of Thought on Climate Change: Stories from Land and Sea,” integrates storytelling with public art to show […]
Continue reading...With spring on its way and the weather warming up, communities around the Greater Boston region are starting to plan for summer. Paving, construction, budgeting, preparing for town meeting – spring is a busy time for New England towns and cities. Is managing your peak power demand on your municipality’s to-do list? Read on to […]
Continue reading...CHARGE YOUR ELECTRIC VEHICLE IN MEDWAY Public EV charging stations installed at Town Hall, Library For Immediate Release: Friday, February 22, 2019 MEDWAY – Looking for a place to charge your electric vehicle in Town? Look no further. The Town of Medway recently installed two brand new electric vehicle charging stations – one at the […]
Continue reading...The building sector is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Massachusetts. With increasing awareness of the negative health impacts of inefficient buildings and carbon emissions, many municipalities have identified GHG emissions in buildings as an issue that they would like to address more fully within their communities. While cities and towns can […]
Continue reading...The deadline to file bills for the 2019-2020 Massachusetts legislative session was Friday, Jan. 19. Over 5,000 bills were filed before that date – including several smart growth priorities from MAPC. Our proposals were crafted to address the transportation, climate, and housing challenges in the 101 cities and towns of our region. If enacted, these […]
Continue reading...For the last eight years, Massachusetts has ranked as the national leader in energy efficiency – but there is still much to do. With the State Legislature’s passage of the Act to Advance Clean Energy in August and a new three-year plan for statewide energy efficiency programs in the works, Massachusetts is preparing to keep […]
Continue reading...Last week, the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-MA) presented MAPC with two awards: the Social Advocacy Award for and the Metropolitan Mayors’ Coalition Regional Housing Task Force and the Outstanding Planning Project Award for MassBuilds, a visual database of development in the Greater Boston region. Earlier this month, MAPC’s Clean Energy team […]
Continue reading...Massachusetts has some of the oldest natural gas main infrastructure in the nation, with pipes averaging 60 years old. To replace this pipe and other underground infrastructure, utilities need to navigate a patchwork of paper permits to dig up roads across the state. But they’re not the only crews working on our roads – the […]
Continue reading...Adding electric, hybrid, and other alternative fuel vehicles to municipal fleets reduces carbon emissions while cutting spending on gasoline and diesel fuels – but the benefits and potential of these technologies aren’t widely known. Municipal fleet managers and departments of public works are wary about buying battery electric or hybrid electric vehicles for their fleets […]
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