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Metropolitan Area Planning Council Announces Policy Priorities Ahead of 193rd Legislative Session

Metropolitan Area Planning Council Announces Policy Priorities Ahead of 193rd Legislative Session MAPC’s legislative priorities are rooted in the goals set in MetroCommon 2050 to create a more equitable, sustainable, resilient, and prosperous region and Commonwealth. In December 2022, the MAPC Executive Committee approved a new package of policy priorities for the 2023-2024 legislative session. […]

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Announcing MetroCommon May

MetroCommon 2050 is the next land use and policy plan for the people who live and work in Greater Boston. At its core will be bold, actionable recommendations. These recommendations – especially for state and local government – will play a critical role in reaching our goals in the next 10, 20, and 30 years.   […]

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MAPC Releases Transportation Finance Recommendations

Photo by Rob Sheppard Transportation, the backbone of a thriving economy, is crucial to every aspect of life in Massachusetts, connecting workers to jobs, businesses to markets, students to schools, and residents and visitors to cultural and recreational resources. A reliable, affordable, and well-connected transportation network is particularly essential to advancing the region’s equity goals: […]

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Farm share: MAPC talks agriculture preservation with local growers

We held our first agricultural forum in Sudbury last night and we absolutely filled the venue!  Nearly 100 people attended the forum and the word from attendees was that it was a great success. Staff from MAPC guided the discussion on successes and challenges to agricultural practice as well as determining ways that the agency […]

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DeLeo – Let’s decide transportation $, then budget

Originally posted on the T4MA blog By Marie Szaniszlo House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo this morning said he wants the Legislature to decide how much to earmark for transportation, including funding for the MBTA and regional transit authorities, before it tackles the state budget. “It is my desire that we debate the transportation issue before […]

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MAPC grants help communities create safe walking routes to school, smoke-free housing

In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), MAPC awarded wellness “mini-grants” to municipalities within Middlesex County that do not currently receive Mass in Motion funding from MDPH. These grants will go towards projects that advance our goals for increasing opportunities for physical activity in communities; providing more smoke-free housing; and increasing options for healthy foods. For […]

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Discover the world of planning at the MAPC Open House

Have you registered for the MAPC Open House yet? Whether you’re completely new to MAPC, or you’ve gotten to know us through a specific project in your region or area of interest, there is always more to learn about the work that we’ve been doing, through this event! In the past year, we created a […]

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“The way forward” to transportation reform in MA

Yesterday, the Patrick Administration unveiled a menu of options for plugging the gap in the state’s transportation budget, based on the findings of a report prepared by MassDOT,  titled “The Way Forward: A 21st Century Transportation Plan.” The MassDOT report calls for $1.02 billion in new revenue per year in order to fund our transportation […]

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The ripple effect: A regional approach to sustainable communities

The purchase of streetlights by Chelsea from Boston referenced in this article from Atlantic Cities was facilitated in part by MAPC. Our clean energy team is spearheading a statewide collective purchasing and technical assistance effort for cities and towns, assisting them as they embark on projects like LED streetlight purchasing. These partnerships benefit municipalities by […]

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CORI Reform: Helping ex-offenders get jobs is good for the region

Everyone deserves to have a job. But when access to employment is limited for large groups of people in a community with high rates of criminal convictions, it doesn’t only affect those individuals. The impact ends up extending to the economic viability for the entire region as well. Fortunately, Massachusetts has recently made an important […]

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