Emma Battaglia

Department: Land Use – Housing
Email: [email protected]

Biography:

Emma Battaglia joined MAPC’s Housing Division in 2021 as a Senior Housing & Land Use Planner. Her work includes supporting the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition (MMC) Regional Housing Task Force and coordinating housing policy implementation for the agency. She also manages a variety of municipal planning processes, including housing production plans, neighborhood plans, zoning updates, and more.

Emma oversees the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition (MMC) Regional Housing Task Force, a partnership of elected officials and staff from 17 cities and towns working to meet a regional housing production target of 185,000 net new units between 2015 and 2030. She coordinates regular meetings and supports the Task Force in tracking progress towards the production target, advocating for legislative policies that promote production, and undertaking local implementation projects that advance priorities around production and affordability. She is currently leading a Task Force project focused on how best to leverage public land for Affordable Housing in the 17 communities.

Emma collaborates across MAPC departments, state agencies, and municipal governments to support local compliance with new housing laws. This includes the MBTA Communities Law and, more recently, the mandate in the 2024 Affordable Homes Act that municipalities across the Commonwealth allow for certain accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to be built by right in single-family zoning districts. She led the production of a model zoning document, is assisting local municipalities to write zoning that complies with the ADU law, and is working with housing advocates to educate and provide resources about ADUs for property owners.

Prior to joining MAPC’s Housing Division, Emma worked as a Senior Planner for the City of Melrose. In this role, she internally managed planning and community development projects, provided staff support and technical assistance to local boards and commissions, crafted new zoning amendments to advance smart growth and Affordable Housing priorities, and coordinated the City’s Affordable Housing activities as the Melrose representative on the North Suburban Consortium.

Emma holds a Master of Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Natural Resources from Cornell University. She serves as a member of her local Planning Board.