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Regional Immigrant Entrepreneur Storytelling Project

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Adaptation, Community, and Identity

Elevating the Stories and Presence of Asian Immigrant Entrepreneurs
across the Region

About Project

In 2019, the MAPC Economic Development Team conducted outreach to the Asian immigrant entrepreneur community in Quincy as part of a municipal small business study. During this outreach, the team worked with Quincy Asian Resources Inc (QARI), a local non-profit that focuses on providing resources for primarily the immigrant Asian community of Quincy and the region.

The feedback collected during this process anecdotally told a story of a thriving business community in Quincy bolstered by immigrant East Asian small business owners who struggled to find services that met their needs at the municipal level. Additionally, as MAPC wrapped up the outreach phase of the small business study, an unthinkable crisis occurred in the community. The COVID-19 pandemic not only led to xenophobic responses to the East Asian owned businesses in Quincy, but these businesses were also severely affected by the social distancing measures put in place.

The xenophobia unleashed in Quincy during the pandemic highlights key challenges to achieving racial equity in Quincy and the entire MAPC region. Between 1990-2016, there has been a 350,000 person increase in Greater Boston’s Asian American population. This is a growing population that needs support and access to local government services, but today access to culturally-responsive services and representation amongst decision-makers continues to be a challenge among Asian communities. Discrimination pre-dates the public health crisis, and with the arrival of COVID-19, has led to xenophobia and violence of words and actions, such as those we have seen in response to the fears of COVID-19 being a “Chinese Virus.”

In response to the unprecedented challenges of both COVID-19 and the social barriers that existed prior to the pandemic, MAPC is initiating a regional storytelling project that focuses on stories of resilient Asian immigrant entrepreneurs. The goal is to provide a platform for immigrant entrepreneurs of Asian descent to share their experiences as small business owners both before and during COVID-19. While aspects of the project and the policy recommendations will be regional in nature, it is important that stories are told in the context of local issues. The first phase of this project focused on Quincy.

Advisory Committee

Quincy Asian Resources Inc (QARI)

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Corporation (BCNC)

Asian Community Development Corporation

Chinatown Main Streets

In response to the unprecedented challenges of both COVID-19 and the social barriers that existed prior to the pandemic, MAPC is initiating a regional storytelling project that focuses on stories of resilient Asian immigrant entrepreneurs. The goal is to provide a platform for immigrant entrepreneurs of Asian descent to share their experiences as small business owners both before and during COVID-19. While aspects of the project and the policy recommendations will be regional in nature, it is important that stories are told in the context of local issues. The first phase of this project started in June 2020 and focused on Quincy. You can download a full copy of the report here. (Chinese) (Vietnamese)

We are actively exploring partnerships and locations for our second phase to start in Summer 2021. If you are interested in discussing in working with us or want more information, please contact Economic Development Planner II, Jennifer Emiko Kaplan.

Data Analysis

To understand immigrant entrepreneur communities in Greater Boston, MAPC analyzed population demographics and business data to identify the locations of immigrant communities which are also host to concentrated areas of immigrant-owned businesses. As part of the analysis, we identified “Immigrant Entrepreneur Communities” as well as, in particular, “Asian Immigrant Entrepreneur Communities.”

Click here to learn more!

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Video-Lets

Interviews from Small Business Owners
in Quincy

Hear the stories of three business owners in Quincy, that illuminate the city’s development as a center of Asian-American entrepreneurship and business development. Through a collaboration with filmmaker, Daphne Xu, the interviews shared by Jim Mei, Chris Yee, and Lorraine Tse, highlight the larger trends and context relevant to the ongoing challenges of accessing resources, lack of support, and the impacts of COVID-19 on the Asian-owned business community. Learn more!

Video 1

A photographer and hair stylist, Jim Mei had served Quincy’s community for twenty years when the pandemic hit. Hear his reflections on his life and work in Quincy.  

Video 2

Chris brought his Lion Dance studio to Quincy from Lowell to connect with its strong Asian immigrant community. Faced with lost revenues and high rent, he has struggled to stay in Quincy. 

Video 3

Lorraine’s Sunshine Travel Agency has expanded the Asian immigrant community’s access to travel opportunities and provided language services to the region. Hear about her creative pivots during the pandemic.

Data Analysis

To understand immigrant entrepreneur communities in Greater Boston, MAPC analyzed demographic data from the U.S. Census. While Census data cannot give us a complete picture of all the vibrant and diverse immigrant communities in Massachusetts, we started by identifying areas where the largest proportion of residents report owning their own business, being born outside the US and/or speaking a language other than English at home, and identify themselves as Asian. We identified regions with the highest proportion of residents with these and other indicators of being Asian immigrant entrepreneurs.

The region combining Quincy and Milton had the highest proportion of Asian immigrant entrepreneurs per capita. About a quarter of Quincy’s population and about one in twenty residents of Milton speak an Asian language at home. In both Quincy and Milton, the most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese followed by Vietnamese.

The seven regions with the next-highest estimated proportion of Asian immigrant entrepreneurs are the following:

  • Malden and Medford
  • Newton and Brookline
  • Waltham, Lexington, Burlington, Bedford, and Lincoln
  • Randolph, Norwood, Dedham, Canton, and Holbrook
  • Quincy and Milton
  • Wayland, Weston, Wellesley, Needham, Dover, Westwood, and Sherborn
  • Lowell

We also identified regions with high rates of immigrant entrepreneurs of any race or ethnicity per capita. Six of the eight regions with the highest proportion of Asian immigrant entrepreneurs also fell into the eight regions with the highest proportion of immigrant entrepreneurs of any race or ethnicity. The region combining Framingham, Marlborough, and Natick had the highest estimated proportion of immigrant entrepreneurs. Other regions with high shares of immigrant entrepreneurs are the following:

  • Somerville and Everett
  • Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop
  • Malden and Medford
  • Newton and Brookline
  • Waltham, Lexington, Burlington, Bedford, and Lincoln
  • Randolph, Norwood, Dedham, Canton, and Holbrook
  • Quincy and Milton

PUMAs by percent population Asian Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Norfolk County (Northeast) Quincy and Milton: 1.3% +/- 0.3% are Asian entrepreneurs who are either foreign born or speak a language other than English at home.

    • In Quincy, more than 25% (25.7 +/- 1.2%) of the population speaks an Asian language at home (ACS 2014-2018). The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Vietnamese.
    • In Milton, only 5.4% of the population speaks an Asian language at home. The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Vietnamese (data from 2010).

Norfolk (Northeast) & Middlesex (Southeast) Counties (West of Boston): 0.48 +/- 0.15% of residents are Asian entrepreneurs who are either foreign born or speak a language other than English at home.

    • Wellesley: 8.4 +/- 1.0% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • Needham: 5.5 +/- 0.96% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • Wayland: 7.7 +/- 1.4% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • Westwood: 6.5 +/- 1.7% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • Weston: 5.7 +/- 1.8% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • Dover: 4.6 +/- 2.0% of residents speak an Asian language at home. The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Korean.
    • Sherborn: 2.51% +/- 1.4% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • In each municipality, the most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Korean.

Norfolk County (Central)—Randolph, Norwood, Dedham, Canton & Holbrook: 0.46 +/- 0.16% of residents are Asian entrepreneurs who are either foreign born or speak a language other than English at home.

    • Randolph: 9.5 +/- 1.7% of residents speak an Asian language at home. The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Vietnamese, followed by Chinese.
    • Dedham: Less than 5% of residents speak an Asian language at home. The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Filipino.
    • Holbrook: The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Vietnamese, followed by Filipino.
    • Canton: The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Vietnamese.
    • Norwood: The most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Filipino.

PUMAs by percent population Asian Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Middlesex County—Waltham City, Lexington, Burlington, Bedford, and Lincoln Towns: 0.75 +/- 0.21% of the population are Asian entrepreneurs who are either foreign born or speak a language other than English at home.

    • In Lexington, 18% +/- 1.4% of the population speak an Asian language at home.
    • In Bedford, 11 +/- 2.2% of the population speak an Asian language at home.
    • In all cities and towns in the PUMA, the most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Korean (data from 2010).
    • The lowest concentration of people speaking an Asian language at home exists in Lincoln, where 5.4 +/- 2.4% of residents speak an Asian language at home.

Middlesex (Southeast) & Norfolk (Northeast) Counties—Newton City & Brookline Town: 0.58 +/- 0.20% of residents are Asian entrepreneurs who are either foreign born or speak a language other than English at home.

    • Brookline: 12% +/-1.2% of residents speak an Asian language at home (ACS 2014-2018).
    • Newton: 10% +/- 0.75% of residents speak an Asian language at home (ACS 2014-2018)
    • In both municipalities in the PUMA, the most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Korean (data from 2010).

Middlesex County (East)—Malden % Medford Cities: +/- 0.18% of residents are Asian entrepreneurs who are either foreign born or speak a language other than English at home.

    • Malden: 19% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • Medford: 6.5 +/- 6.5% of residents speak an Asian language at home.
    • In both municipalities, the most-represented Asian ethnicity is Chinese, followed by Vietnamese.

Middlesex County (South): Framingham, Marlborough, & Natick: 0.46 +/- 0.17 of residents are Asian entrepreneurs who are either foreign born or speak a language other than English at home.

Maps

Immigrant Entrepreneurs (%)(#)

Asian Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Most Represented Asian Heritage

Most Represented Asian Heritage without China

Past Events

Film Premiere: Quincy, from a distance 电影首映

March 3, 2021 | 7:30PM 3月3日星期三晚7:30

The debut of three video-lets created by filmmaker Daphne Xu. This series documents the lived experiences and strength of three Asian Small Business Owners in Quincy – a Salon owner, a Lion dance instructor, and the CEO of a travel agency.

Materials

Panel Discussion: Analysis and Policy Recommendations 小组讨论

March 17, 2021 | 3:30PM 3月17日下午3:30

A panel discussion joined by Daphne Xu and our community partners, Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), Chinatown Main Street, and Quincy Asian Resources, Inc (QARI) to discuss how we can increase support for Asian immigrant entrepreneurs amidst the ongoing crisis and the rise of Asian American hate crimes throughout our country.

Panelists
  • Jeena Hah, Director of Community Programs and Design, Asian Community Development Corporation 亚美社区发展协会社区规划与设计主任
  • Debbie Ho, Executive Director, Chinatown Main Street 华埠主街执行董事
  • Daphne Xu (徐乙漾), Filmmaker and Director of “Quincy, from a Distance” 影制片人和“Quincy, from a Distance”（瞭望昆西）总监
  • Philip Chong, Executive Director, Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. 昆西亚洲资源协会执行董事
  • David Zou, Board of Directors, Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. 昆西亚洲资源协会董事会
  • Ben Hires, CEO, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center 波士顿华埠社区中心首席执行官
Materials
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Manchester-by-the-Sea 40R

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MAPC >> Resources >> Project

Manchester-by-the-Sea

40R Smart Growth Development in the Limited Commercial District

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Updates

Many thanks to everyone who shared their vision for Manchester’s Limited Commercial District!

Over 225 people completed the survey about priorities for the area. You can view a summary of the survey results here, and a full list of comments received through the survey here. The survey followed a virtual discussion on September 24 that was attended by nearly 70 people. The session began with an overview of Manchester’s Limited Commercial District and 40R smart growth zoning, followed by a live question and answer session. If you missed the session, you can view the presentation here. A recording of the meeting is available here, or click here for a summary of questions and responses.

The project team has also conducted stakeholder focus groups and interviews; a summary and key takeaways can be found here.

The project team will use this input to develop zoning concepts that will be shared with the community in December. Stay tuned for more information!

About the Project

Manchester is embarking on a planning process to rethink its Limited Commercial District (the area north of Route 128) and to proactively plan for mixed-use, mixed-income development. This would advance two principal goals of the 2019 Master Plan: increase Town revenue through planned development in that area of town, and support a diversity of housing options throughout town.

To achieve these goals, the town is exploring a 40R Smart Growth Overlay District, which is a state program that encourages cities and towns to implement zoning that allows compact, mixed-income, by-right development in areas with existing or planned infrastructure and adequate access to services. A 40R district must be primarily residential, must allow a certain amount of housing density, and must include at least 20% affordable units; it can include comprehensive development and design standards to ensure that new development is consistent with the town’s vision for the area. As an incentive, the state makes payments directly to towns that have successfully adopted a 40R district, as well as additional payments after new housing is built in the area.

A project working group, made up of representatives from Boards and Committees in town, will take an active role in guiding communications and assisting with community outreach. Manchester has partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Greater Boston’s regional planning agency, to provide technical assistance for this project.

Timeline

  • September 2020: Vision and goals for the district
  • October-November 2020: Zoning concept and initial recommendations
  • December 2020 – January 2021: Draft zoning language and design guidelines
  • April 2021: Zoning will be considered at Town Meeting

At each of these stages, there will be virtual engagement to share progress and to seek feedback from the community. See the “updates” section at the top of this page for information on upcoming opportunities to learn more and share your thoughts.

Past Events

Virtual Open House
September 24, 2020

To kick off the planning process, the Town held a virtual discussion on September 24. Many thanks to the nearly 70 people who attended! The session began with an overview of Manchester’s Limited Commercial District and 40R smart growth zoning, followed by a live question and answer session.

Planning Board 40R Community Discussion
September 24, 2019

Building on the recommendations from the 2019 Master Plan, Planning Board hosted a community meeting to discuss the possibility of a 40R district in town.

Additional Resources

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Public Art, Public Memory

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What should future monuments look like in your community?

“Memorials aren’t memories; they have motives. They are historical; they are not history itself.” – Nate DiMeo

 “Monuments inscribe meaning and possibility into our environments.” – Hilary Malson 

How do monuments and memorials shape our experience of public space—and how we define whom “the public” includes? How can we reimagine the systems that have produced and maintained these public symbols of celebration and oppression? And how can artists and public art help us reframe the past and present to create more inclusive futures?

This discussion series, “Public Art, Public Memory,” explored the role that planners, artists, and community leaders can play in cultivating more just and inclusive public spaces through public art and collective memory. Participants heard from artists and cultural organizers working at the intersection of creativity, history, and community-building, and learned about inspiring examples and practical tools to help shape more inclusive and expansive monuments in our region.

This series took place weekly on Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST, from September 22 through October 13, 2020.

Check out recordings from all four events here.

Public Art, Public Memory-02

For questions or more information about the series, please contact Emma Boast at [email protected]

Watch now

On this Land: Reframing Public Memory
September 22, 2020 | 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

How do monuments and memorials shape our understanding of place—and what we choose to forget? And how might we reframe public memory to address the harmful legacy of colonialism in our region? This artist panel considered how remembering and forgetting of Indigenous peoples and colonial history shaped the landscape and collective consciousness of Greater Boston—and the necessary role of Indigenous artists in shaping more just public spaces.

SPEAKERS
  • Erin Genia (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), Artist in Residence for the City of Boston; Multidisciplinary artist, educator, and organizer
  • Nia Holley (Nipmuc), Interdisciplinary artist whose work is deeply influenced by what survival and healing look like within Black and Indigenous communities
  • Jonathan Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag), Culture bearer, leader, historian, artist and professional speaker
  • Kim Szeto, Program Director of Public Art at the New England Foundation for the Arts (facilitator)

Future Histories: The Case for Creative Commemoration
September 29, 2020 | 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

Reclaim? Recontextualize? Relocate? Remove? What should we do with monuments that no longer reflect our shared history and collective values (or never did to begin with)? This conversation among artists, designers, and educators explored how creative commemoration can help us see the past and present in a new light—and chart a path toward more just futures.

SPEAKERS
  • Becci Davis Visual Artist and Educator; Adjunct Lecturer in Visual Art at Brown University
  • Mel Isidor Principal Designer at Isidor Studio; MIT Master of City Planning Candidate, 2022
  • Dr. Renée Ater Provost’s Visiting Professor in Africana Studies, Brown University (2020-2021)(facilitator)
RELATED RESOURCES

October 6, 2020

October 13, 2020

Monument Lab Workshop: Grounding Public Art in Cultural Justice
October 6, 2020 & October 13, 2020 | 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

How can you shape more inclusive and expansive monuments in your community? We invited Monument Lab to facilitate a workshop designed for planners, artists, advocates, municipal staff and volunteers interested in developing new approaches to public art and exploring the value of public history as a tool for community-based research and engagement.

*Note: Some portions of these workshops were not recorded.

Co-facilitators
  • Paul Farber, Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Monument Lab. Senior Research Scholar, The Center for Public Art and Space at the University of Pennsylvania
  • Sue Mobley, Senior Research Scholar, Monument Lab. Visiting Fellow for Arts and Culture at the American Planning Association. Visiting Scholar at the Center for Public Art and Space at the University of Pennsylvania
Guest Speakers
  • Joel Garcia. 2019 Monument Lab Fellow. Artist, Arts Administrator, and Cultural Organizer, The Decolonial Initiative Task Force
  • Arielle Julia Brown. Performance Curator and Cultural Producer for Monument Lab. Director and Founder of Black Spatial Relics

Other Suggested Viewing

In summer 2020, organizations and artists in Metro Boston and New England hosted a variety of conversations exploring ideas and issues relevant to this series. To catch up on these conversations, please check out the links below.

Whose Public? Planning and Placemaking for Welcoming Public Spaces

This three-part online discussion series—co-hosted by the Design Studio for Social Intervention, MAPC, and New England Foundation for the Arts—explored the role that planners, artists, and government staff can play in shaping just, joyful, and inclusive public spaces.

Rebuilding Our Past, Building New Futures: Examining Monuments and More in Rhode Island

Government officials, scholars, community leaders, artists, and audience members explored the history and meaning of public commemoration in Rhode Island, and imagined new futures for our shared past.

Monuments and the Take Down Movement and Who Gets Memorialized?

This summer, Assistant Curator Leah Triplett Harrington of Now + There, a Boston-based public art curation group, reflected on the movement to take down monuments that symbolize oppression in three fascinating conversations.

Confronting Colonial Myths in Boston’s Public Space

A three-part series from the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Recorded in July, this series addresses how symbols perpetuating colonial myths affect the lives of Indigenous people in the city and contribute to the public health emergency of racism.

Monumental Change – Addressing the Legacies of Systemic Racism in Public Art

This Boston University/WBUR discussion delved into the engrained legacies of racism in our commemorative landscape and explored what more inclusive, expansive monuments and memorials could look like in the future.

The Power of Public Monuments in a Time of Racial Reckoning

Presented by the Partnership to Renew the Shaw 54th Memorial , this conversation contextualized current debates around the removal of monuments in historical perspective and considered questions we should ask as we continue these conversations in our communities.

PARTNERS

Public Art, Public Memory was co-organized by the Arts & Culture Department at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Public Art Department at New England Foundation for the Arts, and co-sponsored by the Design Studio for Social Intervention.

These events were part of “Public Art, Public Places,” an ongoing series of cross-sector convenings and communities of practice for planners, artists, culture bearers, and community leaders. Click here to learn more. 

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Wrentham Master Plan 2030

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News

About

Vision

Timeline

Data

Resources
Image text is, "Wrentham 2030, Vision of Tomorrow Master Plan." Text is in green and there is a yellow thin arrow arching from left to right over all of the words.

The finalized Wrentham Master Plan 2030
Vision of Tomorrow is now available.

Read It Now

News & Updates

Next Steps

The Town will be establishing a Master Plan Implementation Committee to advance Master Plan recommendations.
Stay tuned!

The Public Comment Period has now closed.

Thank you to everyone who provided your input.

Read the Submitted Comments

Stay up to date with Vision of Tomorrow: Wrentham Master Plan 2030 by signing up for our email list!

Sign up!

Tuesday, November 17, 2022 Wrentham Master Plan Committee | Steering Committee Meeting

Monday, September 19, 2022 Wrentham Master Plan Final Public Forum. 

  • Watch the meeting recording
  • The draft Master Plan was presented at this public forum, opening a 45-day public comment period to gather final input on the draft Master Plan document. Questions, comments, and feedback were collected at this forum and will be during the comment period.
  • This final public forum is part of the Vision of Tomorrow: 2030 Master Plan process, which has included town-wide surveys, previous public forums, focus groups, in-depth analysis, and more resulting in the draft Master Plan to guide the Town’s priorities for the next 10 years. Questions? Email Josh Fiala, MAPC Principal Planner, at [email protected] or call (617) 933-0760.

About the Project

Vision of Tomorrow: Wrentham Master Plan 2030 is a town-wide master planning process that will provide the basis for decision-making in Wrentham for the next 10 years. The Wrentham community will evaluate the town’s strengths and challenges and envision the type of community Wrentham would like to be in the future.

This plan will be developed through a public process engaging the community’s residents, business owners, and leadership and will be built upon research, analysis, and community involvement.

In September 2021, we completed Phase 1 of the Master Plan, which included developing a shared vision for the future of the Town, as well as strategies and actions for Housing and Economic Development.

In Phase II, we’ll identify issues and opportunities and set goals related to open space and recreation, land use, transportation, historic and cultural resources, public services, and energy and sustainability. The graphic below illustrates the Phase II process: we’ll identify the most pressing issues and opportunities for the community and we’ll prepare goals, strategies, and actions related to these topics.

The project will include a robust community engagement process with many chances for Wrentham community members to get involved through public meetings and forums, online engagement, and more. A robust public process will ensure that the final plan reflects the needs of all residents. Town staff is guiding the planning process, with the help of a Steering Committee of local community members. In addition, the Town has hired the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to help with preparing the plan.

At the end of the planning process, it is intended that the Master Plan will be adopted by the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board to support effective implementation. As shown in the graphic below, the Vision will guide the preparation of the Master Plan. In turn, the Master Plan goals and strategies will guide the Town’s priorities, zoning, and investments.

MAPC Contact

Josh Fiala, AICP, AIA, LEED AP,
Principal Planner

Town Contact

Rachel Benson, Director of Planning and Economic Development

Steering Committee

Krista Andberg, Resident at Large
Debbie Exner, Resident at Large
Chris Gallo, Board of Selectmen
Julie Garland, Conservation Commission
John Jackson, Recreation Committee
George Labonte, Deputy Police Chief/Resident
Jerry McGovern, Select Board
Jeffrey Plante, Resident at Large
Beatrice Schembri, Resident at Large
Steve Schwarm, Planning Board
Alan Selling, Open Space Committee
Everett Skinner, Jr., Planning Board
John Murphy, Resident at Large
Lauren White, Resident at Large
Rebecca Zitomer, Economic Development Commission (EDC), Commission on Disability

Wrentham’s Vision

The Vision Statement provides a north star for the future of Wrentham. It is a statement of identity and aspirations developed through a public process, and it provides a framework for Vision of Tomorrow: Wrentham Master Plan. The goals and objectives of the Master Plan, which will guide the Town’s policy, programs, and investment decisions for the next 10 years, are aimed at making this vision a reality.

Vision Statement

Wrentham is a charming town, proud of its Downtown and open spaces and a great place to raise a family. More than 1,000 of us have come together through a public process to set a vision for the future. By 2030, we aspire to:

  • Continue to cultivate a community-oriented and welcoming culture for all, regardless of race, religion, or age
  • Protect more farmland and open space for cultural heritage, scenic beauty, habitat, and water quality
  • Become more walkable and bikeable with sidewalks and trails
  • Strengthen the Downtown with more ‘Mom and Pop’ shops, small businesses, homes, and places to gather
  • Maintain the rural landscape by promoting sustainable land use patterns and shifting away from sprawl development
  • Encourage diversity with a mix of housing options affordable to young adults, families, households with lower-incomes, and seniors
  • Ensure fiscal responsibility while maintaining high-quality infrastructure and services

To effectively pursue and strike a balance between these goals, we encourage transparent governance, strong civic engagement, and volunteerism.

Phase II Project Timeline

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What We’ve Done So Far

Phase 1 (2020 to Fall 2021)

Download Completed Phase I Master Plan
August 11 – October 1, 2020 

Distributed an on-line survey through a postcard mailed to every house, a press release, outreach to schools and civic organizations, and social media. Hard copies of the survey were available at Town Hall. The survey questions focused on the aspirations of the community for the future of Wrentham. More than 1,300 people responded to the survey.

Committee Meeting #1 – June 4, 2020
  • Committee Meeting #1 Presentation
  • Committee Meeting #1 Video
    Members of the Steering Committee met informally on June 4, 2020 to get to know each other and discuss initial demographic analysis of Wrentham. Not all members had been officially sworn in, so the gathering was not a noticed public meeting, and there were no deliberations or decisions made. Here is a video of the meeting to provide background on the Steering Committee members and the existing conditions analysis. The existing conditions analysis will be used as a foundation for the planning process, and will be presented when relevant as background for the surveys and public meetings.
Committee Meeting #2 – July 2, 2020
  • Committee Meeting #2 Video
    Members of the Steering Committee met on July 2, 2020 to discuss the community engagement strategy for the planning process.
Committee Meeting #3 – July 28, 2020
  • Committee Meeting #3 Video
    The Steering Committee met on July 28, 2020 for an Information Session led by Town Staff. The Information Session provided further background on the role of a master plan in Town governance and decision-making, as  well as progress achieved and challenges that the Town has faced in terms of planning and development in recent years. In addition, MAPC staff led a discussion on the draft community-wide survey to be released in mid-August.
Committee Meeting #4 – September 14, 2020
  • Committee Meeting #4 Video
    The Steering Committee met on September 14 to review the initial survey results, review and revise the draft Vision Statement developed based on the survey results, and prepare for the Public Forum on September 28, 2020.
Virtual Public Forum #1 – September 28, 2020
Committee Meeting #5 – December 11, 2020

The Steering Committee met on December 11, 2020 to review the draft Introduction chapter and prepare for the focus groups.

Focus groups and interviews – January 2021

MAPC and Town staff conducted focus groups with businesses, seniors, and residents of color, as well as interviews with two residents of Wrentham Affordable Housing. Questions focused on housing and economic development challenges and opportunities, as well as follow-up on the survey. For a full summary of findings, please see here.

Committee Meeting #6 – February 18, 2021

The Steering Committee met on February 18, 2021 to review the Housing existing conditions assessment and draft Housing goals. Watch the video of the meeting here.

Economic Development Commission meeting – February 22, 2021

We joined the Wrentham Economic Development Commission meeting to present on the Master Plan and review the key Economic Development issues and opportunities.

Committee meeting #7 – February 24, 2021

The Steering Committee met on February 24, 2021 to refine the draft Housing goals, review the Economic Development existing conditions assessment, and draft Economic Development goals. Watch the video of the meeting here.

Housing and Economic Development Existing Conditions Assessments

We’ve been busy researching and analyzing Housing and Economic Development in Wrentham to understand the issues and opportunities. We’ve outlined the basic facts and key themes, which we’ll use to develop goals and strategies to achieve our Vision. You can find the Housing existing conditions assessment here and the Economic Development existing conditions here. For a summary of the findings, see here

Board of Selectmen meeting – March 16

Presented the Existing Conditions Analysis and draft Housing and Economic Development goals to the Board of Selectmen for their review and feedback. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Planning Board meeting – March 17

Presented the Existing Conditions Analysis and draft Housing and Economic Development goals to the Planning Board for their review and feedback. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Steering Committee meeting #8 – April 2

Met to prepare for the public forum and survey. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Virtual Public Forum – April 8

Presented Existing Conditions Analysis and draft Housing and Economic Development goals and potential strategies to the public for review and discussion. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Town-wide survey – April 8-April 26

Distributed survey with questions about the Master Plan Vision, Housing and Economic Development Goals, and potential Strategies to achieve the Goals. More than 550 people responded to the survey.

Steering Committee meeting #9 – April 29

Presented survey findings, and the Steering Committee discussed revisions to the Housing Goals based on the survey results. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Planning Board meeting – May 5, 2021

Presented new Housing Goals, Economic Development Goals, and potential Housing and Economic Development strategies for review and feedback. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Review of Draft Vision, Housing Goals and Strategies, and Economic Development Goals and Strategies by Town Committees, Boards, and Staff – May 6 – May 24, 2021

Full draft of the Vision, Goals, and Strategies was shared with relevant Committees, Boards, and Departmental staff for review and feedback.

Economic Development Committee – May 15, 2021

Presented new Housing Goals, Economic Development Goals, and potential Housing and Economic Development strategies for review and feedback.

Steering Committee meeting #10 – June 8, 2021

Reviewed feedback collected on the Vision, Goals, and Strategies and discussed revisions to the Housing Goals. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Steering Committee Meeting #11 – June 29, 2021

Reviewed the updated Master Plan – Phase I draft and prepared for the Public Review period.

Board of Selectmen Meeting – July 13, 2021

Presented the Master Plan – Phase I draft for public review and collected feedback. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Planning Board Meeting – July 21, 2021

Presented the Master Plan – Phase I draft for public review and collected feedback. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Public Review Period – July 7 to August 6, 2021

Collected comments on the Master Plan – Phase I from the public. See all comments here and responses to the comments here.

Steering Committee Meeting #12 – August 19, 2021

Reviewed comments collected during Public Review period and proposed updates to the Master Plan – Phase I. Watch the video of the meeting on Cable 8 here.

Plan Approved – September 7, 2021

Vision of Tomorrow: Wrentham Master Plan 2030 – Phase I was unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board at the September 7 joint meeting. The document will guide the City’s investments, policies, and priorities for the next 10 years. In Phase I, we developed a shared vision for the Town, as well as strategies and actions for housing and economic development.

Phase 2 (Fall 2021 to present)

Committee Meeting #1 – November 16, 2021
Phase II Survey: November 17 – December 20, 2021

We distributed a Phase II survey focused on open space, recreation, growth, transportation, historic and cultural resources, public services, energy, and sustainability. Postcards with survey information were mailed to every household.

Other outreach includes email newsletter distribution, fliers at Town events, social media, outreach to parents of Wrentham Public Schools students, and hard copies made available at Town Hall.

777 people completed the survey.

Committee Meeting #2 – February 10, 2022
Public Forum #1 – March 22, 2022

This forum focused on key issues and opportunities for land use, open space, and transportation in Wrentham.

Public Forum #2 – March 29, 2022

This forum focused on key issues and opportunities for historic and cultural resources, community facilities and services, and energy and sustainability in Wrentham.

DRAFT EXISTING CONDITIONS OVERVIEWS AVAILABLE. These documents outline the current state of the six Phase II topics. 

Wrentham Data

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Arts & Culture Staffing Study

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MAPC >> Resources >> Project

MAPC

Smart Growth & Regional Collaboration

Staffing Study: Regional Arts & Culture Responsibilities

In the fall of 2019, MAPC launched the Arts & Culture Staffing Study to support municipal and regional capacity building in the areas of arts, culture, design, and historic preservation. The study included a survey and interviews with municipal and regional staff whose job responsibilities pertain to arts, culture, design, and historic preservation.

Project partners participated in a virtual convening in May where MAPC shared survey findings and participants shared the impacts of COVID-19 on their work and their municipalities. The project will culminate in a convening in Fall 2020 and a report recommending strategies to maintain existing municipal arts and culture capacity in the wake of COVID-19 and to expand capacity as the region recovers from the pandemic.

This project is a collaboration between the Municipal Collaboration and Arts & Culture Departments at MAPC.

Questions? Contact Annis Sengupta at [email protected].

More from Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Main Page

Arts & Culture Blog

Arts & Planning Toolkit

Study Objectives

Identify shared challenges that could benefit from peer support or professional development facilitated by regional and state partners.

Help municipalities boost local capacity. Assistance could include:

  • Increasing access to professional development
  • Helping to develop shared service agreements between neighboring communities interested in hiring shared arts and culture staff
  • Developing sample position descriptions to support hiring

About the Survey

The survey was designed for staff that are employed on a full- or part-time basis by a Massachusetts municipal government to support arts and cultural activities in their communities. The survey defined arts and culture activities broadly and captured the diversity of ways that municipalities staff arts and culture.

Analysis of the survey is helping MAPC develop a broader understanding of the functions and responsibilities of municipal personnel working to support arts and cultural activities; and will ultimately help to identify and explore potential ways to build further arts and culture capacity at the municipal level.

Milestones

November 6, 2019 Project kick-off event
November 2019
 Staffing survey released
2020 Staffing survey closed
May 20, 2020
 Staffing Survey Findings Meeting via Zoom Click here to download PowerPoint

Survey Snapshot

101 responses from individuals
representing 77 municipalities

6 in-depth follow-up interviews with survey respondents

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MAPC Artist-in-Residence Carolyn Lewenberg

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MAPC ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

Carolyn Lewenberg

Carolyn Lewenberg is a visual artist with strengths in collaborating with government and non-profit entities and engaging at-risk youth in environmentally-responsive sculptural art-making.

Lewenberg was the MAPC Artist-in-Residence from April 2017 to November 2018. Since her time as the inaugural MAPC artist-in-residence, she has expanded her creative placemaking practice and her work with municipal partners.

Visit Carolyn’s personal website to see what she’s up to now!

More from Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Main Page

Arts & Culture Blog

Arts & Planning Toolkit

Recent Work with MAPC

Jon Norton Community Trail Rain Garden (2019)

Lewenberg worked with MAPC, the City of Everett Department of Public Works, National Grid, and 8th-grade students from Madeline English School to create a rain garden on the Northern Strand Community Trail. The climate resilience project ties in with the City’s larger efforts to restore ecology and public access to the landscape.

Learn More

Climate Perspectives:
Schools of Thought on Climate Change (2019)

Lewenberg worked with MAPC’s public health and economic development departments to create an art installation to help share the findings from a series of focus groups on how climate change affects different industries.

Lewenberg and Nia Holley crafted four separate groups of fish using gloves and materials from each industry: for example, burlap for farmers, gauze and scrubs for home health care workers, fishing nets for those in the fishing industry, and orange safety netting for construction workers.

Learn More

HUBweek Installation (October 2018)

Lewenberg worked with members of the arts & culture, data services, and housing teams to transform a shipping container into an interactive exhibit on the housing crisis.

Learn More

Signature Projects

Arts & Planning Discussion Series

Lewenberg launched MAPC’s Arts and Culture Discussion Series in 2017. The series focuses on innovative approaches to planning challenges that emerge from artist leadership.

Learn More

The Ripple Effect (Everett Earthworks)

Everett Earthworks creates a new space for the community to grow food and celebrate artistic expression. Lewenberg designed the garden, as well as its sculptural centerpiece.

Learn More

Sole of Rockland

Lewenberg led the Sole of Rockland campaign, a community-based public art project highlighting Rockland’s lively, creative spirit and captures this spirit through portraits of the towns many “soles.” As an outgrowth of REIMAGINE ROCKLAND, the project demonstrates the potential for art to bring the community together and enliven Union Street.

Learn More

Office Art

Lewenberg was tasked with revamping MAPC’s office art, and chose to work with young, emerging artists to to commission pieces reflecting MAPC’s values. Each art piece displayed in MAPC’s conference rooms coordinates with one of MAPC’s core priorities: climate, regional collaboration and municipal efficiency, equity, and smart growth.

Learn More

Other Creative Initiatives

Artist-in-Residence Carolyn Lewenberg writes "Albion Arts Launch" in chalk on the sidewalk

Albion Arts Corridor Strategy

Lewenberg worked with the economic development team to develop creative strategies for bringing people into the Wakefield Albion Arts Corridor Launch Event. She created a collage to add some flair to the release of the report and worked with high school students to make chalk drawings on tar paper outside the library to draw people in.

Learn More
A photo collage shows a gazebo, clootie tree, bridge with musical instruments, wayfinding signs, benches shaped like animals, and stained-glass-style hopscotch board.

Natick Center Creative Placemaking

Lewenberg helped lead creative placemaking workshops for the Natick Center Creative Placemaking Project. She also helped modify a pop-up tent that MAPC brought to multiple Natick events to spread the word about a call for artists for Natick Center creative placemaking projects.

Learn More
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Shannon Grant Basketball Tournament

Lewenberg developed an arts element to engage young people at the Shannon Grant Basketball Tournament, which promotes community cohesion by having teams of youth and police representing different cities and towns in the Metro Boston Area play together. She worked with youth artists to create and run a custom t-shirt table, with stencils and fabric pens.

Learn More
Women look through viewfinders while an MAPC planner holds a suvey at a public event in Everett.

Everett Open Space and Recreation Plan

Lewenberg worked on creative community engagement as part of the Everett Open Space and Recreation Plan, helping to develop engaging and innovative arts programming as part of a pop-up for the Village Fest event. This included creating viewmasters to get people to participate in sharing their visual preferences and bringing in the Veronica Robles Cultural Center Elote Cart to provide corn to participants in the survey.

Large photos of various trail amenities can be seen through a giant gold frame.

Natick Senior-Friendly Trails

Lewenberg developed a creative placemaking project, using a gold frame and photos to create a spatial experience through which people could view possible trail amenities. She worked with artist Eva Van Aken to create the gold frame. The installation prompted conversations about what people wanted to see on a future trail network.

Annis Sengupta puts hand decorated leaves onto a tree made of branches.

Revere Vision Tree

As part of the Revere Open Space and Recreation Plan, Lewenberg helped plan and implement a sculptural creative community engagement project. She asked people to decorate leaf-shaped paper templates in response to the prompt “What does your perfect day in the park look like?” At the final public forum, MAPC unveiled a sculptural tree with these decorated leaves.

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MAPC Artists-in-Residence: Hortense Gerardo

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MAPC >> Resources >> Project

MAPC ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

Carolyn Lewenberg

Carolyn Lewenberg is a visual artist with strengths in collaborating with government and non-profit entities and engaging at-risk youth in environmentally-responsive sculptural art-making.

Lewenberg was the MAPC Artist-in-Residence from April 2017 to November 2018. Since her time as the inaugural MAPC artist-in-residence, she has expanded her creative placemaking practice and her work with municipal partners.

Visit Carolyn’s personal website to see what she’s up to now!

More from Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Main Page

MAPC Artists-in-Residence

Arts & Culture Blog

Arts & Planning Toolkit

Signature Projects

Arts & Planning Discussion Series

Lewenberg launched MAPC’s Arts and Culture Discussion Series in 2017. The series focuses on innovative approaches to planning challenges that emerge from artist leadership.

Learn More

The Ripple Effect (Everett Earthworks)

Everett Earthworks creates a new space for the community to grow food and celebrate artistic expression. Lewenberg designed the garden, as well as its sculptural centerpiece.

Learn More

Sole of Rockland

Lewenberg led the Sole of Rockland campaign, a community-based public art project highlighting Rockland’s lively, creative spirit and captures this spirit through portraits of the towns many “soles.” As an outgrowth of REIMAGINE ROCKLAND, the project demonstrates the potential for art to bring the community together and enliven Union Street.

Learn More

Office Art

Lewenberg was tasked with revamping MAPC’s office art, and chose to work with young, emerging artists to to commission pieces reflecting MAPC’s values. Each art piece displayed in MAPC’s conference rooms coordinates with one of MAPC’s core priorities: climate, regional collaboration and municipal efficiency, equity, and smart growth.

Learn More

Other Creative Initiatives

Reflection: Art in the Time of COVID-19

May 28, 2020

Q&A with Hortense Gerardo, MAPC’s New Artist-in-Residence

February 14, 2019

Other Creative Initiatives

Artist-in-Residence Carolyn Lewenberg writes "Albion Arts Launch" in chalk on the sidewalk

Albion Arts Corridor Strategy

Lewenberg worked with the economic development team to develop creative strategies for bringing people into the Wakefield Albion Arts Corridor Launch Event. She created a collage to add some flair to the release of the report and worked with high school students to make chalk drawings on tar paper outside the library to draw people in.

Learn More
A photo collage shows a gazebo, clootie tree, bridge with musical instruments, wayfinding signs, benches shaped like animals, and stained-glass-style hopscotch board.

Natick Center Creative Placemaking

Lewenberg helped lead creative placemaking workshops for the Natick Center Creative Placemaking Project. She also helped modify a pop-up tent that MAPC brought to multiple Natick events to spread the word about a call for artists for Natick Center creative placemaking projects.

Learn More
Tshirts_4

Shannon Grant Basketball Tournament

Lewenberg developed an arts element to engage young people at the Shannon Grant Basketball Tournament, which promotes community cohesion by having teams of youth and police representing different cities and towns in the Metro Boston Area play together. She worked with youth artists to create and run a custom t-shirt table, with stencils and fabric pens.

Learn More
Women look through viewfinders while an MAPC planner holds a suvey at a public event in Everett.

Everett Open Space and Recreation Plan

Lewenberg worked on creative community engagement as part of the Everett Open Space and Recreation Plan, helping to develop engaging and innovative arts programming as part of a pop-up for the Village Fest event. This included creating viewmasters to get people to participate in sharing their visual preferences and bringing in the Veronica Robles Cultural Center Elote Cart to provide corn to participants in the survey.

Large photos of various trail amenities can be seen through a giant gold frame.

Natick Senior-Friendly Trails

Lewenberg developed a creative placemaking project, using a gold frame and photos to create a spatial experience through which people could view possible trail amenities. She worked with artist Eva Van Aken to create the gold frame. The installation prompted conversations about what people wanted to see on a future trail network.

Annis Sengupta puts hand decorated leaves onto a tree made of branches.

Revere Vision Tree

As part of the Revere Open Space and Recreation Plan, Lewenberg helped plan and implement a sculptural creative community engagement project. She asked people to decorate leaf-shaped paper templates in response to the prompt “What does your perfect day in the park look like?” At the final public forum, MAPC unveiled a sculptural tree with these decorated leaves.

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Public Art Public Places

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Public Trust, 2016 by Paul Ramirez Jonas at Copley Square commissioned by Now + There. Photo: Ryan C. McMahon
Public Trust, 2016 by Paul Ramirez Jonas at Copley Square commissioned by Now + There. Photo: Ryan C. McMahon
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MAPC >> Resources >> Project

MAPC & NEFA

Arts & Culture Discussion Series

Cross-sector convenings and communities of practice for planners, artists, culture bearers,
and community leaders.

Since 2017, MAPC’s Arts & Culture Department has partnered with the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) to organize a series of discussions designed to broaden the understanding of how art can contribute to planning work, and provide new entry points for planners, artists, and cultural practitioners to work together on planning and community development projects. The series aims to:

    • Share key concepts and practices that are used in public art initiatives to improve arts and culture literacy and bridge the gaps between funders, artists, and planners.
    • Facilitate connections between planners and creative practitioners who have the skills to contribute to municipal planning and community development projects.
    • Build cohesion among artists, arts administrators, and municipal planners, and seed cross-sector relationships that can advance creative community development in Metropolitan Boston.

The series launched in 2017 under the direction of Carolyn Lewenberg, MAPC’s first Artist-In-Residence, with a focus on innovative approaches to planning challenges that emerge from artist leadership. The series continued in 2020 under the direction of Emma Boast, MAPC Arts and Culture Fellow, with a focus on public art and public history as vehicles for social change.

Upcoming Events

Sign up for our Arts and Culture mailing list to receive announcements about future events.

Public Art,
Public Memory

How do monuments and memorials shape our experience of public space—and how we define whom “the public” includes? How can we reimagine the systems that have produced and maintained these public symbols of celebration and oppression? And how can artists and public art help us reframe the past and present to create more inclusive futures?

In early 2020, MAPC’s Arts & Culture team and the Public Art team at the New England Foundation for the Arts planned a series of events about the meaning and future of monuments in Greater Boston. Then the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans on hold. Just a few months later, the question of how Americans memorialize the past became one of the key touchpoints of the year.

In fall 2020, Public Art, Public Memory re-launched as a three-part, online series featuring artists and cultural organizers working at the intersection of creativity, history, and community-building. The series explores the role that planners, artists, and community leaders can play in cultivating more just and inclusive public spaces through public art and collective memory.

Learn more and check out recordings and resources from the series here.

Public Art, Public Memory was co-organized by the Arts & Culture Department at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Public Art Department at New England Foundation for the Arts, and co-sponsored by the Design Studio for Social Intervention.

mapc_ds4si_nefa logo

Whose Public?
Planning and Placemaking for Welcoming Public Spaces

Public spaces are not neutral. They are steeped in histories of exclusion and oppression. For many who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color, public space is anything but public.

What does it mean to shape public spaces that support the rights of BIPOC to be, thrive, express, and connect? What lessons can we learn from the nation’s current reckoning with racism as we consider the future of public spaces in Greater Boston?

In summer 2020, MAPC teamed up with the Design Studio for Social Intervention and New England Foundation for the Arts to explore the role that planners, artists, and organizers can play in promoting spatial justice in Greater Boston and beyond. Culminating in a series of artist-led discussions, the collaboration considered what it means to decenter whiteness in the planning, programming, and design of public spaces.

Learn more and check out recordings and resources from the series here.

Whose Public? was co-organized by the Arts & Culture Department at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the Design Studio for Social Intervention, and the Public Art Department at New England Foundation for the Arts.

mapc_ds4si_nefa logo

Past Events

The inaugural 2017-2018 series was curated and facilitated by MAPC’s first Artist-In-Residence, Carolyn Lewenberg, and highlighted the role that artists can play in generating solutions to complex challenges in planning and community development.

Community Building and Economic Development through Art
Art and Green Infrastructure
Art and Public Health
About

New England Foundation for the Arts

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation. NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to networks and knowledge-building opportunities; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org

Stay Tuned

Sign up for our Arts & Culture mailing list to receive announcements about future events in the series.

Questions?

For more information, please contact Emma Boast, Arts & Culture Fellow, at [email protected].

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Winthrop Visioning

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MAPC >> Resources >> Project

January 2021: Final Plan Published

The Win2030 Vision lays out a vision for the Town of Winthrop over the next 10 years, key goals to achieve that vision, and actions that the Town and others can take to achieve those goals. The plan was developed through extensive public outreach and planning.

