Raising density around transit stations to a level already existing in some parts of the city would enable hundreds of thousands of new housing units in and around Boston, according to a thought experiment by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.
"Housing-starved Massachusetts could add a quarter-million homes just by building more around MBTA stations," reports Tim Logan, reporting the analysis of a new study published this week by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.
The nonprofit housing advocacy organization "studied and mapped development patterns around 284 stations on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rapid transit and commuter rail lines and found that more than 517,000 houses and apartments are within a half-mile of a station," explains Logan. The organization also created an online mapping tool to explore transit oriented development opportunities around MBTA stations.
A little more density, however, could make room for a lot more housing. "About 253,000 more could be added if land around all of the transit system’s stations averaged 10 housing units per acre, instead of the current 6.4."
Researchers at the organization describe the report as a thought experiment, but that speculative density of ten units per acre is already a reality around multiple transit stations on the MBTA system, as listed in the article.
Read the full story: Report says land at T stations could handle 253,000 housing units — and ease traffic gridlock
New Transit Oriented Zoning Criteria Proposed for Massachusetts
More details on the state of Massachusetts' game changing "Housing Choice" program are now available.
'Bespoke' Station Design Responsible for Transit Costs Increases, Study Says
The first case study by the Transit Costs Project at New York University's Marron Institute offers a long awaited, and long necessary, glimpse into the bloated costs of construction in the United States.
New York, Boston Transit Agencies Back Off Proposed Cuts
News of a potential economic stimulus package in Congress is followed by news that two of the nation's most prominent transit systems are reducing cuts proposed to address plummeting revenues.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority