A Massachusetts law aimed at reducing the state's housing shortage mandates zoning for multi-family housing in most eastern Massachusetts jurisdictions.

A Massachusetts state bill designed to boost housing production and increase density near transit will limit access to state grants for municipalities that don't comply with upzoning regulations, reports Henry Grabar.
The law mandates that communities zone for "as-of-right" multi-family apartment construction in formerly single-family neighborhoods in order to alleviate the state's housing shortage. As Grabar notes, "The mandate applies to places served by or adjacent to stations of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the state agency that operates the buses and trains that fan out of Boston," with the biggest burden placed on "bedroom suburbs" that, despite having excellent transit, continue to limit housing production with exclusionary zoning that keeps housing costs high and supply low.
The new regulations require designated communities to zone or rezone at least one district to 15 homes per acre, compared to the current average of 6.2 homes per acre. Grabar points out that "That corresponds to a relatively dense but recognizably suburban fabric, such as town houses or duplexes around shared yards."
While state leaders hope a blanket policy will eliminate lengthy local hearing processes and reduce development costs, there are concerns about ways that resistant communities could circumvent or ignore the new law by adjusting zoning maps or imposing unreasonable restrictions.
FULL STORY: Can You Force the Suburbs to Build Apartments? Massachusetts Is Trying.

The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues
Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.

New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.

What Role Does Health Care Play in Community Development?
Cities are economically diverse and require accessible health care systems, but this can be challenging to implement. Urban developers are working alongside health professionals to create affordable care for city residents.

Highlights From the National Shared Mobility Summit
Mobility leaders from around the country met to discuss multimodal transportation, equity, and accessibility.

Opinion: Ohio Needs Public Transit
A new Intel facility is set to bring thousands of workers to rural Ohio. Will the state embrace mass transit or give in to auto-centric sprawl?

New York Affordable Housing Program Set To Expire
A program that has supported the construction of thousands of affordable units could lapse if state lawmakers don’t approve an extension or revision.
County of Napa
Clarion Associates
Urban Planning Partners
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.