Download the Plan
Read the Vision Statement

High-Level Goals

Housing and Neighborhoods

  • Mixed-use residential strategy with nearby shops
  • More trees: tree protection and planting program
  • Residential ground floor flood resiliency via zoning and building code measures
  • Housing options for families, millennials/young professionals, and seniors

Jobs and Economic Development

  • Transformative redevelopment
  • Leverage town properties, including full redevelopment option of former middle school site
  • Farmer’s market
  • Outdoor events with food trucks and other vendors
  • Encourage waterfront businesses
  • Expand street amenities like lighting, seating, and shade trees
  • Opportunities for jobs, leisure, tourism, and tax base growth through retail shops, restaurants, and bars

Climate and Resilience

  • Infrastructure-based flood risk reduction strategies (living shoreline, seawalls, elevation, floodable infrastructure)
  • Provide flood risk guidance on how to reduce vulnerability with ground floor flooding
  • Living shorelines to mitigate beach erosion and wave damage
  • Pursue floodable infrastructure such as climate-smart parks

Public Facilities and Energy

  • Pursue streetscape amenities such as shade trees, benches, and signage
  • Energy reduction and options: collective solution for personal and municipal energy cost reduction (such as bulk energy purchasing). Proactive promotion of renewable energy options. Install solar on municipal buildings.

Open Space and Recreation

  • Priority parks for improvements: Winthrop Shore Reservation, Yirrell Beach, Ingleside Park
  • Coastal re-sanding and erosion
  • Tree plantings
  • More walking paths

Operational Service Delivery

  • Town service improvements: mobile phone app for town services, enhanced bus or trolley service between CBD and historic/recreational destinations
  • Energy costs reduction through weatherization and HVAC upgrades

Transportation

  • Better transit/bus facilities (shelters, signs, benches, etc)
  • Enhanced service frequency and routes for buses to MBTA Blue Line, circulator shuttles/vans, connections to Beachmont and the Highlands, Winthrop Ferry improvements
  • Transit subsidies: partially subsidized MBTA passes to encourage transit use and reduce traffic

Schools and Education

  • Desired lifelong adult/workforce training programs: financial education and literacy, continued education for adults, ESL/EFL programs for adults and children, vocational-technical trades training, and online education expansion/awareness
  • Potential high impact opportunities: Niche WPS program anchored in Belle Isle Marsh Ecology Outdoor Learning Center and partnerships with businesses or organizations for unique specialty programs
  • Teach pay for job retention and competitiveness with neighboring communities

Winthrop Actionable Visioning 2020-2030

On this page:

About

Updates

Materials

Contact

Photo by Doug Kerr, Flick (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo by Doug Kerr, Flick (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is working with the Town of Winthrop to facilitate a public process for community input on how to develop a vision for the Town’s future. The Winthrop community will have a chance to assess shorter-range quality of life and operational goals, as well as “big ideas” for potentially transformative initiatives in the future. The participation exercises will prioritize both of these types of ideas so that the Town can have a clear set of next steps.

Why Plan?

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Identify preservation, enhancement, and growth areas

noun_child care_332981

Leave a legacy
for the next generation

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Inform decisions
on policies, bylaws, and zoning

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Provide mutual certainty
for residents and businesses

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Provide context
for town decisions

Materials

We’ll post materials here as time goes on! Check back for presentations, past meeting information, and more.

Presentation to Winthrop Town Council:
January 19, 2021

Community Forum:
October 15, 2020

A Zoom Community Forum was held on October 15, 2020. Watch the recording, download the presentation, and take the associated survey below.

First Online Open House:
May-June 2020

In May and June 2020, we solicited feedback from the community through an online open house. The open house is now closed, but you can view the background slides at the link below.

View the First Online Open House

For More information, Contact:

Carlos Javier Montañez, MAPC Principal Planner & Project Manager, at [email protected]

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Planning For Net Zero Forum Resources

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Zero to 101

Planning for Net Zero
Forum Resources

MAPC’S 2017 CLEAN ENERGY FORUM

Bringing Net Zero to 101 Cities and Towns and Beyond

MAPC’s 2017 Clean Energy Forum: Planning for Net Zero was held on October 11, 2017, at District Hall in the Boston Seaport District. The Forum was a part of MAPC’s Zero to 101 Series: Bringing Net Zero to 101 Cities and Towns and Beyond and engaged over 100 stakeholders on how to take a holistic approach to net zero planning & strategies to start achieving net zero goals.  The cities of Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, and Towns of Concord and Wayland shared their progress and insight on working towards net zero goals. MAPC staff from the Clean Energy, Land Use, Transportation, Environment, and Public Health Departments introduced attendees to the variety of ways MAPC can help them to deploy multi-benefit strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate leaders facilitated robust and thoughtful discussions throughout the room with attendees on barriers, best practices, and resources for communities setting out on net zero planning.

Image is of a blue electric cord with a plug circling behind a blue water drop with light green wind turbine blade inside of it. Text below the illustration is in light green and says, "Zero to 101".

FROM 101 to NET ZERO

Questions?

For more information about Net Zero Planning, contact Megan Aki, Clean Energy & Climate Systems Manager.

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Learn more

Net zero tools at MAPC: Holistic net zero planning in action

Climate Leadership through Net Zero Planning: A Dialogue with Cities & Towns

Meet the Panelists

Somerville: Oliver Sellers-Garcia
Cambridge: Susanne Rasmussen
Concord: Gilda Gussin
Wayland: Anne Harris
Boston: Austin Blackman

Keynote: Suzanne DesRoches

Susanne DesRoches | Deputy Director for Energy & Infrastructure, NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability

Susanne DesRoches is the Deputy Director for Energy & Infrastructure at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency where she focuses on adapting regional infrastructure systems to climate change. In this role, she oversees analysis and advocacy on a wide range of regulatory and legislative energy matters before the New York State and federal government.

She also leads the NYC Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, a group of 60 public and private infrastructure operators, to identify climate risks, coordinate adaptation strategies and develop resiliency design guidelines.

Suzanne DesRoches – Keynote Presentation

Resources from Our Climate Leaders

Meet the Facilitators

Environment Massachusetts
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
MassDevelopment Finance Agency
National Grid
Northeast Clean Energy Council
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
Northeastern University: Joan Fitzgerald
U.S. Green Building Council – Massachusetts

SolSmart Resources

Chelsea, Boston, Melrose, Cambridge, Winthrop, Natick, and Somerville were awarded their SolSmart designations at the forum, showing that they have each achieved measures to reduce solar soft costs and be a solar ready community.

Explore SolSmart resources for your community here or apply for SolSmart designation here.

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