The Boston Planning & Development Agency released a powerful new map of the entire city—complete with layers like shadows, flood plains, and zoning districts—to the public.

Tim Logan reports on a new digital 3D map produced by the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BDPA) that models the entire city.
The map is "the latest step in the BPDA’s push to be more transparent, and to spark conversations about planning for the city’s future," according to Logan. Previously, BDPA housed a wooden scale model on the ninth floor of City Hall. The new digital map is public, and the hope is that it will inspire the public to engage with the city's development in new ways.
The map maps 129,000 buildings from East Boston to Mottapan, explains Logan. "The map is pannable and scannable, and detailed enough to capture backyard sheds, rooftop furniture, and lots of trees. And it comes with tools that allow anyone to layer on zoning maps, schools, MBTA stops, and even flood-prone areas."
FULL STORY: You can see your home from here. A new 3D map covers the entire city

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Seattle Safe Parking Site to Close, Relocate
A nonprofit leases lots during permitting stages to erect tiny homes and RV safe parking sites for unhoused residents. But the model means constant uncertainty and displacement.

LA ‘Mobility Wallet’ Increased Quality of Life for Participants
The city distributed a monthly $150 transportation subsidy to 1,000 low-income Angelenos. It dramatically improved their lives.

Texas, California Rail Projects Seek Out Private Funding
In the wake of Trump’s cuts to high-speed rail projects, rail authorities are looking to private-public partnerships to supplement their budgets.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions