As other cities follow suit, Boston leads the way in creating artist housing through developer incentive programs and design requirements.
"Boston is not the only city that has promoted artist housing in recent years. From Berkeley, California, to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, municipalities have adopted a range of artist-friendly measures, including zoning allowances and tax incentives. But Boston's program, launched in 2002, is one of the country's most ambitious. In a high-pressure real estate market, the Artist Space Initiative aims to make the presence of artists enduring, rather than a stage on the way to gentrification. 'This is the whole reason it emphasizes the creation of permanent space,' says Heidi Burbidge, who coordinates the program at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), the city's planning agency."
"Boston already requires that at least 15 percent of units in large new residential buildings be priced based on income limits. Artists' units with specific requirements for ventilation, insulation, and loading can be tacked onto the affordable component of a building, adding bohemian cachet."
FULL STORY: Degentrifying Condos
Boston Bus Signal Priority Project Yields Faster Travel Times
The city now plans to expand a year-long pilot project that reduced the time buses waited at traffic signals.
Boston Rail Network Sees Significant Increases in Speed After Eliminating ‘Slow Zones’
A year-long project that upgraded rail infrastructure and equipment has resulted in faster trips on all rail lines.
Boston Launches New Affordable Housing Preservation Fund
The Boston Acquisition Fund will offer low-interest loans to developers who pledge to keep multifamily housing affordable.
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USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
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Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research