Young professionals are choosing to live in "smaller, more transit-oriented developments." To keep them in-state, Gov. Deval Patrick plans to incentivize the building of 10,000 multifamily housing units each year through 2020 in Mass.
"I'm very glad the governor has set a goal," said Marc Draisen, executive director of the regional Metropolitan Area Planning Council. "What we really need is multifamily homes." The goal of building 10,000 new housing units close to workplaces, public transportation and city and village centers will be incentivized through several programs including Compact Neighborhoods and Chapter 40R. The council predicts the housing initiative will help the Boston area "expand by 120,000 households - most of them younger families - between 2010 and 2020."
The housing plan, writes Jenifer B. McKim, comes "amid a growing chorus of housing specialists who are stressing the importance of building more higher-density housing." As the demand for suburban single-family homes weakens, a study by the nonprofit Boston Foundation "calls for the state to double or triple its housing development in the region as young professionals and baby boomers compete for the same types of homes in Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, Plymouth, and Norfolk counties."
"We are trying to promote more compact development, affordable and market-rate housing near centers, near transit, and where jobs are being created," said Aaron Gornstein, the undersecretary for the Massachusetts Housing and Community Development. The housing plan encourages high-density growth by offering incentives such as "priority access to state funding for infrastructure improvements" and the bypass of certain zoning restrictions.
However, reports McKim, other housing specialists like Harvard University economist Edward Glaeser are "skeptical that families will want to live in multifamily complexes without urban amenities" and question "whether 10,000 units will be enough to meet growing housing needs."
FULL STORY: Governor Patrick details multifamily housing plan
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The new mayor of Los Angeles is young, charismatic, and a champion of urbanism and smart growth. He should start using all these assets immediately to transform Los Angeles into the vibrant, transit-oriented city it can become, says Bill Fulton.
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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