Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)

Want to support more sustainable deliveries in your city or town? Municipalities can play a big role in encouraging e-cargo bike usage in urban deliveries, which can decrease emissions, increase roadway safety, and create more enjoyable public spaces. “E-Cargo Bikes: Strategies for Municipal Delivery Transition” outlines?how municipalities can support e-cargo bike deliveries. ?? Learn more at mapc.ma/e-cargo-bikes.

Thirty-one municipal and regional projects in the Greater Boston area will soon be able to leverage more than $440,000 to advance regional priorities in housing production, climate resilience, economic development, and culture thanks to the latest round of technical assistance funding from MAPC! ?? The initial set of TAP-funded projects for FY25 supports cities and towns collaborating to advance program priorities and regional goals: ? $176,500 toward breaking down barriers to housing, increasing economic mobility and positive health outcomes, emergency preparedness, and public safety ? $170,000 toward multiple communities working together to better understand and address shared challenges ? $95,000 toward projects that advance additional MetroCommon2050 goals Help us congratulate these 27 municipalities and our subregions! Find the full list of TAP-funded projects at mapc.org/news/tap-2025. “A larger portion of this year’s TAP grants support projects that cross municipal lines. We are very glad to see that the critical DLTA funding from Beacon Hill is being used to take action on long-term regional goals and bring communities together,” said MAPC Executive Director Marc Draisen.

MAPC and the Mystic River Watershed Association are seeking artists to develop creative projects as part of a Summer 2025 Cool Communications extreme heat communications campaign serving Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Revere, and Winthrop. Submissions are due on April 4. The project aims to develop creative engagement methods to supplement traditional messaging on heat risk through art and storytelling. The Call seeks artists, designers, and creatives to propose creative concepts for community engagement around heat resilience in the media of their choice. More information is available at: https://lnkd.in/eZCax7ur There will be a virtual information session on March 20 at 6 p.m. Register: https://lnkd.in/euyaQuNT Reach out to [email protected] with any questions!

Communities looking to update their rules regarding accessory dwelling units now have a model ADU zoning bylaw available to them. EOHLC, in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and MHP (Massachusetts Housing Partnership), is offering this model to help communities develop and/or amend their own local ADU rules to be consistent with the new state law, which allows ADUs under 900 square feet to be built by right across the state.? ? You can find the new model bylaw here: https://lnkd.in/eKCMgivk?

"From Brockton to Buckland and Northfield to Newton, more than 60 municipal officials are asking lawmakers to take swift action to allow them to continue to hold remote and hybrid public meetings beyond the upcoming March 31 expiration of that pandemic-era policy." "In a letter lead by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Mass. Association of Regional Planning Agencies, officials from 45 different communities said the remote and hybrid allowances tacked onto the Open Meeting Law in 2020 have made it easier both for residents to meaningfully participate in local government and for municipal officials to manage the increased activity." Read the full letter regarding remote and hybrid meeting extension expiration via State House News Service.

We're currently hiring a Principal Land Use Planner! Full Time | $92,000 - $102,000 Annually | outstanding set of employee benefits The Principal Land Use Planner will work on a wide variety of local and regional planning projects in Greater Boston, with a particular focus on plans and regulatory changes that will have “impacts on the ground,” advance equity, encourage intermunicipal collaboration, and promote housing and economic development in appropriate locations, while preserving the region’s natural resources. MAPC has a hybrid schedule, combining time in the office with remote work. Employees must reside within a commutable distance from MAPC’s Boston office. Learn more and apply through the link below.

Earlier this week, supporters and local and state leaders came together in force for Community Safety Day, advocating for continued funding?for the Senator Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative (CSI) and the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative. A special thanks to Secretary Terrence Reidy of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Adrian Madaro, and Charles Shannon III - the son of the late Sen. Charles Shannon, whose legacy the program honors - for speaking at the event. Renée Contreras and Noelle Furnanz of the Shannon CSI statewide research partner team also shared key findings from the 2024 site briefs, underscoring the program’s statewide impact. Learn more about the Shannon CSI, including data points from 2024 and MAPC's role as a site coordinator on our Planning 101 blog: https://lnkd.in/e9vfigiJ.

Did you know that the City of Boston has been piloting an electric cargo bike delivery program? ?? Since 2023, Boston Delivers has facilitated more than 20,000 deliveries of food and goods by e-cargo bike that may have otherwise been delivered by a car, truck, or van. Beginning operations in Allston, home to diverse residents and businesses, the program then expanded to focus on supporting small, and women- and minority-owned businesses in the city. Learn more about the Boston pilot and how your municipality can support e-cargo bike deliveries through our new resource, “E-Cargo Bikes: Strategies for Municipal Delivery Transition” - mapc.ma/e-cargo-bikes. Over the next four weeks, we’ll be sharing more details and strategies from the framework on our social media accounts! Pictured below, the Coaster Cycle Venture with Trailer (photo credit: Net Zero Logistics). Funding for the Boston Delivers pilot was?provided through?the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Accelerating?Clean?Transportation?for?All?(ACT4All) Grant.

Take MAPC’s survey for the Greater Boston Climate Action Plan! MAPC?is developing the Greater Boston Climate Action Plan - a roadmap for our region to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 years. We want to hear what is most important to you and your communities through this survey: mapc.ma/gbcapsurvey. The survey will be open through March 21. Please also share with your networks! The findings will shape actions that municipalities and the region can take to reduce emissions and improve quality of life. Learn more about the Greater Boston Climate Action Plan at mapc.ma/Greater-Boston-CAP.

Yesterday, at our Winter Council Meeting, we had the privilege of honoring Faustina Jarolyn C. with the Mayor Theodore Mann Regional Leadership Award! ?? Faustina, a native of Lynn, was appointed as the City's first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer in 2021 and serves as a Senior Advisor to City of Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson. Please join us in congratulating Faustina! The Mann award is given annually by MAPC in memory of Newton’s longest-serving mayor, Theodore “Teddy” Mann, and recognizes a municipal leader from Greater Boston whose commitment to regional collaboration best exemplifies Mayor Mann’s legacy. Faustina joins a distinguished list of Mann Award recipients?- the first award was given in 1996 to then Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino. This past fall, Faustina’s peers elected her as chair of the statewide Mass. Municipal DEI Coalition due to her ongoing commitment to DEI at the local and state level. She has worked closely with MAPC for many years on the Racial Equity Advancement & Collaborative Hub training and peer learning initiative. Read our full press release: https://lnkd.in/eSNtWd-X